Brooklyn
AirTrainLIRRAJArriving in New York · John F. Kennedy International
From JFK to Downtown Brooklyn, Park Slope or Williamsburg: the train that skips Manhattan, the subway that doesn't, and what a cab really costs.
Fares and rules checked against the Port Authority, MTA and NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission on October 16, 2026.
*Door-to-door times are our estimates to Downtown Brooklyn and swing with traffic, waits and time of day.
Step by step
The smooth route: AirTrain to Jamaica, then the LIRR to Atlantic Terminal
About 45–60 minutes to Downtown Brooklyn · $14 off-peak
Your terminal
Follow the AirTrain signs from baggage claim. Board a train marked Jamaica Station. Riding between terminals is free.
AirTrain8–15 min (our estimate)
Jamaica Station
Tap · $8.75Tap your card or phone at the AirTrain exit gate. This is where the $8.75 is charged. Then buy a CityTicket to Atlantic Terminal in the MTA TrainTime app or at a ticket machine ($5.25 off-peak, $7.25 on weekday rush-hour trains) and board a train for Atlantic Terminal.
LIRRabout 20 min (our estimate)
Atlantic Terminal
You arrive under the Barclays Center in Downtown Brooklyn. Atlantic Av–Barclays Ctr station connects to the 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q and R for the rest of Brooklyn.
No tickets, no MetroCard
How paying works: just tap
1
Use a contactless card or your phone
Any tap-to-pay credit or debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay works on New York's subways and buses. There is nothing to buy first. The old MetroCard is gone.
2
Tap once, wait for GO
Hold the card or phone flat on the reader until the screen says GO. The subway and local buses are $3 a ride, with a free transfer to a bus or another subway within two hours.
3
At JFK, you pay on the way out
The AirTrain is free between terminals. The $8.75 is charged when you tap through the gates at Jamaica or Howard Beach.
4
Stick to one card all week
Pay for 12 subway or bus rides on the same card or phone within any 7 days ($35) and the rest of that week is free. Each traveler needs their own card or phone to count toward it.
- Your phone and the physical card in it count as two different payment methods. Pick one and keep using it.
- The AirTrain has its own cap: once you have paid $43.50 in 30 days on the same card, further AirTrain rides that month are free.
- Travelling as a group on the AirTrain: the first rider pays $8.75 and each additional rider $4.50, up to five people ($26.75), as long as everyone taps through within five minutes.
- *The AirTrain runs around the clock, but on some nights it closes from 10pm to 6am for maintenance and free shuttle buses replace it. Check jfkairport.com alerts before a late arrival.
- The LIRR is separate: buy that ticket in the TrainTime app or at a station machine.
By car
Taxi or Uber?
- MeterOutside Manhattan, JFK taxis run the standard meter
- by distance
- MTA State Surcharge
- $0.50
- Improvement Surcharge
- $1.00
- Airport access feeOn pickups at JFK
- $2.00
- Rush hourWeekdays 4–8pm
- $2.50
- Overnight8pm–6am
- $1.00
- Bridge or tunnel tolls
- varies
- Tip15–20% is customary
- your call
The Port Authority's own estimates: about $90 to Downtown Brooklyn and $80 to Williamsburg, before tolls and tip.
Yellow taxi
- Take a yellow cab only from the official taxi line outside arrivals. Ignore anyone offering a ride inside the terminal.
- The $70 flat fare applies only to Manhattan. Every Brooklyn trip runs the meter.
Uber and Lyft
- Follow the Ride App Pickup signs after baggage claim. Arriving at Terminal 5 or 7, the pickup has moved to the Howard Beach AirTrain station during construction; take the AirTrain there, free.
- Request the car only when you are close to the pickup point.
You’ve landed
Where are you staying?
Other routes
Before you fly
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Sources, checked October 16, 2026
- AirTrain JFK fares and payment — Port Authority ↗
- AirTrain JFK service alerts — Port Authority ↗
- Getting to JFK on public transit — MTA ↗
- Subway and bus fares — MTA ↗
- Tap and ride, weekly fare cap — MTA ↗
- LIRR and Metro-North fares, CityTicket — MTA ↗
- Taxi fare — NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission ↗
- Taxi service and estimated fares — JFK Airport ↗
- Ride-share pickup — JFK Airport ↗
Fares change. If something here no longer matches what you see at the airport, tell us at hello@lovelynyc.com and we’ll fix it.