JFK to Manhattan

The AirTrain runs from every JFK terminal to two subway stations. At Jamaica it meets the E, J and Z trains at Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport; at Howard Beach it meets the A train. The AirTrain costs $8.75 when you leave it at either station, and the subway $3, so the trip is $11.75 in total. Pay both with a contactless bank card, a phone or an OMNY card: MetroCards can no longer be bought or refilled. The E runs without a change to Long Island City, Midtown and the World Trade Center; the A runs to Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan and up the west side of Manhattan.

At Jamaica, the AirTrain also meets the Long Island Rail Road. LIRR trains run from Jamaica to Penn Station and to Grand Central Madison, about 30 minutes from the airport in all. A one-way ticket from Jamaica costs $5.25 off-peak and $7.25 at peak times, so with the AirTrain the trip is $14 or $16. Buy the ticket before you board: the same tickets cost $13 and $15 when bought on the train. Peak fares apply to weekday trains reaching the city between 6 and 10am or leaving it between 4 and 8pm; weekends are all off-peak.

Yellow taxis from the official taxi lines charge a flat fare of $70 between JFK and anywhere in Manhattan, in either direction. On top of that come fixed surcharges for a yellow cab picked up at JFK: the $0.50 MTA surcharge, the $1 improvement surcharge, the $2.50 congestion surcharge for trips south of 96th Street and the $2 airport access fee, so $76 before tolls and tip. Add $0.75 if the trip enters Manhattan at or below 60th Street, and $5 on weekdays from 4 to 8pm. Taxis cannot be booked by app at the airport: take one from the taxi line.

A private transfer is booked before you fly, at a price fixed per car when you book, and the driver tracks your flight. On Kiwitaxi, JFK to Manhattan starts from $108 for a sedan that seats four with three bags, with larger minivans and minibuses for groups. It costs more than a taxi for one or two people, but for a family with luggage it means no queue and a known price.

App cars pick up at JFK: follow the signs after baggage claim to the pickup area, which is generally in front of the terminal. At the time of writing, pickups for Terminals 5 and 7 have moved to the Howard Beach AirTrain station because of construction, so check the app and the airport signs. Prices change with demand, and app cars pay a $1.50 congestion toll for trips into Manhattan at or below 60th Street.