Airport to hotel in New York City: how to choose

With one bag each and a hotel in Manhattan, take the train. From JFK, the AirTrain plus the subway costs $11.75 and takes about 50 minutes to Penn Station; the AirTrain plus the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) takes about 30 minutes for $14 off-peak or $16 at peak times. From Newark, NJ Transit reaches New York Penn Station in about 30 minutes for about $17.25. LaGuardia has no train, but the Q70 bus that links it to the subway is free. [1][2][3]

A taxi earns its price when you have heavy bags, a group of three or four, or a hotel far from a station. Between JFK and anywhere in Manhattan, the taxi fare is a flat $70 before surcharges, tolls and tip. App-based rides from high-volume services pay a $1.50 congestion charge when they enter Manhattan below 60th Street, twice the 75 cents a yellow cab pays. [4][5]

How much are you carrying?

Rail and bus routes mean stairs, turnstiles and crowded cars. A roller bag and a backpack per person is manageable. Two large suitcases each is where the subway stops saving money and starts costing effort, and the LaGuardia route is the hardest of the three because it adds a bus before the subway. At JFK, the AirTrain connects to wheelchair-accessible subway stations at Jamaica and Howard Beach, which helps; check the elevators at your destination station before you count on them. [8]

Where is the hotel?

Match the arrival station to the neighborhood. The LIRR from JFK and NJ Transit from Newark both arrive at Penn Station on the West Side of Midtown, and the LIRR also runs to Grand Central Madison on the East Side. For a hotel below 14th Street, the AirTrain and A train from JFK take about an hour. LaGuardia's M60 bus makes sense for one kind of trip: a hotel in Upper Manhattan, since it runs along 125th Street in Harlem. From Newark, the express bus is worth its higher fare when the hotel is near Grand Central, Bryant Park or Port Authority. [1][2][3]

How many of you are there?

Group size changes the arithmetic more than anything else. When one person taps the same card or phone for everyone within five minutes, AirTrain JFK charges $8.75 for the first rider and $4.50 for each additional one. Four people going from JFK to Midtown by AirTrain and subway pay $22.25 for the AirTrain and $12.00 in subway fares, $34.25 in all. [1][8]

The same four in a taxi to a hotel below 60th Street pay $76.75 before tolls and tip: the $70 fare plus a 50-cent state surcharge, a $1.00 improvement surcharge, the $2.50 congestion surcharge, the 75-cent congestion pricing toll and the $2.00 fee for pickups at JFK. Between 4 and 8 p.m. on weekdays, add $5.00. With a tip, the cab costs well over twice the train. For two people with light bags, take the train. For four people with suitcases, the cab's extra $40 or so buys a door-to-door ride with no transfers, which is often worth it. [4]

LaGuardia: a free bus, then the subway

The Port Authority describes LaGuardia as connected by MTA buses, and in practice that means no train at the terminal. The Q70 LaGuardia Link is free and stops at Terminals B and C. It runs to the Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue subway hub and to Woodside, where you can change to the LIRR. Terminal A has its own bus, the Q33, to the same Jackson Heights station. Taxis use the meter, plus a $5.00 LaGuardia surcharge on top of the usual extras. [3][4]

For one traveler with a backpack, the free bus is the best deal of any New York airport. With a large suitcase, the change from bus to subway at Jackson Heights is hard work, and the taxi deserves a look.

Newark: take the train to Penn Station

Newark is in New Jersey, but for a West Side hotel it is often the easiest arrival. The AirTrain carries you from your terminal to the Newark Airport rail station, and NJ Transit trains reach New York Penn Station in about 30 minutes for about $17.25. The separate $8.75 AirTrain fee applies only when you don't already hold an NJ Transit or Amtrak ticket. [2][9]

One catch: the AirTrain does not stop at Terminal A. Arriving there, allow for a walk of about 15 minutes on a covered path, or a five-minute shuttle, to reach the AirTrain. [9]

Newark taxis to Manhattan are priced by zone. The Port Authority's estimates run from $60 for Lower Manhattan to $80 above West 185th Street, before tolls, tip, congestion pricing and fees. Trips into New York add $10 on weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 8 p.m., and on weekends from noon to 9 p.m. Use the official taxi stand; the Port Authority warns against accepting rides from drivers outside the official pickup areas. [7]

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