JFK via subway?

I%26#39;m sure this has been asked before but I got allsorts coming up on a search.

I%26#39;m sure I saw JFK as a subway stop on one of the trains last month, can I get the subway into Manhattan? If so is it just the $2 or a metrocard if I decide to get one?

I%26#39;m assuming there is an Airtrain at JFK to take me to the subway stop?

And does it go through any sketchy areas? This will be around lunchtime arriving and early evening going back.

JFK via subway?

Ange, it looks like you%26#39;ve booked a flight to JFK for your next visit!

Yes, you can take the subway from JFK. In fact, you have a couple of choices. I%26#39;ll let others get you up to speed on which ones get into the city quicker, as I have never used AirTrain and the subway from JFK. You can choose to take the A train or the E or J/Z train; the AirTrain goes to both. Here is a link; once that window opens, click on the AirTrain JFK at a Glance link. I think the total cost is $7.00, but I%26#39;ll let others who know for sure confirm that. Hope this helps.

JFK via subway?

If you take the E train, get off at 53rd %26amp; Lexington, where you can transfer for the uptown #6, then get off at 86th St.

(Yay!)

Ange,

I would suggest that the AirTrain is the best way to get from JFK to the City. It is by far the cheapest. I guess ti really all depends where you are going when you get in.

Take the Airtrain to the A/C station (the blue line) this is the subway that runs up the west side of NYC.

I%26#39;m finished with taking cabs to the City. As a New Yorker, I%26#39;m finished with the cab driver trying to charge me for tolls when they went over the Manhattan bridge... which is free. This can make the trip longer depending on the day and time. Stick with the Airtrain and the transfer to the A line..... I%26#39;m sure you can get the J and Z trains s well, but I%26#39;ve only taken the A

LOL Rocco! Yes its booked and paid for! Roll on November!

Mum, I%26#39;d been thinking that looked like the best route - you%26#39;re the expert though so thanks for confirming it!

And JB, thanks for your response, I hated our cab journey last time we flew into JFK, it seemed to take an age. I%26#39;m hoping this will be quicker - gotta make the most of every second!

You can take the airTrain or you can take public transportation all the way-but there is no subway stop at JFK, You have to take th E train to Kew Garden or the A train to Lefferts Blvd and then get the Q10 bus to JFK-takes about 1/12 hours from downtown Manhatttan. It%26#39;s $2 on the Metrocard-free transfer from bus to subway.

Ange, the subway does NOT in fact go to JFK Airport. The station that has ';JFK'; as part of its name is the closest to the airport, but it is still quite a distance away.

The AirTrain, which makes a loop in its journey, begins at one mass transit station, travels through the airport, and finishes at a second mass transit station. It then follows this same route in reverse.

The two mass transit stations (and notice I am being careful in using that way of phrasing it) that serve as terminals for the AirTrain are the Howard Beach/JFK stop of the A train (aha!! That is where you saw a subway stop labelled ';JFK';!) and the big Jamaica Station of the Long Island Rail Road. At Howard Beach, you can take the A subway -- which is most useful if going to Brooklyn, or to lower Manhattan. At Jamaica, you can take the (no surprise here) Long Island Rail Road, which has pleasant and quick trains taht go to Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan. You can ALSO (and here is the surprise) exit the LIRR station and directly outside you will find the Sutphin Boulevard station of the E train. The E connects very easily with the F (which runs down Sixth Avenue), and it goes across 53rd Street in Manhattan, which makes it handy for midtown.

Whether you go to Howard Beach or Jamaica, or whether -- if you have gone to Jamaica -- you use the LIRR or the E train, would then depend on your final destination.

AirTrain to Jamaica Station (pay $5.00 per person as you exit by using MetroCard machines on your way out).

The AirTrain takes ONLY pay-per-ride MetroCards, not ';Unlimited'; dialies or weeklies. Therefore, you need to specify that when you buy them.

METROCARD PURCHASING STRATEGY: Buy a $12 card and share it.

For two, you can buy a $12 card for both of you. Each AirTrain fare is $5.00 (that%26#39;s $10). Then you need $4.00 for two people (2 X $2) to enter the subway. Total needed: $14

Since you get a free ride for every $10, you%26#39;ll get $12 for the price of $10, so all you need to do is add $2, for a total payment of $12.

Then follow as above: AirTrain to Jamaica Station and enter Sutphin Boulevard subway station. Take the E train towards Manhattan to Lexington Avenue and E. 53rd Street.

Stay in the FRONT of the E train to be closest to escalator, or the MIDDLE to be closest to elevator.

You need to go through a long hallway and another escalator/elevator/stair to get to the uptown #6 platform. Just thought I%26#39;d give you fair warning.

Quickie map of AirTrain from JFK

panynj.com/airtrain/pdf/JFK_airtrain_map.pdf

(It%26#39;s a PDF)

All the details on AirTrain

http://panynj.com/airtrain/

P.S. Ange, I promise to add your fabulous trip report eventually!! Sorry I haven%26#39;t gotten to it yet!

P.P. S. Wow, I have NEVER had a cab driver try to rip me off by charging me for no-toll bridges, sorry that happened to JBC10023. That stinks. (Curious - how much did the cabbie say the Manhattan Bridge ';toll'; cost?)

If you have a compaint about a taxi driver, note the license and name and you can file a complaint with the Taxi and Limosine Commission (TLC)

nyc.gov/html/鈥ile_complaint.shtml

Thanks GWB, that%26#39;s clear as mud! I%26#39;m sure it will make more sense when I get a chance to look at a map. Thanks for your very detailed reply.

May I post back later if (when!) I have more questions?

QB. Thanks for giving me the extra info... So even though I%26#39;m planning on getting a top-up metrocard I%26#39;ll have to buy a seperate one-trip one? Or can I just top up the one-trip one later? Or is it a different card altogether?

The fact I can ask stupid questions of you experts is one of the reasons I love New Yorkers!

As GWB said, there%26#39;s no subway stop close enough to JFK to avoid the AirTrain connection. If you%26#39;re going to the UES (ie 86 st stop) take the AirTrain at JFK to Sutphin Blvd to connect to the E train. You%26#39;ll have to go downstairs I believe to switch from the AirTrain to the E. Take the E train to Manhattan getting out at Lexington %26amp; 53 st where you%26#39;ll change for the uptown #6 train to 86 st. You could also, instead of changing to another subway, transfer to the uptown bus on 3rd ave.

You might also consider using Airlink, the shared van service that will take you to the door for about $15. Better than Super Shuttle.

ange - no problemo.

Above, I only addressed what kind of MetroCard two people would need for a one-way adventure from JFK to Manhattan using AirTrain and the subway.

I need to know more about your trip to give a suggestion about what kind of MetroCards you%26#39;d need in general.

For example, if you planned on using the subway a lot during your visit, and planned on using AirTrain both ways to and from JFK, and you were here for say, 6 days, I would suggest the following:

By 3 MetroCards:

1. One PAY-PER-RIDE with $24 on it ONLY for your commuting to and from JFK using the AirTrain. ($12 for two people arriving and $12 for two people departing)

2. Two separate UNLIMITED WEEKLY cards (one for each of you since you can%26#39;t share them) for $24 each for sightseeing for the week.

Yes, it is confusing since all amounts in this scenario are $24. You can WRITE ON THE BACK of the cards to note which is which. (This is one of the flaws of the system, IMHO. Hard to tell which card is for what...)

Final note: All PAY-PER-RIDE MetroCards are REFILLABLE.

You can NOT refill an UNLIMITED or 1-DAY FUN PASS card.

See deets here:

http://www.mta.info/metrocard/

http://www.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm