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.
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.
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.
Paying for your AirTrain RideYou may purchase a new MetroCard ($1.00 fee applies) or refill your own MetroCard using cash, credit or debit card at our Ticket Vending Machines in Howard Beach or Jamaica Station.
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.
The AirTrain service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The trains run on a schedule from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. (every 2-8 minutes) and 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. (every 6-12 minutes).
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.
FARES. AirTrain is free between JFK Terminals, parkings and car rental center. If you go to Jamaica and Howard stations, to take the metro or rail, then there is a rate of $8.25.
Taxis cost $70 flat (up to four people per taxi) plus surcharges, tolls and tip. An Uber or Lyft rideshare will cost between $45-$150 depending on traffic and surge demand. Be sure to also check out our posts on the other two NYC airports.
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.