NYC AIR TRAVEL

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) is an international airport located in Queens in southeastern New York City about 12 miles (19 km) from Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States. It is also the leading freight gateway to the country by value of shipments.

JFK International Airport is the base of operations for JetBlue Airways and is a major international gateway hub for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. It also serves as a focus city for Avianca and Caribbean Airlines. In the past, it has been a former hub for Eastern Air Lines, National Airlines, Pan American World Airways and Trans World Airlines. Over ninety airlines operate out of JFK. In 2009, the airport handled 45,912,430 passengers, making it the 12th busiest airport in the world.

Several city bus lines link JFK to the New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road, including the Q3, Q6, Q7, Q10 (Local/Limited), and B15, with free transfers provided for subway connections. The buses are handicapped accessible. There are also many private bus lines operating express buses to Manhattan, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island.

Another method of going to JFK International Airport is the airport express bus.  NY Airport Service operates express buses from both the Port Authority Bus Terminal and Grand Central Terminal to JFK Airport.  These buses offer comfortable seats, and the fare is $15.  The buses to JFK Airport run every 15-30 minutes, beginning at 6:15 AM and ending at 10:10 PM.  Travel time is subject to virtually the same bottleneck delays you would experience in your own car.  On a good day, you can be at JFK Airport in about 1 hour 10 minutes.  Rush hours and weather, of course, will add time to this trip.

New York City's yellow cabs, licensed by the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission, offer a flat rate service of $45 from JFK airport to Manhattan, excluding tips and tolls. Since November 30, 2006, this flat rate fare (excluding tips and tolls) applies to travel from Manhattan to JFK as well. Depending on the time of day, taxi travel from JFK to Midtown Manhattan can be as quick as 35 minutes. Door-to-door Car Service is another popular transportation option.

"Shared-ride" van services also make the trip to JFK Airport.  These are on-demand, door-to-door services that cost less than a taxi or limo, but more than a bus or train.  Super Shuttle gets $19 for a ride to JFK Airport.  Keep in mind that "shared-ride" means the van may make a few stops to pick up other passengers before heading out to JFK Airport, so you might want to allow time for that.  My Super Shuttle van to JFK Airport stopped at a hotel after picking me up, so my trip took 84 minutes.  Absent weather and traffic problems, the van can make JFK Airport in 80-90 minutes.

JFK Airport is easily accessible by car and is located in southern Queens on the Van Wyck Expressway (I-678), which can be accessed from the Belt Parkway, the Grand Central Parkway and Queens Boulevard. A ring road connects the airport terminals to the Belt Parkway and the Van Wyck Expressway. The airport offers customers over 17,000 parking spaces, included in multi-level parking garages, surface spaces in the Central Terminal Area, a long-term parking lot and valet parking.

Van Wyck Expressway twists through the terminal nucleus and turns into the JFK Expressway. This four-lane expressway allows for more convenient access to the airport for Long Island users via the westbound Belt Parkway. Because it lies almost entirely within Kennedy Airport, the JFK Expressway was constructed, and is maintained by the Port Authority. The JFK Expressway was built as part of an ongoing, multi-billion overhaul of Kennedy Airport that began in the late 1980s. It was designed to relieve up to 30 percent of the traffic volume from the Van Wyck Expressway. Approximately 6 major rental car companies serve JFK Airport, with rental locations located on and off the airport. Each terminal's arrivals level (usually near the baggage carousel) has either a rental car counter or courtesy telephone for each of the car rental companies.

Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States It is about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Midtown Manhattan (New York City).

The airport is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which also manages the two other major airports in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA), in addition to three smaller airports, Stewart International Airport, Teterboro Airport and the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. Newark is the tenth busiest airport in the United States and the nation's fifth busiest international air gateway; JFK ranks first.[2]

Newark Liberty is the second-largest hub for Continental Airlines which is the airport's largest tenant (operating all of Terminal C and part of Terminal A). Primarily due to this large hub operation, Continental Airlines is by far the leading carrier in the New York market.

In 2008, Newark Airport handled slightly more than 35.4 million passengers

Amtrak to Newark Airport
The quickest way to reach Newark Airport is to ride an Amtrak train from New York’s Penn Station directly to the Newark Airport Train Station. Amtrak trains stopping at Newark Airport will show “EWR” on the departure board at Penn Station. The Amtrak ride to Newark Airport takes just 22 minutes, and a 5-minute ride on the Newark Airport Airtrain to your terminal. Your Amtrak ticket also gets you on the Newark Airport Airtrain, and fares start at $28. Amtrak trains run to Newark Airport about every half hour during the day, and hourly until around 1AM. There are security checks for Amtrak passengers on the New York end, so allow extra time (about 10 minutes) for that.

PATH / NJ Transit / Airtrain to Newark Airport

The least expensive way to reach Newark Airport is via the PATH subway/NJ Transit/Airtrain method. It’s a tricky route, but if cost is a factor, it can be done in about 90 minutes. From the 33 St./6 Ave. PATH station, you ride a PATH train to Journal Square, change there (across the platform) to a Newark train. From Newark Penn Station, take a NJ Transit train to the Newark Airport Train Station, and finally, transfer to a Newark Airport Airtrain to your terminal. Total cost of this method is $9.

PATH trains run every 15 minutes during the day on weekdays, every 30 minutes at night. On weekends, PATH trains run every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day. While PATH and the Newark Airport Airtrain run 24 hours a day, NJ Transit has no service to Newark Airport between 2 and 5AM. Remember that the NJ Transit ticket you purchase in Newark also covers your Airtrain fare, so hold on to it when you leave the NJ Transit train. Only NJ Transit trains showing “EWR” on the departure board will stop at Newark Airport.

Another Rail Option To Newark Airport
Newark Airport is also accessible using the NJ Transit/Airtrain method. From New York’s Penn Station, NJ Transit trains follow the same route as Amtrak trains to Newark Airport. They take slightly longer than Amtrak trains (30 minutes) to make the trip, but they are cheaper. NJ Transit offers a combined NJ Transit/Airtrain ticket for $12.50. All NJ Transit trains that show “EWR” on the departure boards will stop at Newark Airport Train Station. There, you’ll transfer to the Newark Airport Airtrain to reach your terminal. NJ Transit trains to Newark Airport run hourly from 5 to 6AM and midnight to 2AM. During the day and evening, service runs every half hour. There is no NJ Transit service from New York to Newark Airport between 2 and 5AM.

New York City yellow cabs can get you to Newark Airport in comfort, but the fares range from $45-$60 depending on your starting point, plus tolls and tip.  Taxis do offer 24-hour, on-demand service, but they can be hard to find during rush hours or bad weather. Taxis can generally make the trip to Newark Airport in about 50 minutes, traffic and weather permitting, although New York City’s yellow cabs are very often clueless about finding their way around heavy traffic in New Jersey and some will refuse to go to Newark Airport entirely because they don’t think they’ll be able to get a fare back to Manhattan.

Super Shuttle’s shared-ride van service also goes to Newark Airport. This is a 24-hour, on-demand service, which will pick you up anywhere in Manhattan. With door-too-door service, it’s a low-cost, attractive option for those with extra luggage, or large groups. Because it’s a “shared ride” service, however, the van may make stops to pick up other passengers before heading out to Newark Airport. The fare is $19, and trip time can range from 60-70 minutes, depending on traffic, weather, and the number of extra stops the van makes after picking you up.

LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst.

LaGuardia is the smallest of the New York metropolitan area's three primary commercial airports and the closest to Manhattan.

LaGuardia is popular because of its central location and proximity to Manhattan. The airport serves as a focus city for American Airlines, American Eagle, and AirTran Airways. It will become a domestic hub of Delta Air Lines.

Most flights from LaGuardia go to destinations within the US and Canada, as well as service to Aruba, the Bahamas and Bermuda because those destinations are staffed with United States border preclearance facilities. A perimeter rule prohibits incoming and outgoing flights that exceed 1,500 miles (2,400 km)—except on Saturdays, when the ban is lifted, and to Denver, which was grand fathered in — so most transcontinental and international flights use the area's other two major airports, JFK and Newark.

In 2008, the airport handled 23.1 million passengers

M60 Bus (MTA-New York City Transit): From all terminals to Astoria in Queens with connections to the N and W subway lines and local bus lines.
From all terminals to Manhattan with connections to the N, W (both in Queens),1,2,3,4,5,6,9, A,B, C, and D subway lines and local bus lines.
Coins or MetroCard required .

Q33 Bus (TriBoro Coach) from all terminals except the Marine Air Terminal to Jackson Heights in Queens where it connects with the E,F,G,R,V and 7 subway lines and other local bus lines..

Q48 Bus (MTA-New York City Transit) from all terminals to Flushing in Queens with connections to the 7 subway line (at the 111th street station) and local bus lines. Coins or MetroCard required.

Q47 Bus (TriBoro Coach) from the Marine Air Terminal only to Jackson Heights in Queens where it connects with the E,F,G,R,V and 7 subway lines and other local bus lines.

Taxicabs serving the Airport are licensed by New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission. The fares within New York City are metered. Uniformed Taxi Dispatchers are available to assist passengers before they start the rides

New York City's limousine services, which are licensed by NYCTLC New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission, offer various rates ranging from $40–150 from LGA airport to Manhattan (excluding tips and tolls) in a sedan or limousine. Depending on the time of day, travel from LGA to Midtown Manhattan can be as quick as 25 minutes. Limousines accommodate 2–20 passengers depending upon the size of the vehicle.

Westchester County Airport is a public airport located in the towns of Harrison, North Castle and Rye in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is approximately 3 nautical miles (5.56 km) northeast of the central business district of White Plains, New York. It serves the areas of Westchester, a suburban county of New York City, as well as Fairfield County, Connecticut, as the New York-Connecticut state border coincides with the airport's eastern limits. It also serves, to a lesser extent, the New York metropolitan area, as it is located approximately 33 miles (53 km) north of Midtown Manhattan. It is often used by those who wish to avoid the congestion of the other New York City-area airports. The airport had 901,831 passenger boarding's in 2008

The Bee-Line Bus System route #12 provides weekday service between the White Plains TransCenter and the airport. The bus fare is $2.25 in coin each way, and MTA MetroCards are accepted on board.

Many taxi and limo services in the area offer special rates to airport users. They can drop off passengers at any time and pick up incoming passengers by prearrangement. There is a concierge desk in the arrivals hall that can also arrange transportation for arriving passengers to anywhere in the metropolitan area.

The Airport is located about five miles east of the City of White Plains off of exit 2 on I-684. It is also easily accessible by auto from most parts of Westchester, Connecticut and the Lower Hudson Valley. Parking, however, is limited and passengers are advised to make drop-off and pick-up arrangements ahead of time.