Which New York airport?
 

We will be Going to New York city from Orlando in Dec. For a long weekend. We need help deciding which of the 3 airports is the best choice to fly into. We will be staying in mid town Manhattan. We thank you in advance for any help.

Easiest and quickest is to take a taxi into the city from LaGuardia. Newark becomes a little more involved or expensive, and JFK is a giant zoo further out. Both will have higher taxi fares. Plan on about $25 from LaGuardia including tolls and possibly the tip.

If you are into "roughing" it by taking combinations of shuttles and busses eventually getting to your hotel, then possibly JFK or Newark won't cost you any more money for transport -- but will still prbably take you longer.

Laguardia is definitely the most convenient for getting into the city. And, once there, a cab is definitely the most practical choice for getting into the city.

Cab from Newark to Midtown, I believe, would be about $50 including tolls and tip. Also from Newark, you can take the Air Train... it's a monorail from the airport to a stop on the Northeast Extension rail line where you can pick up a New Jersey Transit train into Penn Station in NYC. It's about $11.50 per person and they advertise it takes only about 30 minutes.

They are also building an AirTrain for JFK which is jsut about completed but I'm not sure when it will be operational.

Here's another vote for LaGuardia, if there is no fare difference. It's easier to get around, and closer to the city than JFK.

Well...either LGA or Newark, not JFK!

If you're traveling light and want to go by public transportation, The Airtrain combo from Newark really can't be beat. I used to shy away form Newark, but since I work near Penn Station, it has become my favorite as I can leave from work and not worry about road traffic. If you are going to take a cab LGA wins as it is much cheaper than a cab from Newark (about $25 vs $50)

La Guardia.

No brainer for midtown -- LaGuardia.

Prices being relatively equal, I would choose LaGuardia.

I think choosing the airport may come down to choosing the best airline for yourself. All things equal, LaGuardia is the best to get to midtown, but Newark isn't that much more difficult. JFK is further out. If you find a cheaper fare to either Newark or JFK on a preferred airline, it might be worth. Continental, for example, would probably lead you to Newark.

Don't know why everyone is so down on JFK, I fly in on a regular basis and think that taking the shuttle to the subway and taking the subway to midtown is a breeze. It's also $2.00, so you will save some money, and honestly sometimes when the traffic is bad taking the subway will save some time as well.

JFK is the biggest airport and was not very well designed, so each terminal is kind of stand alone and there is a shuttle bus service that goes between the terminals.

If you are traveling lite, then JFK should be considered since there are even cheaper flights into JFK.

JetBlue services Orlando, I have flown in a couple of times and HIGHLY recommend JetBlue.

I think I heard that JetBlue wants to buy or lease the old PanAm terminal and I was really pleased to hear that. That terminal is older but has lots of character, so glad it is being put back into use.

Have a great time while you are here.

Have fun while you a

"Don't know why everyone is so down on JFK"

Maybe it's partly because as you have said it is so poorly designed. Maybe it's the two mile walk to get to baggage claim and then waiting an eternity for the luggage.
Maybe it is the fact that a taxi costs an extra $10 to $15 -- never mind that bus and subway thing, which still requires a taxi at the other end for most of us with luggage that we have to lug up and down stairs and through miles of subway corridors.

La guardia is much closer and easier to fly into although delays on the runway can make one crazy.I still rec. LGA.

From LaGuardia, you can also get into midtown by water. The Delta Water Shuttle runs from the Marine Terminal (a beautiful little building, BTW) to a couple of docks in Manhattan; the first stop is 34th St. The fare is quite reasonable, too.

Personally, I love taking water taxis in NY, or any city, for that matter. I like seeing the place from the water, and big harbors are just interesting, IMO.