El_Chiflero

You just hit the nail on the head. The times I've flown down to MIA have been on either the 75L, 762 and/or 777. I don't think there are any 75L's out of LGA which would make me at least consider it.

Blumie

Do you know at the time of booking if the flight is operated on a 75L versus the domestic configuration, or is it just the luck of the draw?

El_Chiflero

Past April 1st I don't but anything within 6 weeks it shows on AA whether it's a 75L or not. I came away extremely impressed with the 75L on MIA-JFK which I was able to directly compared with a 757 SDQ-MIA. No contest!

Blumie

I love the 75L. I've only flown it once, though. The last time I got it -- luck of the draw on a BOS-DFW flight (maybe it was a BOS-LAX flight; I can't remember) -- it went MX after we boarded and we got "downgraded" to a domestic 757. Boy did that suck!

craz

someone had to make out like a Bandit with the AirTrain how the heck do you spend the Billions they did and in the end use a different gauge track then the Subway and LIRR uses so you cant run the AT straight into the City, as well as not connect LGA & JFK by the AT

so I highly doubt anything that will make sense will ever be done, unless the pockets need to be lined some more

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

The only route that I know is scheduled as an 75L is the 8:50PM from MIA to JFK. Of course, rather than a short cab ride from LGA at midnight you are schleping from JFK.

El_Chiflero

totally worth it and LIRR is super fast at that time as alot of the trains are express to Penn Station.

RooseveltL

You can put significant blame on the lack of public transport to NYC airport on Robert Moses. He was the architect of almost all highways in NYC and at the time of construction had multiple options to include a public transportation option in the middle of design (similar to the AirTran to JFK) for very little cost and disruption. However, he was a STRICT advocate for cars & highways and felt public transportation was for the poor & uncivilize. He wasn't a fan of minorities having ease of access to things even though he was one himself. Granted his team made tons of money with tolls on bridges but in comparison the cost of train service to JFK when they build the Van Wyck would've added insignificant cost on top of the highway vs. the extraordinary cost to add it within the past decade and disruption.

This all to say we suffer today because of the decisions of our past. As we have learn the explosion of cars makes highways not as efficient as planned and air travel has picked up significantly since the 50-60s as it is no longer just an experience to the rich.

Good vs. bad? NYC public transportation is 24/7 hrs which can't be said for BOS, ATL or DCA. Additionally, despite MTA price hike - you can get to airports for under $3 (not using AirTran for JFK instead using the Q10). I would still say NYC wins out just not as convenient.

jrlevine

Where'd you hear that? The airtrain is standard gauge, but it's a driverless Bombardier ART system with linear induction motors. I expect the driverless aspect was pretty compelling.

It could adapted at some cost to be compatible with the LIRR, but I'm not holding my breath.

In the meantime, don't miss the handy subway to the airport in Cleveland.

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

Also, up until about ten years ago (namely before Jet Blue arrived) JFK was a fairly sleepy airport. Given that we should probably be lucky we got the Airtrain. Unfortunately, back in the 1990s when funding larger scale projects was much easier the demand was probably not there for a direct link into Manhattan. Even now, it seems that the Airtrain is underutilized.

It seems that many Manhattanities think that using the subway or LIRR connection to the Airtrain is something like a trek through the Amazon jungle. But I've noticied that most of the people that I run into with that attitude do not travel that often and have an income that easily supports a car service. I also chuckle because many of these same people in the summer time schlep out to Fire Island/Hamptons on the LIRR and tend to think nothing of it.

cordelli

That's not true at all, and indeed funding was approved in congress to make a one seat ride to the airport by using the LIRR and Airtrain tracks. It was only partial funding, the state was not able to come up with the rest, and it was not a high priority when Patacki left office, so nobody knows if it will ever be done.

The proposed link is to include a tunnel to be built under the East River, linking a transit center planned for Fulton Street in Manhattan to the Atlantic Avenue subway and commuter rail terminal in Brooklyn. From there, the service would use existing Long Island Rail Road tracks to connect to the AirTrain terminal in Jamaica, Queens.

The AirTrain, which makes an eight-minute trip between the Jamaica terminal and the airport, opened in 2003 and was built with specifications similar to those used by the subway and railroad, so its track could extend into Manhattan. A so-called "one-seat" ride between the airport and Manhattan has been a goal of transportation planners for decades.

KENNECTED

As a person who rides the M60 frequently, Harlem residents and businesses have complained to the MTA and asked them to provide the articulated buses for runs to LGA.

The M60 route is often delayed as 125 street is a major transportation corridor. Buses are often delayed due to

• Amount of vehicular traffic
• Number of riders on all bus lines that travel 125 street
• Those boarding M60s often have luggage which take buses of schedule
• Transfers to/from subway lines at St. Nic., Lenox and Lexington

The above often delays and clumps buses. You can have one M60 bus show up, that is packed and nobody can board. Then two minutes later another packed M60 bus shows up. If you can't get on that one, then you may need to wait 10/15 minutes for another bus. There are many times, that passengers at 1st avenue cannot board.

On top of that, once you get to the Astoria Blvd. station where people transfer to and from the N/Q, it's pure chaos! I've witnessed instances where the bus was so packed, people again, could not board, even after some passengers have exited the bus.

In the Early morning the buses are often packed with airport workers, but I find if you depart 125 before 8AM the buses are less delayed than those buses departing after 8AM.

SceneStealer7

I live on the UWS and fly most often out of JFK or LGA. When given a choice, I almost always opt for LGA - it's much faster and cheaper for a cab when my company is paying (~$30 for LGA compared to ~$50 for JFK), and it's much faster for me to take the 1 up to 125th and transfer to the M60 than it is to take the E to Jamaica and transfer to the AirTrain. I actually think the M60 service is pretty stellar. When I'm the one footing the bill, the only time I take a cab is if there are extraordinary circumstances necessitating a really fast trip (i.e., I'm running late and need to be at LGA in 30 mins or less).

Of course, service can always be improved, but having been to all 50 states, I think the NYC mass transit-to-airport situation is better than most. Haven't traveled extensively internationally, so I can't compare there, but I think a domestic comparison is more apples-to-apples anyway.

KENNECTED

The M60 doesn't run to Broadway & 125 St. Do you mean 116 St? Getting off at B'way & 125 seems difficult as you have to come all the way down from the station then walk over to Amsterdam for the bus.

SceneStealer7

Yes, you're right. Either 1 to 116th, or often I'll transfer to the 2/3 at 72nd and then go up to 125th from there. Just depends how the timing works out.