All JFK guides

JFK airport transportation

Every way to and from JFK, and the one rule that shapes all of them: no subway or commuter line reaches a JFK terminal directly, so every rail route starts with the AirTrain and every road option starts at the kerb. Pick your destination and go straight to the detail.

Where are you going?

Into ManhattanThe most common trip. Rail, taxi, rideshare or shuttle, and what each really costs.To LaGuardiaCatching a connection at LGA. The flat fare does not apply, and one bus is free.To NewarkThe longest of the three. Metered plus a $20 surcharge, or four legs by rail.By local busCheapest, and almost never right from Manhattan. Good from Queens or Brooklyn.Renting a carCollect at Federal Circle, not your terminal. And whether you want one at all.Parking at JFKDriving in. Real costs with the taxes nobody quotes, plus the free cell phone lot.

Does every route out of JFK start with the AirTrain?

Every rail route does. The AirTrain costs $8.75 to leave the airport at Jamaica or Howard Beach, and is free between terminals. Road options start at the arrivals kerb instead, and two things collect from Federal Circle rather than your terminal: rental cars and hotel shuttles. That single fact causes more wasted time at this airport than any other.

How the loop and its branches connect is on the JFK airport map.

Before you commit to any of them

Two checks change the decision more than the comparison does. Whether your flight is actually running to schedule: JFK departures board and the live arrivals board. And whether the airport is having a bad day at all, including live subway and LIRR status: how JFK is running today.

Arriving from abroad and wondering how long you will be inside the terminal before any of this starts? The international arrivals guide covers the five steps between landing and the exit. Staying near the airport instead: hotels near JFK. Travelling with reduced mobility: accessibility at JFK.

Official resources

  • AirTrain JFK (official) · Fares, stations, and service status for the train linking every terminal.
  • MTA · Subway and bus status for the E, J, Z and LIRR connections to AirTrain.
  • JFK Airport official site · Port Authority operated: terminal maps, parking booking, official notices.