New York has three major airports and not one of them has a train that runs directly into Manhattan. Every route involves a change, a bus, or a road. Which one is right depends less on price than on how much luggage you have, what time you land, and whether you are heading to the east side or the west.
JFK
The furthest out, about fifteen miles, in south-east Queens.
AirTrain plus LIRR — the fast option. Take the AirTrain from your terminal to Jamaica, then the Long Island Rail Road to Penn Station. The AirTrain has a fixed fare paid on exit; the LIRR leg is a separate ticket, cheaper off-peak, bought on the app or from a machine. Total journey around 50 to 65 minutes door to door, and the LIRR leg itself is only about 20 minutes. This is the best option if you are going anywhere near Midtown West, Penn Station or Moynihan Train Hall. Some services now run to Grand Central Madison instead, which is better for the east side.
AirTrain plus subway — the cheap option. AirTrain to Jamaica for the E train, or to Howard Beach for the A train. The E goes up Sixth Avenue and gets to Midtown in around 50 minutes from Jamaica. The A goes down the west side to Lower Manhattan. Total time 75 to 105 minutes. It is a fraction of the cost of anything else and it is a long time with suitcases, standing, in a crowded train.
Taxi. Yellow cabs from JFK to Manhattan run on a flat fare rather than the meter — a fixed amount plus tolls, surcharges and tip. It is the same to any point in Manhattan, which makes it good value to the Upper West Side and poor value to the Financial District. Journey time is 45 minutes at three in the morning and can be well over 90 in Friday evening traffic. Use the official taxi rank; ignore anyone who approaches you inside the terminal.
Rideshare. Uber and Lyft operate from designated pickup areas. Pricing is dynamic, which means it is sometimes cheaper than the flat-fare cab and sometimes double it. At peak times the flat fare is the safer bet.
LaGuardia
The closest, about eight miles, in northern Queens, and the only one of the three with no rail connection at all.
Q70 LaGuardia Link bus — free, and the best-kept secret. It runs from all terminals to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue, where you pick up the E, F, M, R or 7 train. The bus is free. The whole trip to Midtown takes about 40 to 50 minutes and costs one subway fare. This is the fastest public transport airport run in New York and almost no visitor knows about it.
M60 bus goes to 125th Street in Harlem and along it to the Upper West Side, for a standard fare.
Taxi runs on the meter, not a flat fare, and is typically 25 to 45 minutes to Midtown. It is usually the cheapest cab of the three airports.
The airport was comprehensively rebuilt between 2016 and 2022 and is now genuinely pleasant, which is not a sentence anyone could write about it a decade ago.
Newark
In New Jersey, about sixteen miles, and often the cheapest place to fly into.
AirTrain plus NJ Transit. AirTrain from the terminal to Newark Liberty International Airport station, then NJ Transit to New York Penn Station. Around 45 minutes total, with a combined ticket that includes the AirTrain. Trains run every 20 to 30 minutes and less often late at night. This is the right answer for most people.
Amtrak uses the same station and is faster and much more expensive. It is only worth it if the timing happens to suit.
Taxi or rideshare to Manhattan crosses a state line, so there are tolls and a surcharge, and the total is usually the highest of the three airports. Traffic through the Lincoln or Holland tunnels can be dreadful.
Newark Airport Express bus runs to Port Authority, Bryant Park and Grand Central for a fixed fare, which is useful if you are going to the east side.
Which airport, if you have a choice
For Midtown and the east side, LaGuardia is the easiest by some distance.
For Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, JFK on the A train is direct if slow.
For price, Newark is often cheapest on the airfare and the transfer is straightforward.
Things that catch people out
Immigration. If you are arriving internationally, budget up to two hours from landing to being on a train, and more at JFK in the evening when several long-haul flights land together. Do not book anything for the first three hours after a scheduled arrival.
Rush hour is real and it applies to airport runs. A cab from JFK at 5pm on a Thursday can take twice as long as the same trip at 11am.
Late arrivals. All three AirTrains and the subway run 24 hours. NJ Transit and the LIRR thin out considerably after midnight. Check the last train before assuming.
Luggage. The subway and the AirTrain involve stairs, turnstiles and standing. If you have two large cases and a child, the extra cost of a cab is buying something real.
Tipping. Cab drivers expect 15 to 20 per cent, and the payment screen offers preset percentages. Airport porters expect a couple of dollars a bag.
Do not accept a ride from anyone who approaches you in the terminal. Licensed cabs queue outside at a marked rank with a dispatcher. This is the oldest airport scam in the city and it still works often enough to be worth someone’s time.