By Subway:
to Sutphin Blvd
to Howard BeachAirTrain JFK links the Howard Beach
and the Sutphin Boulevard
subway stations, and LIRR's Jamaica Station directly to JFK. It takes about an hour from most parts of the city, and about 15 minutes from LIRR's Jamaica Station — with no traffic worries ever.
And just like the subway, AirTrain runs 24/7.
AirTrain stations are fully enclosed, heated in winter and air conditioned in summer. They feature wide escalators and glass enclosed elevators. At the airport, convenient moving walkways take you and your luggage to any one of nine connecting airline terminals. All AirTrain trains and stations are ADA compliant, with every station designed to ensure the convenient boarding of riders with mobility challenges. For the hearing impaired, there are visual signs on the train and in the stations. For the visually impaired, there are destination announcements on board the train.
On weekends, you can use CityTicket to save money and speed your trip to or from JFK Airport. Use the $3.75 CityTicket for Long Island Rail Road travel to or from Jamaica Station for travel within New York City for your AirTrain connection.
Travel to and from JFK via AirTrain is $5 as you enter or exit the system. Children under 5 ride free. You pay the fare with Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard at either the Sutphin Boulevard or Howard Beach station (unlimited ride cards are not accepted for AirTrain).
Be sure you add additional money to your Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard to cover the cost for the subway and AirTrain.
stationThe train stops at Howard Beach every 5 to 10 minutes during rush hours and every 15 to 20 minutes evenings and weekends. AirTrain JFK stops at Howard Beach every 5 to 10 minutes. Most subway lines connect to the train. Just be sure you take the marked "Far Rockaway,"NOT "Lefferts Boulevard." It's about a 10-minute ride from the Howard Beach station to the airport.
station in Jamaica trains all stop at the Sutphin Boulevard station where you connect to the AirTrain Jamaica Stop. trains run every 5 to 10 minutes during rush hours and 8 to 12 minutes evenings and weekends. AirTrain travels to the airport from Jamaica every 5 to 10 minutes and the trip takes no longer than 10 minutes.
There is an in-station link to the AirTrain platform — AirTrain travels to the airport from Jamaica every 4 to 10 minutes. The AirTrain ride takes about 10 minutes. The AirTrain JFK is connected to the Railroad's hub by escalators, elevators, people movers and an overhead mezzanine bridge.
| at 53 St/Lex Av station via Jamaica | $7.25 | 50 min. |
| at Fulton St station via Howard Beach | $7.25 | 1 hr. 5 min. |
| at West 4 St station via Jamaica | $7.25 | 1 hr. 5 min. |
| at Jay St station via Howard Beach | $7.25 | 55 min. |
| Penn Station to Jamaica via LIRR express train | $13* | 35 min. |
Save money on weekend travel to Jamaica by using CityTicket. CityTicket costs just $3.75 for Long Island Rail Road travel that begins and ends in New York City (excluding travel to or from Belmont Raceway or Far Rockaway), then transfer to AirTrain at Jamaica Station. SeeCityTicket for more information.
Remember that if you are traveling with LIRR Zone 3 (see list of stations), your railroad fare during off-peak hours is $3.00 ($2.50 for reduced-fare customers, 75 cents for children 5 to 11, and free for children under 5).
*$8.75 peak time LIRR fare and $5 AirTrain JFK fee.
