TPACjv

The only shot at avoiding terminal traffic is to enter LGA from 102nd street.

Given that I rarely fly from the C/D side of LGA and all of the construction going, I'm not 100% sure this is going to work.

ibrandsguest

I see from Google Maps and the MTA trip planner that there are multiple bus lines that go to Ditmars Boulevard & 27th Avenue in East Elmhurst, with some trips taking only 40 minutes from Manhattan. That's right across the highway from the former Delta/Northwest terminal (terminal D) and seems to be a short walk (less than 1/2 mile, so 10 NYC north-south blocks) across a bridge straight to the terminal.

Has anyone done this?

I ought to just do Uber/Lyft or a taxi, but I dislike paying $75 r/t when $5ish for the subway/bus does the same trip in only a little more time.

Often1

Not sure why this keeps bouncing back to this thread as it's been beaten to death elsewhere.

The bottom line is fairly simple given that the physical space between a major highway and the construction site leaves just so much space:

1. Limit vehicles and divert everyone into some form of shuttle system to offsite areas. This would include taxis, car service, and private vehicles.
2. Limit capacity into the airport, e.g. # of passengers (rotations already limited).
3. Massive airport use fee for non-public vehicles, e.g., private vehicles, taxis, car service (add $20 to the cost of a ride and see how many people will hop a bus to an off site location)

None of these are particularly appealing to any carrier which is the primary service point for HVC's and serves NY's financial district. However, there are plenty of people who would pay $20 extra to have priority access to the curb and leave the rest of the populace simmering in a traffic jam.

This is going to continue through 2020 (at least). People who say that they will consider elsewhere don't know NYC. Neither JFK nor EWR are particularly convenient, the HVC's who make the world go round and support the airfare structure in the market are not going to take public transportation from either and most of them can work from a car just as well as they can from a desk, so the traffic is not as much of a bother.

ibrandsguest

I am just certain that this kind of mess would not be happening in another city. Look at how smooth the construction at Charlotte's airport, which has been going on for years, has been. From the passenger standpoint, there has been little if any inconvenience.

HVC? I fly paid first class pretty often and do take public transportation-- I get really carsick so I try to avoid private cars. I'm certainly the exception to the rule, though.

guv1976

You could take a #7 local train, and connect to the Q23 bus at 103rd Street, or the Q48 bus at 111th Street, both of which can drop you at the LaGuardia Marriott, which is right near the 102nd Street bridge. Then you could either walk, or take a taxi, to Terminal C or D. (Your taxi driver might not be happy about taking such a short fare.) But given the frequency of service of the Q23 and Q48, that might or might not save you much time over other transportation options.

Note that on your return from the airport, the Q48 leaves the airport via the 102nd Street bridge, immediately after departing Terminal C.

I've walked across that bridge a couple of times many years ago. Things may have changed since then, but I found that the bridge's pedestrian sidewalk was not well maintained, with some uneven patches; something to keep in mind if you'll be traveling with rolling luggage.

If you decide to dine at the Marriott before your outbound flight, or after your return flight, I expect that the hotel's shuttle driver would be happy to drop you off at, or pick you up from, Terminal C or D.

dstan

And now this thread has been merged into the existing NYC thread on this topic, also referenced upthread.

/Moderator

Often1

No room means no room.

What you are think of is called SWF. Largely undeveloped area (for NYC area).

Just like the urban planners who did CLT and other major airports outside small cities such as Charlotte. The problem is that this is NYC and it's LGA. SWF is a 2-hour drive to NYC. So, people want to fly into LGA where there's no room.

LGA is already one of only two fields in the country with statutory flow control because nobody in their right mind would fly a short-haul to JFK/EWR let alone SWF if they could fly to LGA.

So, it's back to bad options. Bad options means no option gets selected because consumers would rather rant about the traffic than live with something such as a massive use fee for private access, e.g. pay $20 for a car service / taxi to drop you curbside vs. drop you at a nearby lot and then have a shuttle shlep you to the curb.

Or fly to CLT.

ibrandsguest

Often1, LGA had no room before the construction; it has no room during the construction. That hasn't changed. I've flown in and out of LGA for nearly 20 years, at least one r/t per month and often a lot more.

Every single project run by the Port Authority is a disaster: the Port Authority Bus Terminal, EWR and LGA are the worst. The issue is gross mismanagement, not lack of room.

Surely the best and the brightest of NYC could figure out how to reconfigure access roads to LGA to avoid 1+ hour delays on them. The people in charge probably don't care, or don't care enough.

TPACjv

It should be clear by now that the PA higher-ups are not paid to do good pm work. They are paid for either 1. Political grunt work ala the GWB scandal or 2. To "defend" their turf.

Hence, PA = disaster.

jdshah

Hello

Want to travel from LGA airport to EWR airport on 25th Dec 2016.

Please advice the best possible transportation.

Thanks in advance

ibrandsguest

Fastest: taxi

Public transportation:

1. Q70 bus (available at the public bus shelter in front of each terminal--you must buy the ticket in advance from one of the ticket machines- I believe $2.75) to the end of the line at Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Avenue (Waiting time: about 10 minutes at most; then about 12 minutes of travel time); then

2. take the E train from Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Avenue to Penn Station in Manhattan (Waiting time: about 10 minutes at most; then about 20 minutes of travel time); then

3. at Penn Station in Manhattan, take most any NJ Transit train to Newark Airport Rail Station/EWR (waiting time: TBD; then about 15 minutes of travel time); then

4. at the Newark Airport Rail Station, take the monorail to whatever terminal you need to (waiting time: about 5 minutes; then maybe 5-15 minutes of travel time).

Cost: if you don't have a MetroCard, about $20.

You can save time by downloading the New Jersey Transit app and buying a ticket from Penn Station to Newark Airport Rail Station on your phone in advance.

Letitride3c

LGA to EWR on 12/25/2016
What is one's definition of "best possible transportation" ??

Fastest is this case will be one of the most expensive & available option - X'Mas day, LGA like other airports on lighter than usual holiday flight schedule. A taxi to Newark A/P, crossing state lines with the mandatory surcharge, round-trip tolls & base fares, etc. + tipping will run somewhere near $150, give or take - assuming the driver won't get lost ... traffic should be lighter than "normal" too.

Suggest using 1 of 2 major metro NY area car services, Dial7 or Carmel - free mobile App (download & install) and probably don't need to book in advance, should be easy to get a car/driver for the trip. Once off the jet bridge & inside the terminal, call their toll-free # or open the App, request the trip & get confirmed (unless needing to wait for luggage downstairs at the carousal) - or set pickup time for 15 or 20 minutes. Do a quick bathroom stop first - ride time of about 1 hour +/- and walk outside to the pickup area. With current airport construction & roadways, make sure to confirm & agree on where to wait for driver/car to get pickup - get in & relax for the transfer to EWR.

P.S. On my Carmel app - I show a deluxe sedan available for $75 + tolls & tips (used 12/25 @13:30 pickup LGA to EWR) If pre-book online, there's a $3 or $4 discount code, must print the paper coupon & fill it in and hand over to driver when paying the fare ... deduct from the total amount due. Mini-van rate is slightly higher at just $83 + T&T

ibrandsguest

Google Transit says that the bus-subway-train-monorail trip takes 1 hour 37 minutes, give or a take, and that a taxi/car takes 50 minutes, give or take.

(Google says to take the M60 bus from LGA; I wouldn't, since the M60 is crowded and the N subway stops a block from Penn Station; the Q70 is less full and the E subway stops within Penn Station.)

Is 47 minutes of time savings worth $63-$130?

guv1976

The problem with weekend/holiday travel to EWR on NJ Transit Rail is that the train departure times are oddly spaced: There can be a gap of 40 minutes between one train and the next.

We also don't know how much luggage the traveler will have, and how easy it will be for him to navigate the multiple transfers.

Another option -- which is something of a compromise -- is to take an airport express bus (or a taxi) from LGA to Manhattan, and transfer to an airport express bus from Manhattan to EWR. But as noted upthread, "best" means different things to different people -- and under different circumstances.

CodeAdam10

I would take Uber vs Carmel or Dial7 @ $150

UberX should be ~$100 (plus optional tip if the service was good.)

If OP has an Amex card he can take advantage of the Amex/Uber holiday promo and easily save a whoppin' $65 off his total fare.