The 'E' train is faster IMHO to midtown than a taxi.

Construction is mostly finished on the AIRTRAIN, but there may still be some work connecting each terminal to the AIRTRAIN platforms.

As posted above, there is no need to go outside to Sutphin Avenue in Jamaica. There is a connecting platform on the same level as the AIRTRAIN turnstiles that crosses over the LIRR tracks and connects to the top level for 3 elevators that stop at several levels, including the subway turnstile level at the bottom. The E train is one level below the turnstiles, and the J train is two levels below.

The 'E' train stops running completely express at 8pm (from 8 until 12 express only from Forest Hills to Queens Plaza), and runs entirely local from 12 midnight until 6:30am. When it is running express, it takes me less than 30 minutes from the JFK/Jamaica/Sutphin subway platform to my front door in midtown.

We've had all kinds of threads about this so feel free to do searches on your own both here in Travelbuzz and in the New York forum.

I was one of the biggest naysayers concerning Jamaica, the E train and the Airtrain. That is no longer the case. The E train is easy. Take it to Jamaica/Sutphin, go to the escalator to the turnstyles. You can go through a door instead of pushing bags through a turnstyle. Once past the turnstyles, take the elevator to the Airtrain corridor and then follow the signs.

My only problem with the Q10 bus is that it takes its sweet time to get to JFK. Pickup from JFK-->Queens is not reliable.. and even though the AAirtrain is annoying, it's a comfortable, fast 11ish minute ride from Sutphin Blvd.

The Airtrain to the E train into Midtown is faster than a cab during any regular business hour (7AM to about 8PM or so). I'll only take a cab from JFK to Manhattan if its after thise hours/. The $45 fare is insane expecially when I'm paying around $100 for my fares on B6 to ROC or BUF.

I find that door to door, I can get from terminal 6 airtrain---E train to lex 53rd street and be at my apt on 2nd/50th st in under an hour--55 minutes soemtimes...its never been over 70 minutes. I once spent 1.5 hrs rotting in a cab on the Van Wyck during morning rush hour--never again

Dontcha love that??

My favorite part of the Airtrain is zipping over the Van Wyck, looking down at the traffic crawling along beneath my feet, remembering the bad old days when it was the only way to go...

HA!

:D

I'm not too happy about paying the $5 premium either, but the Q10 is pretty slow getting to the Union Tpke station. Also, I can concur that the Q10 is really unreliable picking people up from JFK-> Queens. This especially seems to happen in the later hours of the evening (past 9pm) as that is when I usually get into JFK since I'm flying in from the West Coast. But I believe once I got in on a redeye, the Q10 was extremely good about dropping by Terminal 7. However, it seemed that most of the passengers were airline employess as it was mostly empty.

Don't forget about the Q10-A on weekday mornings
 

On weekday mornings only, the Q10-A runs every 20 minutes from Kew Gardens to JFK, between 7:09 AM and 8:49 AM. It is a limited-stop service, making no stops between Kew Gardens and JFK. The bus travels along the Van Wyck, and scheduled travel time from Kew Gardens to Terminal 6 (Jet Blue) is about 20 minutes, but that could be affected by traffic. Fare is the same as on the Q10, and Metrocard transfers are valid.

The Q10-A loads on Queens Boulevard, NOT on Kew Gardens Road where the regular Q-10 loads. And the Q10-A operates only TO JFK; there is no Q10-A service FROM JFK.

Interesting! I know NYC public transportation pretty well but never heard about the Q10A bus. Also interesting that they go to JFK but not from JFK. I can just imagine thousands of Q10A buses piling up at JFK, not permitted to leave! And they send a few more every day! :D

Bruce

The MTA has been doing its best to ignore the free subway/bus connections to JFK (Q10, B15, Q3). They're still noted on the subway map, but station and subway notices and the new airport-access brochures mention only the Airtrain. They do mention the M60 bus to LGA though! I once asked 10 different token-booth clerks about the cheapest way to get to JFK, and only one told me immediately about the free bus connection. Two more mentioned the bus after a lot of prodding, and the rest insisted the Airtrain was the only way to get to JFK on public transportation. I assume the reason for this is that the MTA gets its cut on the Airtrain fare but doesn't earn anything extra on the free bus connection.