Taxi to Manhattan from LGA
 

We're 4 adults plus 3 pieces of baggage arriving at 10:00 AM lo LaGuardia. How much it cost a taxi to Midtown? Additional charges per piece of baggage? Are the shuttles of limo services more expensive for 4 people than a taxi?

If memory serves me correctly, the base fare would be in the neighborhood of $25, but you'll get charged a little extra for the passengers. With tip, maybe your looking at $35 - $45, depending on if you're going to the east side or west side.

I would add that, given the other options (very few), $45 to get 4 people to midtown from LGA is a small price to pay.

You'll have many limo drivers soliciting you in the baggage claim area, so barter with them and see if they'll take you to midtown for $40. You never know. But I certainly wouldn't pre-arrange anything.

You may have difficulty finding a single taxi that can carry four adults and luggage. But the fare information that HonestAbe gave you is accurate, though the fare can vary dramatically if you encounter traffic, and in mid-day that's a strong possibility. (I live near the exit for the MidTown Tunnel, and the fare to my apartment is usually $30 to $32 with the toll and tip.) There's no charge in a NYC taxi for luggage. I generally don't trust the "limo" drivers at LaGuardia, though in truth you probably won't find many soliciting you ... they mostly hit JFK.

You can always do a car service; you can call from baggage claim (212/666-6666 fr Carmel) and they are usually close by and will pick you up within a few minutes, but the cost is a bit more than a taxi. The fare is about $35 plus the toll and tip, so you end up paying about $45 minimum.

You'll pay as much or more for a shuttle van ($12 per person), which won't drop you off direclty at your hotel, so I'd definitely go for a taxi.

How big is the luggage? If 3 bags of 24" or so you should be fine. If you have 3 large bags and 4 adults you may not fit in a cab. (Try putting the luggage in your car trunk and you'll see.)

Taxi fare from LGA to midtown will be in the range of $35 - perhaps a little more if a lot of traffic - and if you take a toll bridge or not. If the luggage won;t fit call a couple of the car services (NOT limos - which will be a LOT) and see how much they will charge for a larger vehicle (Carmel, Tel Aviv, Dial 7).

Shuttle bus would be more - I think $15 per person.

Ditto on staying away from shuttle buses.... About 1/2 way into my long and drawn out shuttle bus rides, I am almost always wishing that I would have just taken a taxi.

Thanks a lot!

We took a taxi from LGA to 57th and 7th via the tunnel on a Wed late afternoon in April: Fare was $33. + tip.
M

Many have posted good reviews of carmel limo, but wanted to let other readers know that we waited for 20 minutes (10:00AM) and the limo never showed up. Plus, they asked me to wait upstairs at departures for them. Dragging luggage and 2 kids up one more floor was awkward in the least. Meanwhile, the taxis are plentiful, and even though the long taxi line looks intimidating, people are moved in and out very quickly. Plus, it's a fixed taxi fare from the airport into NYC, so no worries about running up the meter in rush hour. Tired out waiting, we went downstairs to arrivals and jumped into a waiting taxi and started our NYC adventure.

Sorry - the info on fixed fare is incorrect.

Fare from JFK to Manhattan is fixed at $445 - with toll and tip around $60.

Fare from LGA to Manhattan is on the meter and you are charged for waiting time as well as distance. To midtown would be no more than $35 or so - BUT - if you're caught behind an accident or in very bad traffic the meter keeps running. (But since the shuttle bus is bout $15 for 2 or more people cab is the same or cheaper.)

two corrections - in honestabe's post, there is no charge for additional passengers or luggage. The fare is the meter plus tolls (plus tip, usually around 15 %)

nytraveller made a typo - it's $45.00 not $445!!!!

We just used Carmel this past week and I definitely would not recommend them. From LGA to Midtown (8th and 51st) we paid $65 including tip. The minivan was there within about 10 minutes but it was pretty dirty inside and the driver spoke almost no English. For the return trip I had made a reservation for 8:45 am on Sunday and called to re-confirm on Saturday. They said that everything was fine. We were a little concerned when we found out that it was the day of the marathon but the streets around our hotel were open and taxis were coming and going. At around 8:50 I received a call from the driver but I couldn't understand what he was trying to say. I called the office and they assured me that the driver would arrive in about 4 minutes. At 9:10 he still hadn't arrived so I called the office again and ended up on hold for several minutes. Finally they said that they were dispatching another driver. I asked (politely) when I could expect him and pointed out that it was now nearly 30 minutes past my reserved time. At that point they said that I should take a taxi!

I hung up on them and asked our doorman to get us a taxi which he promptly did. We had no trouble fitting four adults and two 25 inch and two 24 inch suitcases in the taxi (a regular taxi, not the minivan type). Since we had no traffic delays the fare was $40 with tip. I would have spent almost $70 for Carmel. I wouldn't go with a car service again.

How much time would you estimate a taxi from LGA to W. 57th/6th Ave. will take at 11am?

Rusty,

What day of the week?

Hi, Ellen, This time I arrive at LGA at 11am and need to meet by 12:30p, if possible. This will be on Wednesday, Oct. 10.

That shouldn't be any problem if you land on time.

Rusty, from LaGuardia to Carnegie Hall (roughly where you're going) is only 6.3 miles (with no traffic, according to Mapquest, would take 17 minutes)

LaGuardia to Carnegie Hall would take 17 minutes only at 2 am - or by helicopter.

Assuming you have only carry-on luggage at that time of day you should make it in 45 minutes from wheels down. If your plane is a little late, or you have to wait for luggage, you still have a good chance of making it.

If your plane is substantially late - you won;t. Have you checked the flight's on-time record?

Carmel Limo sucks. Use Dial 7 (212-777-7777).

I have used a cab with four adults and four large peices of luggage. It was a tight fit and we had smaller bags in the front of the car with us but the large bags will fit.

Those cab trunks are massive.

Yes, I've actually been checking www.flightaware.com for several weeks now to see how that particular flight has been doing and it is rarely as late as 11:10am, and often a bit before 11am. I've got serious luggage this trip or I'd just take the subway which I had great success with in August on a similar trip where I had a short amount of time to get from JFK to this same address for a meeting. I think this is going to work out.

I agree that Dial7 is better than Carmel -- nicer cars, less surly drivers, more reliable.

www.dial7.com