Use your MetroCard at the AirTrain turnstiles to pay the $8.25 fare. Use a MetroCard ticket machine if you need to add value to your card. (Do this in advance to skip the lines.) You can board any AirTrain that arrives.
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You can use unlimited ride MetroCards and OMNY on the subway but not on the AirTrain.
Once you have swiped the card to enter the subway, it cannot be used again for 18 minutes. Unlimited Ride MetroCards are not accepted by the JFK AirTrain, Express buses or PATH trains. See below for other transportation systems that accept this card.
Reduced-Fare customers who cannot use their Reduced-Fare MetroCard to swipe at AirTrain JFK gates can tap with the contactless payment device linked to their Reduced-Fare bank card or OMNY card at the AirTrain JFK's OMNY readers and pay the full AirTrain fare.
The increase came just a year after the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey raised the AirTrain fare to $8 from $7.75. Port Authority officials called the most recent raise an “automatic inflation-based adjustment” in a December press release that highlighted the agency's 2023 budget.
Both public transportation options involve the JFK AirTrain light rail that brings you from the airport to the connecting subway or train station. A subway ride and AirTrain costs $11.15. A faster commuter train to and AirTrain costs between $13.25 to $15.25.
Subway. By far the cheapest way to get to JFK is the subway, departing Manhattan every few minutes. You'll want to take the subway to Sutphin Boulevard – Archer Avenue – JFK Airport, on either the A, E, J, or Z trains.
AirTrain is free unless you start or end your journey at Jamaica and Howard Beach Stations. There, the fee is $8.25 USD, payable only by MetroCard. Where to buy a MetroCard: Hudson News stands before and after security at Terminals 1, 4, 7 and 8.
Cost: $34 (7-day) or $132 (30-day). You have unlimited swipes on the subway and local buses for either 7 or 30 days. Your MetroCard can only hold one Unlimited Ride refill at a time. You can't pause an unlimited ride card once you've started using it.
The new fare payment system will accept contactless debit/credit cards, digital wallets and OMNY cards. Fare gates that accept MetroCards will remain available and an option for customers.
AirTrain travels to the Jamaica LIRR Station from JFK every 5 to 10 minutes. The AirTrain ride to the Jamaica Station takes about 10 minutes. Print the full AirTrain Brochure and take it with you.
The most convenient travel options are either pre-booking a private shuttle or taking a New York taxi from JFK Airport to Manhattan. Alternatively, you can utilise the efficient NYC subway system, take a bus or use a rideshare app.
A subway ride and AirTrain costs $11.15. A faster commuter train to and AirTrain costs between $13.25 to $15.25. A shared shuttle van costs between JFK and Grand Central is $20 per person, while a shared shuttle from JFK to your door starts at $40 per person and up.
Very safe. Safer than being in traffic in a taxi. I've taken the AirTrain alone at 2:00AM in the winter and thought nothing of it. Note that there are new machines at Jamaica which allow you to purchase your AirTrain and Long Island Rail Road ticket in one transaction.
The average travel time between JFK's various terminals and Jamaica Station is approximately 8-15 minutes, depending on the specific terminal. With trains running frequently, typically every 4 to 10 minutes, passengers can expect a swift and seamless journey to their destination at Jamaica Station.
You can take the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) or the E subway train to get to JFK Airport from Penn Station. If you take the LIRR, you need to transfer to the AirTrain at Jamaica station, which takes you to the airport.