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JFK

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Arriving 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.

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DeparturesJFK → BROOKLYN
OptionFareTime*LuggageRuns
AirTrainLIRRAirTrain + LIRRDowntown Brooklyn, Fort Greene, Park Slope$14 / $16off-peak / peak, incl. AirTrain45–60 minDay & evening; thinner late
AirTrainAAirTrain + A trainLowest fare to Downtown Brooklyn$11.75$8.75 AirTrain + $3 subway60–80 min24 hours*
AirTrainJAirTrain + J trainWilliamsburg and Bushwick$11.75$8.75 AirTrain + $3 subway50–70 min24 hours*
Yellow taxiBig bags and groupsMeteredabout $90 to Downtown Brooklyn40–70 min24 hours, taxi line
Uber / LyftDoor to doorVariescheck the app40–70 min24 hours, app pickup

*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

  1. 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)

  2. Jamaica Station

    Tap · $8.75

    Tap 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)

  3. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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?

NYC TAXIMETERED · FROM JFK
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.

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