New York City - Car Service time from Midtown to JFK next Sunday

Next Sunday afternoon (10/2), I'm forsaking my trusty (:rolleyes:) E + AirTrain combo for a car service. I know little to nothing about NYC traffic patterns - if traveling from Midtown to JFK around 3 pm, how much time should I allow? 30 minutes?

30 minutes? No. Probably 45 minutes. It might take a little longer depending on how close you are to the Midtown Tunnel and if you have to deal with street closures due to street fairs.

So is the E suspended AGAIN next weekend? :(

What's wrong with the A to Howard Beach?

Thanks - I'll err on the side of 45. I'm not aware of anything happening to the E - just traveling with a lot of luggage this time and nursing a slight sports injury.

Nothing against the A either, but I'm on the East Side and thus 53rd/Lex is far more accessible than anything along 8th Av.

Nothing against the A either, but I'm on the East Side and thus 53rd/Lex is far more accessible than anything along 8th Av. I hear you. I'm a create of habit and a weird one. I almost always take Jamaica/LIRR inbound, but heading out I like the A, even if I'm starting from the East Side and have to ride down to Fulton or West 4th and change.

I just like the ride out toward Rockaway and the odd feeling at Howard Beach that you're detraining in the middle of nowhere, like you're at Tottenville on Staten Island Rapid Transit, even though JFK is right over thataway. One day I'm going to make time to exit at Howard Beach and have a drink in that little pub you can see from the platform, through the chain-link fence.

30 minutes? No. Probably 45 minutes. It might take a little longer depending on how close you are to the Midtown Tunnel and if you have to deal with street closures due to street fairs.

So is the E suspended AGAIN next weekend? :(

The E is running again on the F. Simply take the F (which runs express through Queens at all times) to Kew Gardens and wait for the E. On Saturday I had to first go to the AA terminal to turn in a voucher and then to a flight out of T5 (B6). I did in all within under 90 minutes.

The E is running again on the F. Simply take the F (which runs express through Queens at all times) to Kew Gardens and wait for the E. On Saturday I had to first go to the AA terminal to turn in a voucher and then to a flight out of T5 (B6). I did in all within under 90 minutes.But that diversion to the F is the inconvenience for the OP and for us if we were travelling. If the E is running on the F in Manhattan, the Lex-3rd Ave/53rd station will be closed like it often is on weekends. Catching the F at Lex/63rd or Rockefeller Center is out of the way.

Stand down, everyone. The OP is taking a car service. Lots of luggage. Sports injury.

Stand down, everyone. The OP is taking a car service. Lots of luggage. Sports injury.:D

Stand down, everyone. The OP is taking a car service. Lots of luggage. Sports injury.
No. OP asked about drive time from Manhattan to JFK, so it's FT's job to respond by telling him how to treat his sports injury on the cheap so that he can save money by taking the subway !

45 sounds low to me. I know its probably doable but if things go bad, and they very often do, you're looking well north of an hour. I'd leave midtown 3 hrs before the flight, maybe earlier depending on the luggage lines. I'd also account for the car service not showing up on time too. And doesnt the Van Wyck get backed up a lot on Sundays?

45 sounds low to me. I know its probably doable but if things go bad, and they very often do, you're looking well north of an hour. I'd leave midtown 3 hrs before the flight, maybe earlier depending on the luggage lines. I'd also account for the car service not showing up on time too. And doesnt the Van Wyck get backed up a lot on Sundays?

My rule of thumb is 60 minutes for LGA and 75 minutes for JFK. Along with a late car and traffic there is the occassional accident or a lane being taken down on the Queens Midtown tunnel. I'd rather hang out in the AA AC for an extra 30 minutes than frantically calling AA from a car trying to reschedule a flight I was going to miss and hoping like hell I will not get hit by a change fee and reprice.

My rule of thumb is 60 minutes for LGA and 75 minutes for JFK. Along with a late car and traffic there is the occassional accident or a lane being taken down on the Queens Midtown tunnel. I'd rather hang out in the AA AC for an extra 30 minutes than frantically calling AA from a car trying to reschedule a flight I was going to miss and hoping like hell I will not get hit by a change fee and reprice.
Each person obviously has to make their own decision about their comfort level cutting it close. On most Sunday afternoons, travel time to LGA once through the Midtown Tunnel is less than 20 minutes, and travel time to JFK once through the Midtown Tunnel is less than 30 minutes. But of course most of us have had experiences where it has taken a lot longer, and most of us have had experiences getting caught behind a parade or a street fair trying to get to the Midtown Tunnel.

My personal comfort level: if heading for LGA on a Sunday afternoon, I'll typically leave Chelsea 90 minutes prior to flight time; and if heading to JFK on a Sunday afternoon, I'll typically leave Chelsea 2 hours prior to flight time. Far more often than not, I have time to kill at the airport.

Thanks for the additional thoughts. The nice thing is that for once I have lounge access, so erring on the side of early arrival isn't too much of a problem.