NYC airports

[Runnergal]

I fly into LGA whenever possible. I live on the east side of manhattan and it’s the shortest ride home, construction or not. I just can’t take the traffic from JFK.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

I pass it by everyday, there is really a lot of work being done on it. They have probably put up 4 to 5 very large buildings up and are dismantling about the same amount. There are tons of half constructed overpasses. I am assuming they are moving buildings toward the Grand Central(highway) so they can get additional runways in but I think they said they are not doing that. Still i cannot see why you would position them the way they did if they did not want to have additional runways.

 

[monsterkitty]

We flew into LaGuardia in October on a Saturday. It took us 1:15 hours to get out of the airport because of the traffic. It took another hour to get to our Marriott which was about a 10 minute walk to Time Square. Leaving on Tuesday morning took at most 30 minutes from our hotel to the airport.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I would avoid LaGuardia at all costs; it’s a big mess. We much prefer JFK. Can’t comment on Newark, never use it cause it’s the farthest away for us and not worth the traffic/bridges, though it might be OK going to Manhattan.

 

[Skippy918]

I much prefer jfk over LGA. Not surprised there is still construction over there. I can’t comment on the transportation as my parents have always picked us up and dropped us off at the airport.

 

[bcla]

Laguardia has been under construction for the last 40 years. When exactly will it be done?

Didn’t Walt say “Disneyland will never be completed.”? One could apply the same thinking to LGA.

 

[Heather07438]

It's embarrassing that NYC airports are so sad compared to the rest of major international airports around the world. Where does all the money go? Obviously not back into the infrastructure since 1953.

I think JFK is better but if you find a much better deal for your flight times thru Newark, that's definitely worth considering. The airfares can vary greatly, often $50 or $100+ each way per ticket. That can add up for a family of 4.

EWR and JFK are roughly the same distance (15-20 miles) from midtown, both have stupid traffic, both have shuttles and public transit, so there isn't a major difference there. JFK wins by a bit, but only if you aren't over-paying on tickets.

 

[3threebabies]

Access from your home airport can vary a lot. Agree with pp to 1st look at cost differential between airports. Just use NYC as search airport code. Works in most flight search engines (not necessarily airline specific searches).

 

[crazylady]

Thanks for all the information. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions later

 

[dish rag]

I’ve always used LGA and will continue to. I’m familiar with it and have never had a problem.

 

[sam_gordon]

We flew in/out of LGA this summer. Aside from some problems finding the pickup location for the car service we had arranged, construction wasn't terrible. There was some extra walking to get to where the baggage claim was.

I think it would be more determined by where you can get. When I looked at the airports around us, the cheapest flight (by far) was into LGA. I would let flight schedule & price determine which airport to use.

 

[elphaba91]

I have travelled through all 4 NYC area airports (including Islip on Long Island!). My first choice would probably be JFK followed by LGA, although there isn’t enough of a difference that I would pay extra or choose a more inconvenient flight. After my last experience trying to get to EWR I would avoid it like the plague.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

They are allegedly putting up a tram to Willets point stop (Shea or Citi Field stop) depending how long ago you were a Mets fan) I believe by 2022.
When that goes up i would think with that & the new terminals it will be the more desired commute for pub transportation unless you are heading to downtown.
Tran would be way less than half the distance of JFK's and 7 express saves you 15 minutes from the E from Jamaica station.
So if you are buying tickets way way in advance I'd consider LGA.
Downtown I think JFK will always be best but I think that is a different tram to the A.

 

[skyblue17]

There's no reason not to include Newark when making plans to travel to NYC. It's no more inconvenient than JFK or LaGuardia, and sometimes the routes and pricing is better! Definitely take a look.

I live in Queens, so my experience for the two airports in Queens is pretty good. It really depends on how much luggage you have and what transportation options you feel comfortable using. The subway is super cheap, and can get you from the airport to Times Square easily. You can take LIRR instead and get to Penn Station. You can take a ride share, but keep in mind that JFK and LaGuardia are both starting to move their ride share pickups away from the terminals to varying degrees.

 

[bcla]

Anyone used Stewart Airport? Seems kind of out of the way, but I saw it listed as one of the passenger airports that PANYNJ operates.

 

[NotUrsula]

IMO, Newark has easier and quicker transport to lower Manhattan than JFK; I think it's actually closer.

LaGuardia used to be super-easy when the Marine Terminal water taxi still existed, but ground transit out of there now is a PITA. For me, anyway, a train is always going to be preferable to a bus/car when it comes to NYC bridge & tunnel traffic, so if I fly through LGA, I take a cab to Astoria and the N train from there. (Check MTA for station info in Astoria; those stations have been under construction recently.)

Re: Stewart, the problem there is ground transport. There isn't much, and it's a long haul to Manhattan.

 

[skyblue17]

IMO, Newark has easier and quicker transport to lower Manhattan than JFK; I think it's actually closer.

LaGuardia used to be super-easy when the Marine Terminal water taxi still existed, but ground transit out of there now is a PITA. For me, anyway, a train is always going to be preferable to a bus/car when it comes to NYC bridge & tunnel traffic, so if I fly through LGA, I take a cab to Astoria and the N train from there. (Check MTA for station info in Astoria; those stations have been under construction recently.)

Re: Stewart, the problem there is ground transport. There isn't much, and it's a long haul to Manhattan.

Astoria Boulevard station is set to re-open in the next few weeks, thankfully! Should make taking the bus to LaGuardia a little easier for those who opt to do that as well.

A few friends flew out of Stewart in the summer, not really realizing how far away it was when they booked it. They ended up taking the Metro North commuter train to Beacon, then taking a Lyft over the river and to the airport from there. Beacon is almost a 90 minute train ride from Manhattan, so it really is not a close option and would likely be a pricey ride in a car. If considering that, though, may as well also consider Westchester!

 

[bcla]

Re: Stewart, the problem there is ground transport. There isn't much, and it's a long haul to Manhattan.

I just mentioned it out of curiosity. Kind of like the equivalent of Sonoma County Airport in my area. All I could find was that Coach USA operates some bus to/from Manhattan that were timed to Norwegian Air Shuttle flights. Those flights have since ended.

 

[Imzadi]

They are allegedly putting up a tram to Willets point stop (Shea or Citi Field stop) depending how long ago you were a Mets fan) I believe by 2022.

Argh! So the already over-crowded 7 train, on the days when there are Mets games and U.S. Open tennis matches, will be even MORE crowded. And that's not counting, how on weekends there is always some subway construction of some kind, and often the 7 train or the E trains are diverted.

 

[NotUrsula]

I pass it by everyday, there is really a lot of work being done on it. They have probably put up 4 to 5 very large buildings up and are dismantling about the same amount. There are tons of half constructed overpasses. I am assuming they are moving buildings toward the Grand Central(highway) so they can get additional runways in but I think they said they are not doing that. Still i cannot see why you would position them the way they did if they did not want to have additional runways.

I believe that it is expanding the taxiways, by building pedestrian bridges that cross over them between buildings. LGA's runways are notoriously short, and at present they have to keep planes at the gates longer than elsewhere because they have so little rolling room. The extra taxi space will allow them to stack more planes and improve on-time performance.