Would this be feasable (arrive JFK, airtrain to Jamaica, LIRR to Manhattan with a 29" roller) or is that just too big to wrangle on the confines of the train?

not a problem if you are traveling
during non-rush hours.

Yes - as long as it's not rush hour.

But at Penn Station you will need to carry it up 2 fights of stairs - and then a couple of escalators to the street to get a cab to wherever you're going. I would never attempt a bag that size on the subway (lots more stairs down and up, long passageways, etc)

Are you looking to go to Penn st? You can just take the Howard Beach A train for less cost. I just did this in Oct. I pack light- key since you don't want to be hauling heavy bags up and down stairs as already mentioned.

Thanks all. This is probably a dumb question- we will be arriving at rush hour, can I assume that commuters will be flowing out of Manhattan or is it crowded no matter which way you're going?

Rush hour will be more mobbed leaving the city - but crowded in both directions - people coming in to have dinner, go to the theater etc. From Jamaica into Penn Station is always crowded - except after 10pm or so.

Hi,
I will be flying out of JFK at 2350 and planning to take the LIRR+Airtrain. I will travel alone with 1 large(ish) trolley bag and 1 backpack. I know you mentioned that it is fine if not during rush hour. I was advised to give myself 3 hours before the flight so I should take the 8pm LIRR. Is that still rush hour out of Penn? I won't be able to lift my 20kg luggage onto the overhead luggage rack so hoping to be able to store it at the end of the carriage where I read there is a luggage storage area.

Mel

By 8PM, the evening rush is over.

There is no luggage storage area at the end of the cars. However, there are areas set aside for wheelchairs. If no wheelchair user needs the space, you can out your luggage there and sit by it in the closest seat.

There will be room for your bags on the train by 8pm, which is after rush hour, and a giant suitcase would not fit in the overhead rack of an LIRR train in any case. Those racks are really only big enough for for small bags and briefcases and coats.

Still you might be surprised at the gigantic suitcases I've seen people carry onto LIRR trains and even onto the subway. LOTS of budget travelers take the Airtrain plus either the LIRR or subway out to JFK. They manage, and you will too.

I have seen people going to the beach on the LIRR get on with umbrellas, chairs, large coolers and even surfboards.

However, you need to
1) keep these things out of other people's way and not occupy seats with them
2) stay next to them so they don't disappeaar on intermediate stops (if you can't get a seat right next to - NOT in the aisle - you have to stand)

Doug is right, you will be fine by then. Last time I took this route a passenger got on with a fairly large case, no one yelled at him, pointed fingers, or looked at him with disgust. In fact people moved aside a bit so he could get on the train and get situated without holding anyone up. Getting on a subway train with a (larger) suitcase is not the travesty of the year that some people make it out to be!

Thanks so much guys! I feel so much better and more confident after reading all your replies. When I purchase the LIRR ticket at Penn Station must I specify which train I want (and stick to it) or as long as I have the ticket I can board any train I like?

For the LIRR, you just purchase a ticket to a station (in this case Jamaica) and get on the next train that stops there. There's a train there fairly often (at least every 20 minutes). There's a big board that lists all the stations and the next two trains stopping there above the ticket counters.

If you are taking a train after 8pm, pay for an OFF-PEAK fare, and the ticket can be used for up to a year ... it's not timed or limited to a specific train, and it doesn't have to be validated except by the conductor.

There is one ticket machine that will allow you to buy a combo of a LIRR ticket and the Airtrain ticket so you don't have to pay twice, but I think only one machine sells those (not the main bank of ticket machines but rather the first one you encounter when you are coming down the main entrance escalator from 34th Street (just off 7th Ave.).

You can also buy the ticket from the counter, but you might have to stand in line.

Melanie,
All but very few trains stop at Jamaica station, since it is an important connecting hub for all the train lines. (Only the Port Washington branch trains do not go to Jamaica.)