A train to JFK

apollonia666

Anyone have an educated guess about how long it takes on the A train to go from the Nostrand Avenue stop to the Howard Beach stop?

candicissima

About 30-40 mins. Taking the LIRR to Jamaica, then the AirTrain is probably faster and easier.

daver

LIRR takes about the same amount of time except you pay 3x the cost and the fucking train only runs like every half hour so unless you hit it right it will take even longer. I don't bother. Either way you have to pay $5 for the airtrain anyway.

The express A is only like 25min or less to Howard Beach, but like only other train goes there, so you may get snafu'd like on the LIRR, except you won't have to wait as long. If you are running in non express hours, every train goes to JFK, but they only come every 20min and take like 30min to get there.

apollonia666

Thanks! I'm much closer to the A/C line than I am to the LIRR, on a tight budget, and have plenty of time to get to my flight, so the subway works best for me this time.

I know there have already been a couple of lengthy and spirited discussions about the various ways to get to JFK, so I was hoping to not start one of those up again. I'll be sure to give myself plenty of time! How do you tell which A is the express? I thought all A trains were express.

daver

What I meant to say is that only every other A train goes to JFK during express hours. So make sure you get on the right one. They run local from like 11pm to 6am, but all of those ones go to JFK. You have to take the air train from Howard Beach, which will cost you $5. If you figure an hour for the whole mess, you should be good. But then I usually overestimate a bit.

edit: Oh yeah, you want the A train labeled "Far Rockaway," NOT "Lefferts Boulevard." It says it on the little side screens.

naif

If you have the time and really want to save the cash, you can take the A to Ozone Park/Lefferts Blvd., then transfer to the Q10 bus. It will take you direct to Terminal 4, where you can take the AirTrain for free to whichever terminal you need. You should get a free transfer from subway to bus so the total cost is $2. Allow an extra 30-45 minutes for this journey.

You can do a similar trip by taking the 3 train to New Lots and transferring to the B15 bus.

I find either of the above completely bearable, but keep in mind that space for luggage can be a little tight on the buses.

kenieva

what? no more free buses from the Howard Beach station? I guess you can tell i haven't taken public transportation to JFK in a while...

alafairnadia

kenieva wrote: what? no more free buses from the Howard Beach station? I guess you can tell i haven't taken public transportation to JFK in a while...

nope. you gotta pay the $5 for the airtrain. but, I gotta say, as someone who has taken advantage of this many times via the E to jamaica - totally worth it. a million times cheaper than a cab and during rush hour? well, at least that shit is running.