Question on NY airports
 

Hi all. Can someone please tell from which of NY airports (JFK, Newark and LA Guardia)is easier to reach Manhattan and also has better connections?
Thanks a lot in advance:)

As far as reaching Manhattan, I prefer LaGuardia. However, it's not particularly difficult from any one of them.

Connections are a different matter. It depends on where you are coming from and where you are going to. What is your situation?

For long haul, non-stop flights, JFK and Newark are better. LGA has a limitation that flights must be <1500 miles. That means Dallas and Houston are OK, but Austin isn't allowed. Ditto for Chicago, but not Denver, etc.

For flights that must go through Chicago, I like LGA (EWR is too far from my home). LGA also has a lot of flights up and down the East coast.

Both EWR and JFK have good connections to both Europe and Asia.

JetBLue uses JFK as a major hub, and they continue to expand their route network. CO hub is EWR.

LGA is the easiest but as Toucan said, they are all pretty easy.

My least favorite is the Airtrain from Newark.

It depends on where you are trying to get to within Manhattan, if you are trying to get to the West Side or Lower Manhattan, Newark is the easiest. If you are going to the East Side (or the West Side above about 72nd St), LaGuardia is better, but is much more subject to delays & cancellations due to weather. I hate Kennedy Airport under all circumstances.

As for transportation, it's easy to get into Manhattan from any of them. You can't (legally) get a yellow cab from Newark into Manhattan, but there is a train that runs from Newark to Penn Station. At Kennedy, you can get a cab, but there is no direct train service (the subway runs to and from Kennedy, but takes longer than a flight to Boston and the AirTrain requires a transfer in Jamaica - doable, but a pain with luggage). At LGA you can get a cab or a bus into Manhattan.

I use New York Airport Service Express Bus and find it equally good from LGA or JFK.
LGA is a bit closer to Manhattan and a bit cheaper. But I go with the best airfare I can get, and it doesn't matter to me which airport.
If I had a choice, all things being equal, I'd probably chose LGA, only because the Bus is cheaper.

I go with LGA as much as possible - because Ilive on the upper west side and it's closest/fastest.

But - there's not a huge difference in time/money (unless you're taking a cab in from Newark). So - I would just pick whichever has the flight that's most convenient or has the best price.

Connections to where? LGA is a small airport with short runways - so doesn;t do jumbo jets or long-range flights - no international - but hourly shuttles to Boston or DC. JFK and EWR are similar - mostly longer range flights - but also some mid-range ones.

Thank you all for the help and the replies. I am going from LA to NY and trying to find out which flight and airline to book. There are some flights that arrive in La Guardia and others in JFK. I am planning to stay in mid/ upper Manhattan, still have to choose the hotel.
My first time travelling solo, lol, and I have to make sure everything goes smoothly so I can travel solo again:)


Teresa

Tere, I think you'll be fine on your own no matter which airport you fly into. It can be intimidating on your own at first, but I'm sure it will be the start of many solo trips!
I'd go with the best air fare.

Good luck and have a great time.

Thanks Kodi for the support. I hope I will :)

For a first time solo traveler, there is a lot of comfort in using a car service from LGA to Manhattan. On a weekend a cab will be cheaper and a bus will always be cheaper, but if you use a car service ("limo" outside NY)on a weekday, you don't have to worry about taxi meters rolling while you are stuck in traffic.

Particularly for Manhattan above 59th Street, LGA is BY FAR the most convenient airport. No contest.

I can get to LGA in 20 minutes from my uptown apartment -- and it <i>rarely</i> takes over 30. JFK is a minimum of 45, usually 65, often 90. EWR is worse.

That being said, I fly JetBlue a lot, which is JFK.

All things being equal, fly into LGA. No brainer.

Like others have said, there's no non-stop from any LA-area airport to LGA. EWR/JFK only. I'd definitely pick a non-stop over a connection.

Between EWR and JFK, JFK is easier and cheaper if you use public transportation. From EWR, NJTransit train comes in to Penn Station (~32nd st, so it's another transfer to the subway if your hotel is in the 50s). From JFK, you can take the AirTrain, and connect to Subway that can get you to the 50s and everywhere lower.

Take the cheapest flight and find the hotel that fits your needs best (price, location, etc.) and work on the transportation from there.

If you are looking for the easiest way into Manhattan from any of the airports, my suggestions would be car services or shared vans (SuperShuttle) from any of them. You can also take reasonably priced busses into Midtown from any of the airports. Those of us who live here usually use a car service if we are looking for convenience or a bus if we are looking to save money.

People are correct in saying you can't get a long-haul flight into LGA, which will leave you with JFK or EWR.

People on Fodors often recommend the AirTrain from JFK, and while it can be done, it's not what I recommend - it's a train that runs from JFK to the Long Island Rail Road Station in Jamaica. Then you have to transfer to either the commuter railroad which will take you to Penn Station (and you still need to get to your hotel from there) or to the subway, which is a few blocks away and not easy to do with luggage. Cabs from JFK into Manhattan are flat fare - I think it's about $45 or $50 now (I only use JFK under duress and not recently). The subway also runs directly from JFK, but for a first time solo traveller, I wouldn't recommend it - an hour and a half or more on the A-train is not how I want to introduce my hometown to anyone.

The train from Newark isn't a bad way to go, but the schedule is erratic and you can have very long waits for a train.

Let me make this clear about trains from JFK.

You take the AirTrain ($5) from any terminal to either Howard Beach or Jamaica.

From Howard Beach, you'll take the subway &quot;A&quot; train to Manhattan. The &quot;A&quot; train runs express in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and can get you to Lower Manhattan in about 40 minutes from Howard Beach. It continues uptown to the Upper West Side, without change.

From Jamaica, you can take the LIRR to Penn Station (~32nd St). It takes about 20 minutes.

Or from Jamaica, you can take the &quot;E&quot; train. [The subway stop is called Sutphin Ave]. While it's called the &quot;8 Ave Local&quot;, it's in fact an express train through Queens, with very few stops. It reaches mid-town in about 40 minutes.

So, while the overall transit time (AirTrain + transfer + subway) will exceed an hour, you don't actually spend an hour plus on the subway to Lower or Mid-Town Manhattan, whether you take the &quot;A&quot; or &quot;E&quot; train.

With all those train connections, your ride into the cty will probably take longer than your flight.

What is more important to you: your time or your wallet?

I agree. Unless you're on a <i>really</i> tight budget <i>and</i> time means nothing, take a taxi or car service from the airport to Manhattan. Either one works from LGA &amp; JFK; I suggest a car service from EWR.

Particularly with luggage, public transportation is a major hassle, and the &quot;super-waste-of-time-for-little-savings&quot; shuttle rarely makes sense.

Good luck &amp; Enjoy NYC!

Oh I definetely plan on taking a taxi to the hotel. I will be going to NY after 2 weeks travelling in California with my friend from LA and her sister. How would I handle with the luggage in a train or shuttle??:) I am a shoppaholic i must say, lol.

I am still astonished I am going to do this: 3 weeks away from home for the first time alone!!! Ykes. I know I will be with my friends in California but I will be on my own in New York!!! I am a bit scared about this all but I am turning 50 this year and I need to get used to travelling alone. You know, grown up kids who have other things to do, divorced, love to travel and WON'T GIVE UP travelling, God give me the health ( and some money)to do it:)

Thank you all for you help

Teresa

NYC is an excellent place to travel on your own. I prefer in fact.

If you are a shopaholic, plan on spending a week day afternoon at Century 21. You have to dig but the bargains can be worth it.

I never go in there unless I plan on spending at least 3 hours digging. No customer service whatsoever but the prices make up for that.

I got a $2500 Chloe jacket for $195.

Avoid Century 21 on the weekends.

Tere, good for you! I'm older than you and have no problem travelling on my own. I spent christmas in New York on my own and had a great time.
YOu'll find it's the start of a great new chapter in your life.

Just to let you know, if you really don't want to spend the money on taxis, the airport express bus driver does handle your luggage for you. I found them to be very helpful.
Then you could take a taxi to your hotel after you get off the shuttle. I was only 2 blocks away, so I rolled my suitcase down the sidewalk without a problem.

Good luck..

Thanks Kodi and Gotravel for the tips and help:)
I am really looking forward to travel alone ( though a bit scared...) as I can do and visit whatever I want to!!!
I will make sure not to miss the Century 21. It must be great digging there, I love that!

You can take a helicopter from the AA terminal to downtown Manhattan, starting March 13.

8 minutes. Introductory fare of $139 each way, permanently $159.

From April, you can also go to midtown.