Hello,

My Brother will be flying in from Asia and reaching either ORD or JFK on 8/26/2003 around 5pm.

He needs to get to PHILADELPHIA, as he will be joining Wharton as an undergrad.

He is currently booked to fly into Chicago (ORD) but can change it for a $125/- fee to fly into JFK.

Could you please suggest the BEST/CHEAPEST/CONVENIENT way for him to get from JFK to Philly in the evening on 26th August.

If the cost of going from JFK-Philly +$125/-change fee is greater than the cost of keeping the ticket to fly into chicago and then fly to Philly from there, then we will look into that option.

Please advice.

Thanks
Raj

If he can get to Chicago's Midway airport from ORD, he can fly AirTran one way MDW-PHL for 112.50

Hello,

I am still looking at optionf from JFK-PHL via a train or bus from midtown, or some cheap airfare.

Also, does anyone know how much time and cost it would it be from ORD to Midway?

Thanks
Raj

I think only Delta now has JFK-PHL flight but I think it is near 5 or 5:30 departure. Could get to NY Penn Stn and take Amtrak to Philadelphia for $50 ow or so.

From ORD to PHL, ow with be $250 or so. The ow fare from MDW is showing as $180 on ATA. You probably would not save $70 in time and aggrevation in making the jump to MDW.

I normally arrives at EWR and what I do is to take the NJ Transit to Trenton and then change to SEPTA which will take me to Center Philadelphia.

It takes about 2 hours and cost 19$/one way last time I did it.

If your brother does really need to land at JFK, the cheapest reasonable way to get to PHL is by Greyhound bus from Port Authority (www.greyhound.com). Amtrak is slightly more expensive, but still comfortable. Check the Amtrak board on the FT Miles forums for discount codes to use--with the discount, he should be able to make this trip for about $40. If you are looking for super cheap, there is a commuter rail option from Penn Station, taking NJ Transit to Trenton and then SEPTA from there to Philly. But it takes years and involves a train change.

All of these options also involve getting from JFK to midtown Manhattan, which is a time-consuming and money-consuming journey in itself. (Probably the cheapest reasonable way to do that is to take a van or bus shuttle--sorry, I don't know details on these.) If there is any way for your brother to fly directly into PHL, he would save not only money, but many hours of travel time.

If he's coming for class, he's likely to have a decent amount of luggage with him. Instead of the train option (i'd suggest the amtrak train in that case), you might want to consider renting a car one way at JFK, return to PHL after dumping the luggage. It's about a 2.5 - 3 hour ride and would be easier and not that much more expensive.

I imagine your brother will be quite tired from a trip like that. It is true that taking NJ Transit to Septa trains in Trenton is the cheapest route. But, for just $41 or so, your brother can just take an Amtrak train from NY Penn Station to Philly's 30th Street Station---no need to change trains. In order to get to Penn, he can take an airport bus to the A train subway ($2.00 for Metrocard) which goes right to Penn Station. Or he can take a taxi which charges a flat fee of $35 plus tolls (4.00 for the midtown tunnel) & tip.

As for renting a car, after a trip like that, I don't recommend it. It might take him an hour just to drive on the Belt Parkway alone in order to get to the Verrazano.

Hello,

I remember there were some shuttle buses, either private or run by the Port Authority from JFK to Penn Station

Can anyone please tell me where to find information on these.

Thanks
Raj

Here you go....
http://www.nyairportservice.com/jfk_manhattan.html

rvaccha,

Glad to read your post... I graduated from Wharton undergrad in '02, and made MANY, MANY, MANY trips back and forth between NY and Philadelphia. I did the Amtrak route. I even did the flying route (a $65.00 roundtrip on a Delta B767 purchased through Priceline).

But the CHEAPEST method of getting from JFK to Penn's campus -- while still maintaining a modicum of comfort -- involves the following:

1) NY Airport Service from JFK to Penn Station. The Subway is an even cheaper option, if you're willing to give up an hour or two of your life to a shuttle bus and then an interminable train ride through Queens and Brooklyn.

2) Once at Penn Station, purchase a NEW JERSEY TRANSIT ticket from New York to Philly. The one-way, peak cost is something like $16 nowadays (a big jump since my freshman year). The trip is about 2 1/2 hours, and involves a change of trains at Trenton (to a SEPTA commuter train), but the ride is bearable and ALWAYS populated by Penn kids shuttling back and forth to home.

3) Once at 30th Street Station, take a $5 cab ride or hop the free LUCY Shuttle to Penn's campus.

The only other cheaper ways, I think, involve unreliable Greyhound service or one of the mysterious Chinatown busses that go back and forth between the two cities for about $3 each way (or something like that).

Either way, I suggest SEPTA/NJT. Good luck, and best wishes to your brother for success at Penn!

Having travelled from abroad (usually from Europe), I know that after a long flight, I want to be sure I can get to my destination. On more than a few occasions, my international flight has been delayed, and I arrived in the US too late for a connecting flight to PHL (or recently DC) -- necessitating an overnight at a hotel and a flight the next day. Added expense and time.

For that reason, I would strongly advise landing in NYC. That way, if the flight is delayed, he would have the option of a train, bus, or car rental.

The options listed above (Amtrak, NJ Transit/SEPTA) all are reasonable. Philly's 30th Street (AMTRAK) station is right on the edge of Penn's campus, about 4-5 blocks from Wharton. SEPTA trains also go out to 30th Street Station.

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Da DOK

Another option (if he can drive) is renting a car one way directly at JFK and driving.

Belt Parkway West -> Verazzano Bridge -> Staten Island Expway -> West Shore Expway -> Outerbridge Crossing -> Route 440 -> NJ Turnpike -> Exit 3 -> Philadelphia.

In no traffic it should take at most 2 hours.
Ive done it many times.

Cost = one way rental + gas + tolls.