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JFK to Manhattan and Brooklyn: every way in

JFK is the furthest of New York's three airports from Midtown by road, but it is the one with a fixed taxi price and a fast train. Everything starts with the AirTrain, which is free between terminals and costs $8.75 when you leave at Jamaica or Howard Beach. Below is each way in, where it leaves from at JFK, and the way we would reach each of our ten hotels.

The short answer

With luggage or in a group, take a yellow cab from the dispatcher's rank: a flat $70 to anywhere in Manhattan plus surcharges, tolls and tip, typically 40–50 minutes to our Manhattan hotels. With light bags, the AirTrain to Jamaica and the LIRR reach Penn Station or Grand Central Madison in about 30 minutes for $14 off-peak. The cheapest way is the AirTrain and subway, $11.75 and about 50–60 minutes.

  • JFKNew York JFK (JFK). The main international airport, in Queens: Delta, American, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue and most long-haul airlines, with the AirTrain to the LIRR and subway.
The AirTrain JFK track curving into Terminal 4 at JFK
The AirTrain JFK track curving into Terminal 4 at JFK

Every way in, timed and priced

Yellow cab, flat fare to Manhattan

JFK
Time
Typically 40–50 minutes to our Manhattan hotels
Price
$70 flat to anywhere in Manhattan, plus $0.50 MTA and $1 improvement surcharges, $5 on weekdays 4–8pm, the congestion charges, a $2 airport access fee, tolls and tip

From the dispatcher's rank: kerbside at Terminals 1 and 8, the indoor queue on the Terminal 4 arrivals level, and inside the car parks at Terminals 5 and 7. One price for the whole car, whatever the traffic; to Brooklyn the meter runs instead.

AirTrain and LIRR

JFK
Time
About 30 minutes in all to Penn Station or Grand Central Madison
Price
$14 off-peak, $16 peak ($8.75 AirTrain plus the LIRR CityTicket)

Take the AirTrain from your terminal's station to Jamaica, tap out, and change to the LIRR, about 20 minutes into Manhattan. The fastest way at rush hour, best with light bags; peak is weekdays 6–10am and 4–8pm.

AirTrain and subway

JFK
Time
About 50 minutes to Penn Station on the E; about 55 to Grand Central; about 60 to Lower Manhattan on the A
Price
$11.75 ($8.75 AirTrain plus the $3 subway fare)

AirTrain to Jamaica for the E, J and Z trains, or to Howard Beach for the A. The cheapest way, fine with a single case, about 20 minutes slower than the LIRR.

Pre-booked private transfer

JFK
Time
The same drive as the taxi, with the driver waiting for you
Price
Fixed when you book

The driver meets you in arrivals at Terminals 1, 4 and 8; at Terminals 5 and 7, car services now collect at the Howard Beach AirTrain lot. Worth it for late or delayed flights, child seats and our Brooklyn hotels, where the flat fare does not apply.

From the airport to our ten hotels

The JFK flat fare, in detail

New York's Taxi and Limousine Commission fixes the fare from JFK to anywhere in Manhattan at $70 a cab, not per person, and the meter should read Rate #2, JFK Airport. On top come the small surcharges, the $2 airport access fee on pick-ups, the congestion charges below 96th Street, tolls and tip. Cabs take up to four passengers, five in a minivan, and luggage costs nothing extra.

The flat fare covers the first stop in Manhattan only. Ask for a second stop and the meter starts a new trip from there. To Brooklyn and Queens the standard meter runs: the airport estimates about $80 to Williamsburg and $90 to Downtown Brooklyn.

JFK to Manhattan
$70 flat, plus surcharges, tolls and tip
Weekday 4–8pm
$5 extra
JFK to Williamsburg
About $80, metered estimate
JFK to Downtown Brooklyn
About $90, metered estimate

Is the LIRR worth it from JFK?

Yes, if you can manage your bags on two trains and a few escalators. The LIRR is about 20 minutes faster than the subway into Midtown and immune to the Van Wyck at rush hour, for $2.25 more off-peak. Buy the CityTicket in the TrainTime app or at the machines at Jamaica, and tap the same card through the AirTrain gate. Up to five people travelling together pay $8.75 for the first and $4.50 for each other on the AirTrain, if all tap with one card within five minutes; under-5s ride free.

With a big case each, or a pushchair and car seat, the taxi is simpler: one price, door to door.

From Terminals 5 and 7

Construction has moved Uber, Lyft and car-service pick-ups for Terminals 5 and 7 to a lot at the Howard Beach AirTrain station, reached free on the AirTrain. Yellow cabs still leave from ranks inside the Terminal 5 and Terminal 7 car parks, so from these terminals the flat-fare taxi is now the quickest door-to-door option.

JFK to Manhattan at night

Late at night the taxi is the answer: the $70 flat fare is the same at any hour, with no night surcharge. Terminal 4 is the only terminal open round the clock. A pre-booked driver tracks your flight and waits if it lands late, which matters most at Terminals 5 and 7, where car services meet you at Howard Beach.

Going back to JFK

A yellow cab from Manhattan to JFK is the same $70 flat fare. The airport strongly recommends public transport while the works go on, because the terminal roads are slow: the LIRR from Penn Station or Grand Central Madison to Jamaica takes about 20 minutes, then the AirTrain. Drop-offs are in front of each terminal, except Terminal 7, where they have moved inside the car park. Most airlines close check-in 45–60 minutes before departure.

Questions people ask

Good questions about New York

What is the fastest way from JFK to Manhattan?

The AirTrain to Jamaica and the LIRR to Penn Station or Grand Central Madison: about 30 minutes in all, $14 off-peak or $16 peak.

What is the cheapest way from JFK to Manhattan?

The AirTrain and subway: $11.75 in all, about 50 minutes to Penn Station on the E train.

Is the JFK taxi flat fare per person?

No. The $70 is per cab for everyone going to the same Manhattan address, plus surcharges, tolls and tip.

Does the flat fare apply to Brooklyn?

No. To Brooklyn the meter runs; the airport estimates about $80 to Williamsburg and $90 to Downtown Brooklyn.

How much is the AirTrain at JFK?

$8.75, paid only when you enter or leave at Jamaica or Howard Beach. It is free between terminals, car parks, car hire and the hotel shuttles.

How do I get from JFK to the TWA Hotel?

Take the free AirTrain to Terminal 5; the hotel is joined to it.

Image credits: Acroterion (CC BY-SA 4.0)