To Cab Or Not To Cab: Options To/From N.Y. Airports

<B>To Cab Or Not To Cab: Options To/From N.Y. Airports</B>

By Robert Selwitz

New York City-bound business travelers have numerous options for travel between major airports and Manhattan. While most travelers opt for yellow cabs--lining up at well-marked taxi centers where dispatchers control the show, keeping chaos and line cutting to a minimum--there are several other alternatives from which to choose.

Generally speaking, a trip from New York LaGuardia to midtown Manhattan should cost between $20 and $25 on the taxi meter, plus the $3.50 toll for the Triborough Bridge crossing. Tips typically average $4 to $5.

From New York JFK International airport, there is a set $30 flat fee for virtually all Manhattan destinations. When travelers confirm the set-fee option, the meter will not be active. Ultimately, the total trip should cost $38.50, the $30 flat fee plus $3.50 for the bridge toll and a $5 tip. However, this flat rate concept is only available for New York JFK-Manhattan trips. Airport-bound rides or those involving other boroughs are priced strictly by the meter.

From Newark International, a metered cab ride, plus the $4 Lincoln Tunnel toll and tip, should put one-way passage in the $50 to $60 range.

As for public transportation, there are a number of cost cutting, albeit longer travel choices. For example, from Manhattan to New York JFK, travelers can take the A subway train ($1.50 fare) to the Howard Beach/JFK stop in Far Rockaway, then transfer to the Port Authority Shuttle Bus that stops at various JFK terminals. Travel time is approximately 60 to 75 minutes. Coming the other way, from the airport to Manhattan via subway, travelers can take the long-term parking bus from any JFK terminal. The buses run every 15 minutes and take passengers to the Howard Beach/JFK Airport stop. In addition, there is regular bus service linking New York JFK's terminals with Grand Central Station and the Port Authority Bus terminal at Eighth Avenue and 42nd Street. Fares are $13 one way, $20 roundtrip.

Of course, a major new addition to the New York JFK-Manhattan transit scene will occur in 2002 and 2003, when Airtrain opens for business. The light-rail system will link New York JFK's terminals with both the Jamaica transportation center on the Long Island Railroad and the Howard Beach subway stations. Airtrain will feature a 1.8-mile loop connecting terminals, long-term parking and rental car locations, plus a three-mile Jamaica and a 3.3-mile Howard Beach extension. The Central Terminal loop and Howard Beach sections should be ready by 2002. The Jamaica segment is scheduled to be operational in 2003.

Public transit to and from New York LaGuardia Airport also involves a subway and bus combination. Outbound from Manhattan, travelers can take the 7 train from the 42nd Street/Times Square or Grand Central Station to either Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Avenue, or the E or F subway lines to 74th Street/Broadway. From either, travelers can take the Q33 bus to LaGuardia for all terminals except the Marine Air Terminal. For the latter, the Q48 bus is available. If travelers purchase a New York Transit MetroCard, they will have free subway/bus or bus/subway transit. Allowing at least an hour and a half for the Manhattan LaGuardia rides is advisable.

Additionally, there is regular LaGuardia Port Authority Bus terminal service. Fares are $10 one way, $15 roundtrip. LaGuardia also offers an intriguing ground transportation option: The Delta Water Shuttle provides service between the Marine Air Terminal and the 34th Street East River Pier, 62nd Street on the River and Wall Street Pier 11. To reach the 34th Street Pier, the voyage takes about 30 minutes; it takes about 40 minutes to sail to Wall Street/lower Manhattan. Fares are $15 one way, $25 roundtrip.

As for Newark International, the easiest public transportation choice is via Olympia buses, which cost $10 each way. Other choices include the PATH Airlink that connects Newark's air terminal to Newark's Penn Station. There, travelers can link to the regular PATH service to the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan and to Christopher Street, with stops at Sixth Avenue and 9th, 14th, 23rd and 33rd streets.