Originally Posted by vincom
Traffic to JFK can be a tose up I wouldn't call it consistent. I was just saying the JFK AirTrain in its current impementation isn't really all that great os a aolution involving all those transfers and etc etc.
A cab to JFk IIRC is like 40-50 bucks? The AirTrain is well under 15 I think, so its cheaper that way, but will most liekly take you longer, plus involve much more "work."
The EWR AirTrain make so much more sense - you arrive on Amtrak or NJ Transit into the Rail Link Station, go up the stair and hope on the Monorail. For most people it involved getting on the train once with the only transfer at the Rail Link Station... Plus NJ Transit and Amtrak 905 of the time will have spacxe for luggage... Ever take luggage on the NYC Subway? I wouldn't want to try...
I haven't flown out of JFK for nearly a year (last time was when I had to take SQ and they only do FC out of JFK).
Whoa, I think you're a bit off base here. The trip from midtown to JFK and midtown to EWR involves exactly the same transfers. You arrive on LIRR into Jamaica Station, go up the stair, across the bridge and hop on the Airtrain. And there are a lot more turnstyles at Jamaica than at EWR, which can really back up. Don't even get me started on how much better the JFK Airtrain is compared to the EWR Airtrain. It's probably 3x as fast and 5x as spacious. The EWR monorail is a travesty. It can't take a turn at more than 5mph.
THEN, you can consider that if you're not near Penn Station, you have a reasonable alternative to get to JFK -- the E train if, say, you're at Midtown East in the 50s, or the A train if you're downtown, both of which connect directly to the Airtrain to take you to your terminal. Trying to get to EWR from either of these locations adds an extra transfer (from East Side - E to Penn Sta to NJT to AirTrain, from Downtown - PATH to Newark to NJT to Airtrain).