Can someone tell me what options I have from JFK to midtown Manhattan (hotel is at w. 40th street). All I have is carryon luggage so don't mind taking subway or bus if convenient. I believe the hotel is near the Port Authority. Can I take the air train?

Yes you can. You take the Air Train to Jamaica and then the Long Island Railroad to Penn Station and then walk or take the subway up to 40th Street from there.

I wouldn't bother with the subway in this case. You'd have to switch to the E train, and that would double the amount of travel time. If you have the time, you can save about $6 by doing that.

You can also take an airport bus that will leave you right at Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Airport buses are convenient and cheap -- even cheaper if you buy a RT ticket.

You can take the Air Train to the 8th Ave. line which will take you to 42nd St. and 8th Ave.

Yes, The "E" train from Jamaica (after the AirTrin) will take longer than the LIRR but it is cheaper and will leave you at the Port Authority. In fact the subway station is called 42nd Street Port Authority.

I'd never take the airport bus to the Port Authority from JFK if I could help it. Almost all these buses stop first at Grand Central to offload passengers and then have to drive across town, adding at least 20 minutes onto the trip.

As for the rest, whether or not you want to get off transit 6 blocks or 2 blocks from your hotel is really a personal choice.

Thanks everyone for your input. I will most likely do AirTrain then LIR.