John F. Kennedy International Airport ground transportation
John F. Kennedy International is New York's largest airport, in southeastern Queens about 26 km from Midtown. The AirTrain ($8.75) connects every terminal to Jamaica and Howard Beach, where you pick up the subway (E, J/Z or A) or the fast LIRR into Manhattan. Yellow cabs charge a fixed $70 fare to and from Manhattan (tolls, surcharges and tip on top), while Uber/Lyft and pre-booked car services cover the door-to-door trips. Prices are in US dollars; pay transit fares by OMNY contactless tap, as MetroCards are no longer sold. This guide compares price, time and frequency for every popular destination.
John F. Kennedy International Airport to New York city centre
Manhattan / Times Square is 26 km from JFK, about 40 min at the quickest. Times Square is about 26 km from JFK. AirTrain plus LIRR is fastest by rail (about 40 minutes, $14–16); AirTrain plus the E train is cheapest at $11.75; a cab is $70 flat, about $90–110 all in.
| Option | Time | Fare | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| AirTrain JFK + LIRR (Jamaica–Penn Station) Fastest | 40 min | $14–16 | AirTrain every few minutes; frequent LIRR trains from Jamaica · AirTrain 24 hours; LIRR runs around the clock with reduced overnight service |
| AirTrain JFK + Subway E train Cheapest | 1h 10m | $12 | E train every few minutes by day · 24 hours |
| NYC yellow cab (JFK flat fare) | 50 min | $90–110 | 24 hours, on demand |
| Pre-booked car service | 50 min | $80–130 | 24 hours, pre-booked |
| Hertz · Avis · Enterprise | 50 min | $45–95 | Rental centre open daily |
Where are you heading?
Every destination from JFK: cheapest way and taxi fare
| Destination | Distance | Cheapest way | Taxi | Fastest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan / Times Square | 26 km | AirTrain JFK + Subway E train · $12 | $90–110 | 40 min |
| Grand Central / Midtown East | 24 km | AirTrain JFK + Subway (E line) · $12 | $70–95 | 40 min |
| Lower Manhattan / Financial District | 24 km | AirTrain JFK + Subway (A line) · $12 | $70–95 | 50 min |
| Brooklyn (Downtown & Williamsburg) | 18 km | AirTrain JFK + Subway (A or J/Z) · $12 | $44–59 | 45 min |
| Jamaica (Queens) | 5 km | AirTrain JFK · $12 | $15–20 | 10 min |
| Upper East Side (Museum Mile) | 22 km | AirTrain JFK + LIRR + subway · $12 | $70–95 | 55 min |
| Long Island City / Queens | 14 km | AirTrain JFK + Subway (E/F) · $12 | $35–47 | 45 min |
| Harlem | 25 km | AirTrain JFK + Subway (E + uptown) · $12 | $70–95 | 1h 5m |
Buying tickets in New York
The AirTrain links all JFK terminals to Jamaica and Howard Beach stations; the single ride is US$8.75, paid by tapping a contactless bank card, phone (Apple/Google Pay) or OMNY card at the exit gate — no separate ticket needed. From Jamaica, transfer to the E, J or Z subway (US$3.00 more, with OMNY's weekly fare cap) or take the LIRR toward Penn Station/Grand Central. LIRR adds about US$7.25 peak or US$5.25 off-peak and weekends on top of the AirTrain fare.
Taxi scams & safety in New York
Ignore anyone inside the terminal asking "Need a ride?" or "Taxi?" — licensed drivers wait at the marked yellow-cab rank on the arrivals curb, never in the hall. Yellow cabs charge a flat US$70 to Manhattan plus tolls and tip (extra rush-hour surcharge), metered to other areas. Uber and Lyft use signed app-based pickup zones. Refuse unmarked "car service" touts quoting a set price; they are unregulated and usually cost far more. Confirm the meter or the posted flat fare before the trip.
Step-free access in New York
The rail route into Manhattan is fully accessible end to end, which is not true of the New York subway as a whole — so the specific path matters here.
- AirTrain JFK — every station and every train is ADA-compliant, with lifts to all platforms and dedicated wheelchair spaces on board.
- Jamaica station, where you change, is wheelchair accessible, as is the connection to the E, J and Z subway lines.
- LIRR to Penn Station — both Jamaica and Penn Station are fully accessible, and every LIRR train carries a wheelchair ramp for platform-to-carriage boarding.
Note that accessibility on the wider subway system is patchy: many Manhattan stations still have no lift. If your final stop is not Penn Station, check that specific station before you rely on it, and treat the LIRR route as the dependable one.
John F. Kennedy International Airport transport — FAQ
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