What airport would be the most convenient to land at coming in from LA and having to get into Manhattan? Thanks for any help.

Choose based on airfare and schedule rather than location. It's all about the same.

Do you care about how much money you spend to get from the airport to Manhattan? How willing are you to ride public transport and climb stairs to save money?

Frankly I'm indifferent to the airport as long as I have time to get back and forth. I won't do Islip at all-- too far.

Since I'm a JetBlue boy, that means I fly into JFK from the LA-area airports (my home field is Long Beach). It's farther from Manhattan than La Guardia, but I like JFK in general.

La Guardia doesn't bug me, but short runways make me a bit nervous (which is why I don't fly often out of Orange County).

Newark is fine for what it is, and it's not that far from Manhattan, so it's always in my back pocket if it's the cheapest choice. It usually isn't, but if I'm flying on business and have other stops....

My basic message: Just go with schedule and fare and you won't go wrong.

Since you cannot fly non-stop into LGA from California my recommendation is pick by airline, schedule, and/or fare into JFK or Newark.

Another one who votes for lowest non-stop fare. That is usally into JFK.

For non-stop from LAX it's JFK or EWR.
However, LGA is the closer airport to Manhattan.

There are very few, if any, non-stop from LAX or SFO to LGA becasue the airlines usually run larger planes which the shoter runways at LGA cannot accommodate.

There are no non-stops from LAX or SFO to LGA, but it's not because of the runways or planes. It's by regulation. Airlines are not permitted to fly routes more than 1500 miles to/from LGA (Denver being the one exception).

LGA can handle 757s, and A320s, both of which are used on some transcon nonstop routes.

LGA cannot handle the bigger 767 or 777s, which are also common on JFK-LAX or SFO routes.

NYC has 3 major airport: JFK, LGA and EWR. Some of the budget airlines try to send you to Islip or Stewart or Westchester County. Do not use any of the latter 3 - as getting into the city can take forever (2 to 3 hours) and cost a fortune. (They re really for people who live in the more distant suburbs near them - not for people staying in the city.)

Of the major 3 the convenience will depend on where in the City you're staying. LGA is usually closest but has very poor public transit. I would pick based on price and flight times.

Another minor point to consider is where are you staying. If you're in the uws or ews and driving in during rush, going crosstown can potentially add alot of time to the commute.

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You ought to elaborate, as the poster likely has no idea where she'd "end up" in the city coming from LGA, JFK and EWR.

I too vote for best airline rate and times, and then just take a cab or car service to and from the airport.

I too vote for best airline rate and times, and then just take a cab or car service to and from the airport.

Yes and no. The cab fare from LGA can be half of that from JFK. So it all depends what the difference in the fares may be. Also the Van Wyck is always a disater and the experienced cab drivers know the back streets to the 59th Street from LGA that save time and money.

Adu, what are we talking about? A maximum of a $30 difference? I'm guessing high.

Rarely have I seen JUST a $30 difference in airline fares into NYC. Maybe it happens, but usually the difference is much higher.

If we are talking car services, the difference is $15.

http://www.carmellimo.com/Rates.shtml

Sorry you don't agree, but I'd still go with the best airline rate and times.

Both ways is a total of $60 for cabs. I only take car serivce when the company was paying or I needed a lift during rush hour.

If I could fly out of LGA, I always did so, becasue the ride was much shorter.

$60 for both ways = $30 each way?

Right. The flat fee from and now to JFK is $45 plus any toll plus tip which usually comes to about $60. The cabs I take to downtown from LGA are usually between $25-30 with tip.

But if you really want to save momey from JFK you can take the Airtrain/subway connection for a total $7.25 which would be a significant savings.

Okay. So, we're back to my recommendation. I'll stick with choosing based on the best airline rate and time.

If you can fly out of Long Beach - I like to fly JetBlue direct into JFK - you can usually get decent fares. You can fly direct from SNA I think on Continental into Newark - but if you up in LA that is too far south.