JFK to Manhattan: AirTrain, LIRR, Subway, Taxi and Uber

JFK sits about 15 miles from Midtown Manhattan by highway. Rail trips start with the AirTrain, which links the terminals to the subway and the LIRR at Jamaica, and to the subway at Howard Beach.

• AirTrain + LIRR to Penn Station or Grand Central Madison: about 30 minutes, $14.00 off-peak or $16.00 peak.
• AirTrain + E train to Penn Station: about 50 minutes, $11.75.
• AirTrain + E train to Grand Central Madison: about 55 minutes, $11.75.
• AirTrain + A train to Lower Manhattan (below 14th Street): about 60 minutes, $11.75.
• Yellow taxi: $70 flat fare plus surcharges, tolls and tip.
• Uber, Lyft and Uber Shuttle: the app sets the price.

Times and fares above are Port Authority estimates, checked on October 8, 2026. Fares change, so confirm them on jfkairport.com before you go. Because of the airport's $19 billion redevelopment, the Port Authority strongly advises taking mass transit to and from JFK throughout 2026.

• AirTrain shut down overnight: the whole AirTrain system closes from 10 pm to 6 am on the nights of October 13-14, 14-15 and 15-16, 2026. Service is back at 6 am on Friday, October 16. Free shuttle buses take over, stopping at the ground level of every AirTrain station and at the terminal curbs. Riders going between Jamaica and the terminals change buses at Lot 66.
• Terminal 7 taxi stand moved: since September 22, 2026, T7 taxis wait on the first level of the Terminal 7 parking garage.
• Terminal 7 pick-ups and drop-offs: they now happen inside the T7 parking garage too.
• Uber and Lyft at T5 and T7: pickups are at a dedicated lot at the Howard Beach AirTrain station. The AirTrain ride to the lot is free.
• Driving in: use the Van Wyck Expressway for Terminals 1 and 4, and the JFK Expressway for Terminals 5, 7 and 8.

Construction causes delays and detours for cars and for-hire vehicles, so give yourself extra time if you travel by road. Check the alerts page on jfkairport.com on the day you fly.

Riding the AirTrain between terminals is free, and the trip takes under 10 minutes. You only pay when you enter or exit the Jamaica or Howard Beach stations: $8.75 one way. Kids under 5 ride free.

• Paying: tap a contactless credit or debit card, a phone with Apple Pay or Google Pay, or an OMNY card. OMNY cards are sold at the machines in the Jamaica and Howard Beach subway stations.
• Group Fare: the first rider pays $8.75 and each extra rider $4.50, up to 5 people and $26.75 max. Everyone taps the same card or phone within 5 minutes.
• Fare cap: AirTrain fares stop at $43.50 over a rolling 30 days when you tap with the same payment method.
• Frequency: a train every 5 to 15 minutes. Watch the station screens for service changes.
• Hours: normally around the clock, except during planned overnight closures, such as 10 pm to 6 am on the nights of October 13, 14 and 15, 2026 (the last one ends at 6 am on Friday, October 16).
• Bags: luggage, carts, strollers and small pets in carriers are fine. No eating, drinking or smoking on board.
• Access: every train and station is ADA-compliant, with elevators, escalators and wheelchair spaces.

The fare can change. The Port Authority's AirTrain page always shows the current price.

Take the AirTrain to Jamaica, then the Long Island Rail Road to Penn Station or Grand Central Madison. The LIRR leg takes about 20 minutes, and the Port Authority puts the whole trip at about 30 minutes.

• Cost: $14.00 off-peak or $16.00 peak. That is the $8.75 AirTrain plus a CityTicket at $5.25 off-peak or $7.25 peak.
• Peak fares apply to weekday trains arriving at NYC terminals between 6 and 10 am, or leaving them between 4 and 8 pm. Everything else, weekends and holidays included, is off-peak.
• Buy your ticket before you board. Tickets sold on the train cost extra.
• Trains are frequent: roughly 9 to 12 an hour from Jamaica to Manhattan at weekday midday on the LIRR timetable, and service runs through the night.
• Going to Brooklyn? The LIRR also runs to Atlantic Terminal: about 50 minutes or more door to door, $14 to $16.
• Jamaica LIRR station is accessible.

LIRR fares change from time to time. Check the MTA fares page before you ride.

You pay $8.75 for the AirTrain and $3.00 for the subway. Once you're in the subway, you can ride as far as you like on that fare.

• E train: ride the AirTrain to Jamaica and switch to the E at Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport. About 50 minutes in total to Penn Station, about 55 to Grand Central Madison.
• J or Z train: also from Jamaica, about 50 minutes to Bushwick, East Williamsburg or Ozone Park.
• A train: ride the AirTrain to Howard Beach. About 60 minutes to Lower Manhattan, or 60 minutes or more to Hoyt-Schermerhorn in Brooklyn.
• Heading back to JFK on the A? Take a Far Rockaway train. Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd A trains do not stop at Howard Beach.
• Tap the same card or phone for the AirTrain and the subway.
• Howard Beach-JFK Airport subway station is accessible.

Yellow taxis charge a flat $70 between JFK and Manhattan, in either direction. The NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), which regulates taxi fares, adds these items on top:

• 50 cents MTA State Surcharge.
• $1.00 Improvement Surcharge.
• $5.00 rush-hour surcharge, 4 to 8 pm on weekdays (legal holidays excluded).
• $2.50 congestion surcharge when the trip starts, ends or passes through Manhattan south of 96th Street.
• 75 cents congestion pricing toll for trips into Manhattan at or below 60th Street.
• Tolls and the tip.

The TLC also lists an airport access fee for taxi pickups at JFK, and the airport's own taxi page gives a different set of extras. Check the TLC fare page for the current list before you ride.

Going somewhere else in New York City? The meter runs: $3.00 to start, then 70 cents per 1/5 mile, or per minute in slow traffic. For Nassau or Westchester, the fare doubles past the city line. For Suffolk, Connecticut or New Jersey, agree on a price before you leave.

• Only take a cab from the official taxi stand. Ride offers inside the terminal are illegal, and many of those drivers are unlicensed.
• At Terminal 7, the stand is now on level 1 of the parking garage.
• You can't e-hail a yellow cab at JFK.
• A cab takes up to 4 passengers (5 in a minivan), and one fare covers a group going to the same place. Bags cost nothing extra.
• Pay cash, by card or contactless.
• Need a wheelchair-accessible taxi? Request one through Accessible Dispatch or the Curb or ARRO apps. It costs the same.

Where you meet your driver depends on your terminal.

• Terminals 5 and 7: pickups are at a dedicated ride-app lot at the Howard Beach AirTrain station. The AirTrain ride there is free.
• Other terminals: pickups are generally in front of the terminal, but the spot can vary with the time of day. Follow the ride-app signs after baggage claim and check your app before you request a car.
• Wheelchair-accessible rides still pick up in front of Terminals 5 and 7.
• Flying out: drivers can still drop you in front of Terminal 5. At Terminal 7, drop-off is inside the parking garage.

App prices move with your location, the time of day and surge pricing, and the Port Authority does not publish them. Compare with the taxi flat fare before you book.

• Uber Shuttle: shared rides on fixed routes to Manhattan, booked in the Uber app. Routes include Times Square, Greenwich Village, 42nd Street, Kips Bay and Madison Square Garden.
• Where to board: Terminal 4 arrivals at Pillar A1, or Terminal 5 arrivals at Pillar 0.
• Booking: up to 5 seats, up to 3 days ahead. The app shows the price before you pay.
• The Madison Square Garden route runs Thursday to Sunday through October 31, 2026.
• Port Authority-authorized shared vans: Airlink New York (+1 212-812-9000) and ETS Air Shuttle (+1 718-221-1200).
• Authorized car services: Carmel Super Saver and Dial 7.

No official fares are published for these services, so get the price when you book.

MTA local buses cost $3. Four routes reach the airport:

• Q3 to Jamaica: stops at Terminal 8 and at Lefferts Blvd AirTrain station, around the clock on the MTA timetable.
• Q10 and Q80 to Kew Gardens: end at Lefferts Blvd AirTrain station.
• B15 to Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn: ends at Lefferts Blvd AirTrain station.

From Lefferts Blvd, the AirTrain to the terminals is free and takes about 8 minutes. Bus routes and stops change, so check the route schedule on mta.info before you count on a bus.

Switching airports means picking up your checked bags, checking in again with your airline and going through TSA again.

• LaGuardia by transit: AirTrain to Jamaica, the E train 4 stops to Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av (about 14 to 20 minutes on the timetable), then the LGA Link Q70 bus, which is free and takes about 10 minutes.
• LaGuardia by taxi or shuttle: about 30 to 60 minutes. Taxis charge the meter plus a $5.00 LaGuardia surcharge.
• Newark by transit: AirTrain to Jamaica, LIRR to Penn Station, NJ Transit to Newark Airport Rail Station, then AirTrain Newark. Another route: subway to the World Trade Center, PATH to Newark Penn, then NJ Transit.
• Through November 13, 2026, shuttle buses replace AirTrain Newark at the Airport Train Station on weekdays from 5 am to 3 pm.
• Newark by taxi or shuttle: about 60 to 100 minutes. Taxis charge the meter plus a $20 Newark surcharge, the tip and tolls both ways.
• Shared vans to either airport: ETS Air Shuttle and Airlink New York.