If you are staying in NJ the last night and then Driving? with your rental car to Manhattan or LI that same day and then leaving in the early evening- meaning you need to be at the airport by about 4 Pm- you definitely do not want to drive from LI to EWR in the late aftternon- ditch the car- use the train or LIRR and taxi if you go to LI and leave from JFK if you are on LI- a car in Manhattan is a nuisance and an expense- take cabs around the city and use public transporation to the airports. I concur with the other posters- if you spend the day in Manhattan- leave from EWR. IMHO

EWR is a much easier place to return a rental car, at least for the major companies. Easy ramp access off the main airport road. After dropoff you go up an escalator and take the monorail directly to the terminal.

I would disagree with the above poster who suggested driving into Manhattan, ditching your car and taking the AirTrain to EWR. If you're making a 545p Delta westbound you will want to be in terminal at EWR by 400p anyway. That means leaving Manhattan around 300p via the Midtown Tunnel. You'll be ahead of evening rush hour and should be able to drive out to EWR in about 25 to 30 minutes.

Friends don't let friends drive to JFK.

If I am going to JFK and coming from the east off of Long Island, is taking the JFK Expressway from the Belt Parkway, (I am looking at some maps from Mapquest) the best way in and/or less congested?
How about car return coming from that way?
Either place I go, I will probably have to return the car about 2:30pm to avoid extra day charges, so I hope that would give me plenty of time in that respect.
In the mean time I will research places to return the car outside of JFK and maybe take everyones advice to not even drive to JFK.
That way I could return it a little early and not take the chance of being late, and still have plenty of time to make my way to the airport.

If you are coming from eastern LI, then all of the talk about not driving doesn't really apply. (IMHO it doesn't ever apply, I LOVE driving around here, but that's me). Just drop the car off at JFK when you are done with it. Unless, of course, you aim to take the A train...

For everuyone else's reference:

From Manhattan, car service will run about $30-60, depending on the shabbiness of car and driver. Yellow cabs can be considerably more, depending on traffic. Then there's the bus from Port Authority... and the aforementioned A train.

At 2:30 pm you shouldnt have any problems or delays - its not rush hour.

Yes - Belt to the JFK exit, which is the Expway - you cant miss it.

Thanks to everybody for all the advice.
I am sure this whole experience will be very enlightening to me.
Looking forward to coming.

Another friend of mine is off to New York soon, and is staying on E77th with a friend.

EWR or JFK?

Thanks
Fraser & Jonny

EWR is definately better. Easier to get to(right off the turnpike). Better layout of terminals.

With the airtrain, I think that JFK could be easier especially since he is staying in the UES? Near the Mark hotel? http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif

If the airfare is the same for EWR as it is for JFK, then I prefer JFK. LGA would be the closest of the three but you didn't mention that airport.



[This message has been edited by Analise (edited Mar 02, 2004).]

Thanks Analise

Jonny is flying in from London so LGA isn't an option without JATOL http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

He is staying with a friend I believe though he spared me the details for fear of rubbing it in that he is going to my favourite city!

My experience has been that clearing customs is so much faster at JFK that any time saved by driving to the city from EWR is completly made up and then some. I hate flying international to Newark.

That's interesting, Cordelli; my experience has been quite the reverse in that immigration and customs have been far swifter at EWR than JFK. I'd always go for EWR (assuming comparable schedule and equipment).

I'm sure it's just my lousy luck, but one time the lines were so long because so many flights came in at once they went outside the hall to the ramps at Newark. Very nasty situtation.

Another time it was about 45 mintues or so. All depends on the number of flights coming in and I always get the short end of that stick. It didn't help that they had just started passing all incoming baggage through a scanner, that added significantly to the time, you had to lug it over, unload it, get it on the other end, etc. Very long lines there.

I'd agree on EWR, (I'd rather use EWR even to get into midtown than JFK) but the Yankees play north of Manhattan in the Bronx, which has little if anything to do with the 3 NYC airports. Perhapst thou thinkest of the Mets?

Yankee games can screw up the Triboro bridge, which is a reasonable approach to LGA from Manhattan.

For whatever that's worth.