The LIRR from Woodside is another option, and perhaps a little more pleasant than the E.

I wonder, would DCA-CLT-JFK or DCA-BOS-JFK be an option, rather than DCA-LGA//JFK? If it were me, I think I would prefer the extra flight over the ground transfer.

Im also doing an award routing this coming summer out of JFK that was not available out of DCA.

If you want a little trick that helps you avoid the mayhem of LGA --> JFK connectors and transits, consider flying BWI to JFK non stop. The MARC/Amtrak service to BWI airport from Union Station is much more predictable and convenient than the bus. $7.00 on MARC and $12.00 on Amtrak. That puts you into BWI and there is a 10:30 BWI-JFK flight that gets you into JFK by noon and ample time to enjoy the Flagship Lounge. I booked this for $110 one way.

Alternate #2 which is cheap is to simply take the Amtrak NEC to Penn Station for $49.00 (sometimes as low as $39.00), take the E train from Penn Station to Sutphin Blvd. and the JFK Aitrain from there to JFK.

Those routings do automatically pop up on AA award searches for WAS-NYC; they've been coming up intermittently here and there but not for the day I'm flying.


On paper, perhaps. But with the summer thunderstorm machine already having gotten started for the year (see last week's chaos all up and down the East Coast), I'd rather be in DC with a bunch of direct shots at NYC (via hourly LGA shuttles or the couple JFK flights) than stuck in CLT or BOS. There are lots of options onward to Europe from NYC; fewer out of those markets.


I generally avoid adding paid feeder flights to award tickets just out of principle. Plus, I'm more time-rich than cash-rich at this juncture, so saving a couple hundred bucks is worth it.

Re: Amtrak, the whole flight to LGA and transfer to JFK would come in at about time parity with getting to Union Station and NEC to Penn for me, even assuming Amtrak runs on time.

Generally, my philosophy is that I want to be on my single-ticket itinerary as soon as possible. I trust myself to get from LGA to JFK more than I trust Amtrak to get me to Penn Station (or BWI for that matter). It's an imperfect philosophy, for sure, but it's worked OK for me so far.

Understand. I'm a relatively frequent train passenger these days so I've got a decent feel for Amtrak, As long as the train isn't coming from somewhere south of DC, the trains typically run on time.

Yeah, frankly I'd like to be a more frequent Amtrak passenger. I like the space, the ability to walk around, etc. But for me, getting to/through Union Station actually takes longer than getting to my plane at DCA, the slow chug along the NEC is infuriating (this would be a 2-hour ride elsewhere in the world...), and the lack of seat assignments is worse. Especially on Acela coming back from NYP/Newark.

Hey I just did the cattle car connection from LGA to the 74th/Broadway station to catch the F train into the city ! Not bad, only an hour and a half from touch down to landing :-(

Aren't "touch down" and "landing" the same thing?

If AA thinks they are going to move "business" travelers to the most important business markets they obviously don't give a crap about RDU. Almost all the flights have been downgraded to E-140s while Delta offers nothing but 2 class RJs. Sucks

A little love for NYC: LGA-CHS/SAV starts on 8/25!

Is it just me, or is the LGA-CHS flight only offered at noon on Saturday?

This is a party leisure route for weekends in Charleston. Much better if the flight leaves late Friday night or at like 10:00 AM on Saturday. Poor scheduling here

Yeah, both CHS/SAV look to be weekend only.

If it's anything like BOS to these markets (I assume NYC is worse), the "weekend trip" rates are especially high; nearing if not exceeding south Florida prices in winter. I suspect AA's revenue management knows this and probably thinks they can fill the front of the plane up too.

I miss the non-stop JFK-ZRH route. When you do a search for JFK to ZRH, two general routes show: (1) JFK-PHL-ZRH or (2) JFK-LHR-ZRH; for (1) there is < 90 minute connection [or departing from LGA 8 hour or 11 hour connections in PHL], but in any event, should the PHL-ZRH be missed, there is NO other way to get to ZRH from PHL, (2) At least BA runs lots of flts to ZRH from LHR, so (2) seems like the best way to get from NYC to ZRH...of course you skip AA and use a NS on another airline.