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Why you should skip the cab
JFK Airport sits considerably far from the main city, and taxi drivers know it. A cab ride to Manhattan or New Jersey will typically set you back somewhere between $100 and $140. For most students and first-time visitors, that is a painful way to start a trip. The good news is that the AirTrain and subway combination gets you to the same destination in roughly the same amount of time — and the total cost is around $10.
Step 1 — Take the AirTrain to Jamaica Station
The AirTrain runs inside the airport itself. Once you have cleared immigration and collected your bags, look for the AirTrain signs and follow them. The train stops at all terminals, so no matter which terminal you land at, you can board without any confusion. Your destination on the AirTrain is Jamaica Station. One important thing: do not worry about buying a MetroCard before you board the AirTrain. You do not need to pay or swipe anything to ride within the airport — you only pay when you exit at Jamaica Station. So just board, relax, and wait until you arrive at Jamaica.
Step 2 — Buy your MetroCard at Jamaica Station
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Book a Mock InterviewOnce you get off the AirTrain at Jamaica Station, this is where you purchase your MetroCard. When I made this journey, the AirTrain fare came to $7.50, which gets deducted directly from the MetroCard. From Jamaica, you then board the subway toward the city.
Step 3 — Take the subway into the city
From Jamaica Station, you take the subway toward Manhattan. If you are heading to New Jersey, you will need two trains — first from Jamaica to the World Trade Center (WTC), and then onward from there. The subway ride from Jamaica to the WTC takes roughly 40 minutes and costs about $2.50. That brings your total from JFK to the WTC to around $10. The World Trade Center station is well connected — from there you can reach most of Manhattan and cross into New Jersey without any difficulty. One app I strongly recommend you download before this journey is CityMapper. It gives you turn-by-turn directions, tells you exactly which trains to take, how long each leg will take, and what the cost will be. Just open it, enter your destination, and follow what it says.
What about luggage?
I made this journey with four pieces of luggage, and it was completely fine. It takes a little patience navigating the platforms, but there is nothing about the AirTrain or the New York subway that makes it impossible with bags in tow. If I can do it with four suitcases, you can certainly manage.
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