I’ve travelled from JFK to Manhattan several times, at different times of day, and the most important thing to know is that no train runs direct from the terminals to Manhattan. The airport’s own train, the AirTrain, takes you to Jamaica or Howard Beach, where you change to the Long Island Rail Road or the subway. According to Uber, the airport is around 30 kilometres from New York City.
The right choice depends on where you’re staying, how much luggage you have and when you land. The train from Jamaica is the fastest way to Midtown, the subway is cheap and runs around the clock, and a taxi costs a flat fare to anywhere in Manhattan. Here you’ll find the fares, where to get off and what to do at night. For the rough conversions I’ve used about £0.75 per dollar.
Contents
At a glance
- AirTrain and Long Island Rail Road: $14 (about £10.50) off-peak and $16 (about £12) at peak times, 20 minutes from Jamaica to Penn Station or Grand Central Madison, and the LIRR runs around the clock.
- AirTrain and subway: $11.75 (about £8.80), changing at Jamaica to the E or J line or at Howard Beach to the A line, and the subway runs around the clock.
- Q3 and Q10 buses: $3 (about £2.20) including the transfer to the subway. It’s the cheapest option, but it’s slow and involves several changes.
- Taxi: A flat fare of $70 (about £52) to anywhere in Manhattan plus surcharges, tolls and the tip, and around 55 minutes on average according to Uber.
- Uber, Lyft and Uber Shuttle: The app shows the price before you book, and Uber Shuttle is a shared minibus with fixed stops in Midtown and Downtown.
Finding your transport at the airport
JFK has several terminals, and the airport is in the middle of a major redevelopment, which means airlines can move to a different terminal. So check the terminal on your ticket before you fly.
The AirTrain is the airport’s own train, and you just follow the signs for the AirTrain from the arrivals hall. The ride between the terminals is free and takes less than ten minutes, and you only pay when you exit at Jamaica or Howard Beach. If you need help at the ticket machines, the airport has staff in red uniforms.
Licensed taxis wait at the official taxi rank outside each terminal. Uber and Lyft pick up at the signposted Ride App Pick-Up zones, which you’ll find by following the signs after baggage reclaim, and at some terminals the zone may have moved because of the construction work, so follow the directions in the app. In the arrivals hall of each terminal, the Port Authority has a Welcome Center where you can get official help with your onward journey. You can see it all on the airport’s transport page.
1. AirTrain and Long Island Rail Road to Penn Station and Grand Central
The fastest way by public transport is to take the AirTrain to Jamaica and change to the Long Island Rail Road, which everyone calls the LIRR. The airport itself calls it the best option, and from Jamaica the train takes around 20 minutes to Penn Station or Grand Central Madison in Manhattan. From Jamaica, the LIRR also runs to Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn.
The AirTrain runs every 5 to 15 minutes, and the screens at the stations show any changes. The LIRR runs around the clock, but the timetable varies with the time of day, so check the next departure in the TrainTime app or on the screens at Jamaica. Suitcases, pushchairs and luggage trolleys are all allowed on the AirTrain.
The train suits you if you’re staying in Midtown or Chelsea and want to get there quickly. The catch is that you pay twice: first for the AirTrain when you go out through the gates at Jamaica, and then for the train ticket, which you need before you board. The MTA describes the route in its guide to JFK.
Fares and tickets
The AirTrain costs $8.75 (about £6.60), and children under 5 ride free. For the train, you buy a CityTicket, which is valid for LIRR journeys within New York City. It costs $5.25 (about £3.90) off-peak and $7.25 (about £5.40) at peak times, so the whole journey costs $14 or $16. Peak times cover weekday trains arriving at the New York stations between 06:00 and 10:00, or leaving them between 16:00 and 20:00.
Children under 5 ride the LIRR free, and up to four children aged 5 to 17 travel for $1 (about £0.75) each with a fare-paying adult. Buy your ticket in the TrainTime app or from a machine at the station. If you wait and buy it on the train, it costs $7.75 to $8.50 (about £5.80 to £6.40) extra. A CityTicket is valid until 04:00 the night after the day you bought it. The fares are listed by the MTA under CityTicket.
You pay for the AirTrain at the gates with a contactless card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or an OMNY card. If several of you are travelling together, the AirTrain has a group fare with OMNY, where the first person pays $8.75 and each person after that pays $4.50 (about £3.40), for up to five people and a maximum of $26.75 (about £20). Everyone has to tap within five minutes. The rules are on the airport’s AirTrain page.
Where to get off the train
Penn Station: The station is at 34th Street and 7th Avenue in Midtown, right on the edge of Chelsea. Here you can change to the A, C and E subway lines at 34 St-Penn Station, and the E runs one stop south to 23 St in Chelsea and one stop north to 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal by Times Square.
Grand Central Madison: The LIRR’s station at Grand Central in the eastern part of Midtown. Choose it if your hotel is on the east side of Midtown, and from there you can also continue out of the city on Metro-North.
Atlantic Terminal: The LIRR’s terminus in Brooklyn. If you’re staying in Brooklyn, you can ride direct from Jamaica without going via Manhattan, which saves you a change with your suitcases.
2. AirTrain and subway to Manhattan and Brooklyn
The subway is the cheap option, and it runs around the clock. Take the AirTrain to Jamaica and change at Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport station to the E or J line. The E runs express through Queens for most of the day and continues through Midtown, Chelsea and SoHo to World Trade Center, while the J runs through Brooklyn to Williamsburg, the Lower East Side and the southern part of Manhattan.
The other route goes via Howard Beach, where you change to the A line. It runs through Brooklyn to Lower Manhattan and on up Manhattan’s west side to stations including 14 St, 34 St-Penn Station and 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal. The MTA charges the same fare for both routes, so choose the one that suits your hotel.
The subway suits you if you’re travelling light. There are lots of stops, and at night some lines run as local trains, so the journey takes longer. Both Jamaica and Howard Beach have wheelchair-accessible connections to the subway, and if you rely on lifts, the MTA advises you to check them before you travel. Take the E towards World Trade Center, because Jamaica Center is one stop in the wrong direction. You’ll find the timetable on the MTA’s E line page.
Fares and tickets
A subway ride costs $3 (about £2.20), however far you travel, and with the AirTrain that makes $11.75 (about £8.80) in total. Up to three children under 44 inches, around 112 centimetres, ride the subway free with a fare-paying adult, and children under 5 ride the AirTrain free. Weekly passes and other unlimited tickets aren’t valid on the AirTrain, so you always pay for that part separately. The fares are listed by the MTA.
Paying by card: OMNY
You pay by holding a contactless bank card, your phone or your watch against the reader. The system is called OMNY, and you don’t need to sign up or download an app. At Jamaica, you tap first at the AirTrain gates and then again when you enter the subway. If you’d rather have a card, you can buy an OMNY card from the machines at the subway stations at Jamaica and Howard Beach and pay in cash or by card. You can no longer buy a MetroCard.
If you use the same card or the same phone every time, you pay no more than $35 (about £26) over seven days on the subway and local buses, and a transfer between the subway and a bus within two hours is free. The cap covers the subway and buses, not the AirTrain. Read more about OMNY’s fare cap.
Where to get off
Midtown and Times Square: The E stops at Lexington Av/53 St, 5 Av/53 St and 7 Av and continues to 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal, where there’s a passageway to Times Sq-42 St. Many of the places I’ve gathered in my guide to things to do in New York are within walking distance of here.
Chelsea: Stay on the E to 23 St. If you’re staying in the northern part of Chelsea, you can also get off at 34 St-Penn Station.
SoHo: The E stops at Spring St in the middle of SoHo, which I call the best area in my guide to where to stay in New York. You ride from Jamaica without changing, and you can see hotels in SoHo here.
Lower East Side and East Village: Take the J to Delancey St-Essex St in the middle of the Lower East Side. The East Village is further north, so with big suitcases a taxi is the easiest way to cover the last stretch.
Williamsburg: The J stops at Marcy Av in Williamsburg before it crosses the bridge into Manhattan, so you stay on the same train all the way from Jamaica. You can see hotels in Williamsburg here.
Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn via Howard Beach: The A stops at Jay St-MetroTech in Brooklyn and at Fulton St, Chambers St and Canal St in Manhattan, among other stations. Take a train towards Manhattan, and get off at the stop closest to your hotel.
3. Q3 and Q10 buses: the cheapest option
If you want to avoid the AirTrain fee, you can take an ordinary MTA bus. The AirTrain between the terminals and Lefferts Blvd station is free and takes around eight minutes, and at Lefferts Blvd you’ll find the Q10, which runs towards Kew Gardens, where the MTA shows connections to the E and F subway lines, among others. The Q3 stops at Terminal 8 and at Lefferts Blvd and runs to Jamaica, where you can change to the F line at Jamaica-179 St.
The bus costs $3, the same as the subway, and if you change to the subway within two hours using the same card, the transfer is free. That means the whole journey costs just $3 (about £2.20). According to the MTA, the Q10 runs around the clock. You pay with a contactless card, your phone or an OMNY card, or with exact change in coins, but not with notes.
On the other hand, the journey takes a long time and it’s a hassle with big suitcases, so I’d only choose the bus if you’re travelling light and want to save money. You’ll find the timetable on the MTA’s Q10 page.
4. Taxis, Uber and Lyft
A yellow taxi from JFK to Manhattan costs a flat fare of $70, wherever you’re going in Manhattan, and the fare is per car. The meter and the receipt show the flat fare. If you have several stops in Manhattan, the flat fare only covers the first one, and after that the meter starts again. The taxis wait at the official taxi rank outside the terminal.
On top of that come the surcharges listed by the TLC, the city’s taxi regulator: $0.50 (about £0.37) in state tax, a $1 (about £0.75) improvement surcharge, a $2 (about £1.50) airport fee when you’re picked up at JFK, $2.50 (about £1.85) for trips to Manhattan south of 96th Street and $0.75 (about £0.56) in congestion charge south of 60th Street. On weekdays between 16:00 and 20:00, it costs $5 (about £3.70) extra. Bridge and tunnel tolls and the tip are also extra.
So for a hotel in SoHo at 17:00 on a weekday, it comes to $81.75 (about £61), before tolls and the tip. The airport estimates $80 (about £60) to Williamsburg and $90 (about £67) to Downtown Brooklyn. The rates are listed by the TLC, and you’ll find the estimates on the airport’s taxi page.
Uber and Lyft pick up at the signposted zones, and the app shows the price before you book. Uber puts the average journey time between New York City and JFK at 55 minutes, and the airport warns that the construction work can make pick-ups by car slower. Always check that the number plate matches the one in the app.
Uber Shuttle is a shared minibus that you book in the Uber app, with fixed routes to places including Times Square, Port Authority, Grand Central, Penn Station, Chelsea and Greenwich Village. You can bring one suitcase of up to 20.5 kg and a small bag, and the price is shown in the app. The airport also mentions the shared services Airlink New York and ETS Air Shuttle. See the routes at Uber Shuttle.
Private transfer
If you’re landing late with children, or there are several of you with a lot of luggage, you can book a private transfer from JFK to Manhattan here. The driver waits for you, the price is agreed in advance, and up to 105 minutes of waiting time is included if your flight is delayed. If there are up to nine of you, you can book a larger private transfer from JFK here.
Onward travel around the New York area straight from the airport
If you’re not heading into Manhattan, you can take the LIRR from Jamaica straight out to Long Island. The LIRR has 11 branches and runs around the clock, and you’ll find the routes at Long Island Rail Road. If you’re travelling on from New York later by Amtrak train to another city on the East Coast, you can buy your train ticket in advance from Omio.
If you’re catching a flight from another airport, JFK estimates a taxi at $60 (about £45) to LaGuardia and $160 (about £120) to Newark, before surcharges and tolls. To Nassau and Westchester, the taxi runs on the meter to the city limit and at double the rate from there, and for trips to New Jersey, Connecticut and Suffolk, you agree the fare with the driver before you set off. If you’re landing at Newark or LaGuardia instead, read my guide to getting from Newark and LaGuardia to Manhattan.
Getting back to the airport
By subway, take the E towards Jamaica Center to Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport or the A towards Far Rockaway to Howard Beach-JFK Airport. Be careful with the A, because trains to Lefferts Blvd don’t go to the airport. From either station, take the AirTrain on to your terminal.
By LIRR, take a train that stops at Jamaica from Penn Station, Grand Central Madison or Atlantic Terminal, and buy your ticket before you board. The MTA advises you to sit at the front of the train, so you have a shorter walk to the AirTrain at Jamaica. The subway and the LIRR run around the clock, but at night some subway lines run as local trains and the LIRR runs to a different timetable, so allow plenty of time if you’re catching a very early flight.
A yellow taxi from Manhattan to JFK also costs the flat fare of $70 plus surcharges, but the airport fee only applies when you’re picked up at the airport. Taxis and cars normally drop off in front of the terminals. When there’s construction work at the terminals, the drive can take longer, and the airport then recommends public transport, so check the airport’s traffic and construction alerts before you set off. The airport doesn’t give a fixed time for when you should arrive, so follow your airline’s advice.
Which option should you choose?
Here’s what I’d recommend, depending on where you’re staying:
SoHo: Take the AirTrain to Jamaica and the E direct to Spring St. With a lot of luggage, a flat-fare taxi is the easiest option.
Lower East Side and East Village: Take the AirTrain to Jamaica and the J to Delancey St-Essex St, and take a taxi for the last stretch to the East Village if you have big suitcases.
Chelsea: Take the AirTrain and the LIRR to Penn Station, which is on the edge of the neighbourhood, or the E direct to 23 St.
Williamsburg: Take the AirTrain to Jamaica and the J to Marcy Av with no further changes.
Midtown near Times Square and Grand Central: The AirTrain and the LIRR to Penn Station or Grand Central Madison is the fastest option. The E to 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal is cheaper.
If you land at night: The subway and the LIRR run around the clock, but at night some subway lines run as local trains. After a long flight, a flat-fare taxi is the easiest option.
If there are three or four of you: Four people pay $43.25 (about £32.50) for the AirTrain at the group fare plus four CityTickets. A taxi to Midtown or SoHo off-peak costs $76.75 (about £58) before tolls and the tip, so roughly twice as much, but it takes you to the door without any changes.
Practical tips for getting from JFK Airport to Manhattan
Use the same card all the way. The fare cap on the subway and buses only works if you use the same card or the same phone every time. A physical card and the same card in your phone count as two different cards.
Buy your LIRR ticket before you board. On the train, it costs $7.75 to $8.50 extra, so download the TrainTime app while you’re waiting for your luggage.
Only take a taxi from the official taxi rank. The airport asks you to ignore people in the terminal who offer you transport, because many of them drive without a licence or insurance. Use the official zones for yellow taxis, Uber and Lyft.
Check the lifts if you have heavy luggage or a pushchair. The MTA has a page showing the status of lifts and escalators and advises you to check it before you travel. Jamaica and Howard Beach both have wheelchair-accessible connections between the AirTrain and the subway.
Choose your hotel with the connection in mind. The E runs direct from Jamaica to Spring St, so you can see hotels in SoHo here. The J runs direct to Delancey St-Essex St, where you can see hotels on the Lower East Side here, and to Marcy Av, where you can see hotels in Williamsburg here.
If you’re not sure which neighbourhood suits you, read my guide to where to stay in New York, and you’ll find ideas for your trip in my guide to things to do in New York.
Travel ressources & websites I use all the time 👇
• Booking.com has the best offers on hotels and unique places to stay
• GetYourGuide is the best place to book tours & activities with free cancellation
• Welcome Pickups is the best & safest place to pre-book airport transfers
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