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[spork]

Looked for a relevant thread, couldn't find one. I figure a lot of people use EWR, LGA, and JFK.

My questions:

I've got an international flight out of JFK. Going to and from the airport will be a multi-hour trip by train, car, and/or shuttle van. One option is to use Amtrak, but the closest that will get me is Penn station. Has anyone used LIRR and the AirTrain for the rest of trip? If so, how long does it take? I'm thinking this option might take too long on the return -- I could very well miss the rush hour Amtrak train, and the ones after that put me at my final destination very late at night. Anyone know how much cab fare is from JFK to Penn station and how long that takes?

Flying to JFK is not economically practical -- it would still require driving and leaving my car in an airport garage for two weeks.

[wegie]

LIRR or subway and then air train is painless (I've usually been in midtown and used the subway to Jamaica, but WH has done the LIRR several times) and cheap. Should be about 45 minutes.

Penn out to JFK is a metered ride (the opposite journey, JFK to anywhere in Manhattan is a flat fare of $45 plus tolls and tips) and can be both expensive and annoyingly slow if you're doing the journey out to JFK during the rush hour. Generally, coming in to mid town after staggering off a flight from Europe has taken about 45 minutes to an hour.

[qrypt]

Even if a cab were shorter on average, you'd be risking disaster by taking one, in the sense that traffic can come to a standstill and then you're really stuck.  I never even dreamt of it when I lived there -- which was back in the days when there was no air train, so that getting to JFK meant sitting on the A for what seemed like a year and a half.

[thenewyorker]

Chime on both wegie's and qrypt's posts. The Penn Station to AirTrain journey is painless unless you are carrying a lot of luggage. I usually take the A train from Manhattan instead of the LIRR. But LIRR will be faster...much faster. As wedgie noted, cab fare can be very costly from Penn and there is the panic factor of getting stuck in traffic on the way to the airport.
I find that AirTrain can still be confusing for people unfamiliar to it (there are a lot of elevators, corridors, etc, to navigate), but they do have personnel stationed throughout who will begrudgingly provide assistance. I am not sure how much LIRR costs, but AirTrain is $5 and you will need to buy a NYC metro card to get through the turnstiles.

[schoolmarm]

The other two airports have easier public transportation, but the subway to the AirTrain is the best bet to JFK.  I plan for an hour from Manhattan just in case.

[neutralname]

From Penn Station, there are frequent LIRR trains to Jamaica (every 5-10 mins), where you can get the AirTrain to JFK (every 5-10 mins).  It's a few dollars more than the subway, but quicker, since it takes 20 mins, while the E subway train can be slow, even on the express.  Plus, if you have bags, the train is easier than the subway.  There are elevators you can take down to the train level.

[wegie]

Even if a cab were shorter on average, you'd be risking disaster by taking one, in the sense that traffic can come to a standstill and then you're really stuck. 

Yup. On Rockaway Boulevard. At 5pm on a Friday. For 3/4s of an hour.

[crowie]

For the departure trip, travel time from Penn Station using LIRR + Air Tran is about 35-45 minutes.

For the return trip, the cab fare from JFK to Penn Station is a flat $45 (plus tip).  For the time of the journey it depends on what time of day you get off the plane.  Yes there is traffic but if it's not rush hour when your plane lands the taxi ride to Penn Station can take as little as 45 minutes, but if rush hour it can take up to 1hr and 15 minutes.

It might be worth it to do LIRR + Air Tran on the way there, and then cab to Penn Station on the way home.

This website gives a good breakdown of the options if you want to explore further:

http://www.nysubway.com/airport/jfk.html

[galactic_hedgehog]

There are also private buses that run from Penn to JFK for $15, one-way.  The schedule is at http://www.nyairportservice.com/page.php?id=63

[spork]

There are also private buses that run from Penn to JFK for $15, one-way.  The schedule is at http://www.nyairportservice.com/page.php?id=63

The return to the USA will be the biggest hurdle. My plane arrives at about 3:30 pm on a weekday. I assume at least an hour to get through immigration/customs at JFK (if I'm being wildly optimistic, let me know). So I'm looking at getting to Penn station right around the beginning of rush hour. There's a 5:40 pm Amtrak train that would be ideal to catch, but I don't know if that's feasible. The next two trains are Acelas for twice the price. Plus there's the fact that the later I depart Penn station, the later I arrive at home after an 11 hour international flight.

[crowie]

You may just have to suck it up and take the Acela--at least it is faster than the regular train, no?

Another option: fly to and from JFK and take a taxi to the airport rather than driving and parking the car for two weeks.  Or, find someone willing to give you a lift to the airport, possibly for gas money + a small honorarium (eg. a grad student)

[spork]

You may just have to suck it up and take the Acela--at least it is faster than the regular train, no?

Another option: fly to and from JFK and take a taxi to the airport rather than driving and parking the car for two weeks.  Or, find someone willing to give you a lift to the airport, possibly for gas money + a small honorarium (eg. a grad student)

The Acela puts me at my next destination a grand total of 30 minutes earlier than the other Amtrak train that is half the price.

I'm not riding in a taxi for several hours to get to JFK, and I know of no one who is willing to drive me over the holidays.

[galactic_hedgehog]

How 'bout a forumite in the NYC area picking you up?

[crowie]

You may just have to suck it up and take the Acela--at least it is faster than the regular train, no?

Another option: fly to and from JFK and take a taxi to the airport rather than driving and parking the car for two weeks.  Or, find someone willing to give you a lift to the airport, possibly for gas money + a small honorarium (eg. a grad student)

The Acela puts me at my next destination a grand total of 30 minutes earlier than the other Amtrak train that is half the price.

I'm not riding in a taxi for several hours to get to JFK, and I know of no one who is willing to drive me over the holidays.

You may have indeed understood me and be unable to do this for the reasons you state, but I hope I was clear, I meant to take a taxi (or car service) to your nearest local airport and fly to JFK from there, and same on return.  Bypass Amtrak/Penn Station altogether.  The savings on not paying two weeks parking might make the cost of the plane tickets from <Your Airport> to JFK worth it. But I don't know your location and your nearest airport may not be particularly near.

[jackit_n_tyy]

There are also private buses that run from Penn to JFK for $15, one-way.  The schedule is at http://www.nyairportservice.com/page.php?id=63

The return to the USA will be the biggest hurdle. My plane arrives at about 3:30 pm on a weekday. I assume at least an hour to get through immigration/customs at JFK (if I'm being wildly optimistic, let me know). So I'm looking at getting to Penn station right around the beginning of rush hour. There's a 5:40 pm Amtrak train that would be ideal to catch, but I don't know if that's feasible. The next two trains are Acelas for twice the price. Plus there's the fact that the later I depart Penn station, the later I arrive at home after an 11 hour international flight.

Arriving at mid-day, it will take much less than an hour to clear customs.  More like 30 min, especially if you just have carry-on.  I just did this a few weeks ago.