Getting to and from the airport can be a stressful experience, especially when you’re visiting a city you’ve never been to! Luckily, New York provides a great option for folks coming to New York via JFK or EWR.
What is the AirTrain
Both JFK and EWR have options to take the AirTrain. The AirTrain is one of the easiest modes of public transportation between JFK/EWR and Manhattan. It brings you from the airport to another station where you can catch a standard train into the city.
You can catch the AirTrain from either airport and then catch a connection to Manhattan. The AirTrain circles the airport 24/7 and makes frequent stops at each station. From your gate follow signs to the AirTrain. At the train terminal, grab a map; it will help you navigate through the transfer process.
JFK AirTrain
From JFK there are two routes, so be careful to board the correct train. Depending on where you’re going you will want to board the Jamaica Station line or the Howard Beach line. To find out which is better, just plug your destination into this map. To get to midtown Manhattan, you’ll want to take the Jamaica line to Jamaica station, where you will transfer to the E Metro line to enter the city.
| Air Train | $5.00 |
| Metro Card | $1.00 |
| Subway | $1.70 |
| Total | $7.70 |
Since it is free to ride the AirTrain within the airport, with the JFK AirTrain you do not pay when you board the train at the airport, but rather when you depart.
When you depart the AirTrain, you can pay for the trip at one of the MetroCard vending machines. You will buy a value based metro card which you can preload and use to ride the metro for the rest of your trip. The total trip from the airport to Manhattan will be $7.70 / adult.
EWR AirTrain
Take the AirTrain from your airport terminal, through any other airport terminals, to the endpoint: Newark Liberty International Airport Station. From there you can take a NJ Transit train to Penn Station via the Northeast Corridor Train or the North Jersey Coast Train. Make sure to hold on to your ticket because you will need it for both the AirTrain and the NJ Transit.
| Air Train | $5.50 |
| NJ Train | $7.50 |
| Total | $13.00 |
Purchase a New Jersey Transit ticket at one of the vending machines at the airport AirTrain station. The total trip from the airport to Manhattan will be $13 / adult. This ticket will include your AirTrain fare and the train fare to Manhattan, coming to a total of $13 per adult.
**Featured image by Tomas Eidsvold
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