The JFK Airtrain went was put into operation(yesterday) 12/17. For this first day the whole system was "free".
After riding it I have some comments.
(1)If you have more than a few pieces of luggage negotiating the transfer at Jamaica would be difficult.
(2)The distance from the Airtrain stop to the various terminals requires a fair amount of walking.
(3)The trains were running about every 4 minutes and made the circuit of the 9 JFK terminal in about 8 minutes(as advertised.)
(4)There are actually 3 separate routings. Jamaica to JFK, Howard Beach(the "A" subway stop on the old "train to the plane" route) to JFK and an "inner" loop which just links the 9 terminals. This inner route is "free".
(5)At Jamaica there are turnstiles for entering and exiting. The fare is $5.00. I can see complicaitons for a foreign tourist arriving at JFK, getting on the Airtrain(no fee to "board")trying to get out at Jamaica, this requires the use of a Metrocard(which can be purchased with a CC). If the tourist did not change his currency before arriving in Jamaica he would not be able to purchase a Metrocard so he could exit. There should be some notice as to what the exiting proceedures would be at the JFK boarding point.
(6)Looking down at the Van Wyck Expressway, at 5:00 pm, the traffic in both directions(as usual)was barely moving; the Airtrain zipped along into the airport--a nice feature.
(7)The Jamaica to JFK route made announcements as prior to each stop; the train I was on, from JFK to Howard beach did not.
(8)I wonder how many people will want to take two different trains(LIRR and Airtrain or Subway and Airtrain)to get to JFK?

Heres a couple of articles from the NYT:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/18/nyregion/18AIR.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/18/nyregion/18RIDE.html

US Airports are usually laid out with the expectation that no one except Americans will use them. I think this probably arises from the lack of foreign travel experience by their designers. Look at the "Smarte Cartes" provided in baggage arrivals which require US currency to rent before you have a chance to get to an ATM to get some.

Waste of time and money. NY needs something like the LGW express.

The door slammed on Bloomberg, requiring the govenor to catch him.

The power died causing them to switch to bus service in it's first day.

And you save 12 minutes over a cab (unless you were in the trains when the power died).

Nothing like a couple of billion of dollars going to good use.

A primary reason I don't visit NYC more, is that the transportation is so bad. In contrast, DCA is the best in the country. Metro station on same level as airline gates. BOS is pretty bad too, although at least it has a subway station on the airport property (but you must take a bus to the subway). Would the air train make JFK any faster to get in to Manhattan now then LGA?

Well, if you take the most expensive route - Airtrain to Jamaica to Long Island Railroad to Penn Station, they say that should take 35 minutes and cost about $12. Of course, that depends on how long you have to wait for the LIRR transfer.

As for the comparison between LGA and JFK, I think it would probably take about the same time to take the Airtrain-LIRR-midtown from JFK as it would take to take the M60 bus to the subway to midtown.

As for taxis, LGA-midtown can be a 15 minute ride with no traffic, or 90 miunutes with traffic.

d

What a collossal waste. The NY Post tested it yesterday. They sent three reporters to find out the fastest route to JFK starting from the Port Authority (42nd & 8th). One person took a taxi; one person took the bus; and one person took the subway to the Airtrain.

The Airtrain came in dead last. It was the slowest and the most inconvenient especially if you have luggage which those flying from JFK tend to have. But she liked how cool the Airtrain looked. Each of these stories discusses pluses, minuses, stress levels, comfort levels and recommendations.

Subway/airtrain: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/13806.htm
Bus: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/13808.htm
Taxi: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/13826.htm

Too bad they didn't add car service to this comparison.

[This message has been edited by Analise (edited Dec 18, 2003).]

This is not a "waste" of public money. There are plenty of people who can't afford to spend $40 each way (per NY Post, above) for a taxi, which RT is almost half the fare of some transcon flights. Not to mention that the time savings (and stress reduction) at rush hour will be quite significant.

Here in San Francisco, we recently inaugurated BART to SFO - our own version of the downtown to subway. The trip takes 35 minutes from downtown SF and dumps you right at the new international terminal at SFO. Sure, you can do the trip in 20 minutes by car, but it will take you a lot longer during rush hour or inclement weather. And I am happy to spend an extra 15 minutes on a comfortable train to save $35 each way.

Almost every major city in Europe has inexpensive train to plane connections. The JFK-NYC connection is long overdue.

It amazes me, as a fairly frequent visitor to NYC, why the shuttle services to just by Grand Central from all three NYC airports are rarely mentioned in these forums. It's $15 on a very comfortable coach bus and there's no mucking with luggage through bizzy subway stations. Maybe it's just me ...

I disagree, it's a colossal waste of money. There is an alternative from New York to the airport and back again, you can take the subway to the airport, then the shuttle bus from there to the terminal. Or at least there was until yesterday. There are slos the airporter busses, which will take you to several places in the city, and the super shuttles which will get you to the hotels all for way less then $40

Today, you have to take the subway to the airport, spend an extra $5 that you didn't have to spend before, to get on a train that has already killed somebody, and has had several other incidents, be taken to a part of the terminal that is less convinient then the bus drop off was, etc.

We are only hearing about the optimal trip, from the Penn Station, getting there just in time to catch a LIRR train that is leaving without having to wait, etc. You never hear about living someplace else and having to get to Penn Station, or what happens if your LIRR train just left and you have to wait for another one.

This isn't about a $40 taxi ride versus public transportation. There has been public transportation, and this will do little to change that. Most people will still take the subway, the train is only an option for a very few people. The difference now is you have to take a $5 airtrain ride instead of a free bus to get to the terminals.

It's not worth two billion dollars to save a five minute bus ride.




[This message has been edited by cordelli (edited Dec 18, 2003).]

What do you expect, the Airtrain cars are brought to you by the same people that build the CRJ

Dupe.

[This message has been edited by Arcolaio99 (edited Dec 18, 2003).]

Couldn't agree more. I use it most of the time. Its actually $12 one way. That train is a collosal waste. Who wants to get on the subway after getting off an international flight with some bags. Not me. The city needs a one sto trasin to somewhere in Manhattan. The post about not being able to afford a cab. Ride the bus mentioned above. Not much cheap about NY, cabs might be the cheapest.

It's long overdue and it's still not here yet despite the tremendous waste of tax dollars.

The Airtrain needs to go to Manhattan, not Jamaica. The idea of taking the E to Sutphin Ave and then schlep your luggage up those steps and then to the Airtrain station is ludicrous. Anyone ever been there? I have. You don't want to be there. It is inefficient AND it is seedy. To make this trek with luggage and a laptop especially if you are a woman travelling alone is nuts. I don't see why a man would do it either.

As you said, it's nuts to spend $40 for a taxi....no argument. And as you said, many European cities have a first-rate rail system to and from the airport---this Airtrain thing is not even close to being like those trains. It is a pathetic "resource".

At Penn Station this morning, people were standing at the top of escalators and steps handing out pamphlets about Airtrain. The pamphlets don't hide the inconvenience of it all once you read the details. But they do highlight the "convenience" of being near the Howard Beach station subway and the Jamaica subway. All of this money for that? No way. Why not have the train go to Jamaica and then continue on to Penn Station? Or did these brilliant types create a train network which is incompatible with the LIRR tracks.