ijgordon

It seems like at some point over the pandemic and likely because of the LGA construction, the routing of the Q70 SBS bus has changed, now stopping at Terminals C/D before B, then back to Jackson Heights.
But there seems to be only one stop at Terminal C/D, even though they're really not all that close to one another. Where exactly is the stop?
Neither Google Maps nor the CityMapper app are showing routings to Terminal D (from either UWS or midtown) that include the Q70, which is
They're mostly showing Q23 or Q48, and getting off on the south side of the GCP and walking over to Terminal D, which I'm sure is NOT a good idea.
Q70 Bus Schedule

sportsguymichael

Just got off the Q70. It stops at terminal C, almost at the end (towards terminal B). It takes 5-7 minutes to walk to terminal D. There may be a Delta shuttle bus from inside TSA at Terminal C to D but I’m not sure. I think I’ve seen one but I always walk

ijgordon

Thanks - there is a Delta bus airside between C and D. But IIRC even the far end of C (towards B) is the "wrong" end for PreCheck/Clear, so this just seems like a pain. Ugh.
I'm guessing the roadway configuration lets one go to D or C, but not from D to C?

sportsguymichael

By the way, there was no TSA precheck available today at Terminal C and D. TSA told me they were short staffed. Don’t know if this is a one off but you may want to leave yourself extra time just in case. If you have Clear, then it’s no problem. Unfortunately, I don’t.

nrr

In some airports you sign up for an immediate CLEAR membership for a FREE trial period...
[At T4 JFK there are lots of sign-up terminals.]

ijgordon

Thanks - it was open at D, but not much of a line anyway.
But man, 1h20 m from UWS to LGA (including long walk from bus stop at C), what a cluster. Might need to stick to JFK for a while.

Repooc17

If you are UWS, would M60 be faster?

If I am flying into and out of LGA, M60 if I am home (Astoria), E->Q70 if I am around midtown. 20 minutes or less on Q60 (since I would be in Astoria already), or 40 minutes on the subway to bus option.

ijgordon

Well it’s “lower UWS”, and I’ve had some not great experiences on the M60 and was worried about traffic on the Triboro. Google maps showed even by car travel time was >1h.
So did 2/3 to TS then <7> to Woodside but the 7 was a bit of a cluster and would have been a bit of a wait for a local to get to 74th so figured we’d just get on the Q70 bus at Woodside. We waited at least 15m even while Bustime showed a bus “at stop”. If it actually showed the bus was 15m away I would have hopped in an Uber. By the time we decided to do that, the bus came around the corner.
Then as we were approaching Term D I saw another Q70 heading the other way having just dropped off at C on the way to B. So I suspect that bus decided to not do the leg to Woodside at all, which is why we waited 15m when the bus is supposed to be every 8m.

M60_to_LGA

I actually don't think this is new. I seem to remember the bus doing this in January 2020, when I last flew (sigh...) I was flying DL, so it worked for me.

Repooc17

Next time I fly out of B, I will get off at the garage stop and walk across to B, rather than staying on the bus for the entire loop. Would be a good way to figure out the faster method.

ijgordon

This may well have been, time has obviously flown by quickly even if we've been mostly grounded, and certainly there was a lot of construction going on pre-Pandemic. But still, DL serves both Terminals C and D, so if you're flying to/from D you'll have to plan time for the walk.

I still think it's bollocks. It's 400 yards (~5 city blocks if I did the math right lol) from the bus stop to the first terminal doors at D, not including the roundabout way to get upstairs to the departure level.

FWIW, I filed a complaint with the MTA. They actually responded quickly, effectively punting to the DOT which oversees bus stops, but indicating they referred the matter to their liaison with NYCDOT. I also filed a complaint directly with the DOT.

sportsguymichael

I flew out of B today and got out at the first stop by the garage. Definitely faster than taking the loop around but I just had carry on and am a fast walker.

ijgordon

So then the DOT replied to my complaint that it was the jurisdiction of the MTA. I contacted the MTA via Twitter, and they said they would look into it. Later that same day they responded -- apparently Delta, which owns the building, requested the removal of the bus stop at Terminal D to facilitate the reconstruction of Terminals C and D. (Personally I disagree as there's still room.) Well, I guess it's going to stay like this until the new headhouse opens.

Petdog

Did you try the PANYNJ? I doubt Delta did or could without the PANYNJ's involvement or consent.

krazykanuck

Wrong thread title but didn't want to make a new one.

When arriving on the Q70 and going to Terminal B, is it faster to get off at the first stop that's by the parking garage and walking thru there? or stay on until it actually gets to B, since it makes the whole loop to D/C before stopping at B. I might try it for myself next time, just curious if somebody already knows the answer.