World City Guide

Getting There By Air

The three airports serving New York City (John F Kennedy International, La Guardia and Newark International Airport) are operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (tel: (212) 435 7000; website: www.panynj.gov). Passengers should plan to arrive for international flights at least two-and-a-half hours before take off. Ground transportation information for these airports is available from the port authority (tel: (800) 247 7433) daily 0800–1800.

John F Kennedy Airport (JFK)
Tel: (718) 244 4444. Fax: (718) 244 3536.
Website: www.kennedyairport.com

Situated in Queens, 24km (15 miles) southeast of central Manhattan, JFK is New York’s busiest airport, handling almost 30 million passengers a year, travelling to destinations worldwide.

Major airlines: JFK services 76 airlines. National airlines include American Airlines (tel: (800) 433 7300; website: www.aa.com) and United Airlines (tel: (800) 241 6522; website: www.united.com), which both operate international and domestic flights. Primarily domestic national airlines include Delta (tel: (800) 221 1212; website: www.delta-air.com) and Northwest Airlines (tel: (800) 225 2525; website: www.nwa.com). From JFK International, carriers fly worldwide and include Aeromexico, Air Canada, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Continental, Lufthansa, Pakistan International Airlines, Qantas, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Airport facilities: Facilities include banks, bureaux de change, ATMs, bars, refreshments, restaurants, post offices, shops, duty-free boutiques and all major car hires, including Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and National. Hotel reservations are available in Terminals 1, 4 and 7 by Accommodations Plus, Inc. (tel: (800) 733-7666) and in Terminal 3 by Megan Services (tel: (800) 441-1115) for a US$5 charge. There are also red-jacketed, multi-lingual Customer Service Representatives to help passengers with any questions they may have and, to transport passengers from terminal to terminal, a free Air Train which runs every 2 to 4 minutes from 0600 to 2300 and every 8 minutes between 2300 and 0600.

Business facilities: All terminals have telex and ATMs. All except Terminal 6 have money exchanges. The Radisson Hotel JFK (tel: (718) 322 2300 or (800) 333 3333 for reservations; website: www.radissonjfk.com), situated in the airport, has conference space accommodating from ten to 400 delegates, as well as meeting and function rooms. The multi-lingual staff is on hand to help with sales and catering. A concierge service is also available, as is audio-visual hire and services. There is also a 24-hour business centre. Business-class lounges are provided by the airlines in all terminals. The lounges offer private showers, a cocktail service and snacks, meeting space, telephones, modem ports and some business facilities.

Transport to the city: Air Ride (tel: (800) 247 7433, website: www.panynj.gov) provides information on ground transportation to and from JFK and parking lot information. The Air Train (see above) also connects with Long Island Rail Road and with New York Rapid Transit subways (NYCT) to the Howard Beach subway station. From there, the connection with the MTA ‘A’ train (tel: (718) 330 1234; website: www.mta.info/nyct) costs US$2 and takes approximately 90 minutes to central Manhattan, stopping at a number of stations with further connections on the way. New York Airport Service (tel: (718) 875 8200; website: www.nyairportservice.com) express bus operates a direct service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal or Grand Central Station, with single tickets costing US$15. Buses depart JFK every 15–30 minutes, daily 0615–2310 (journey time – 45–90 minutes, depending on traffic). The Super Shuttle Manhattan (tel: (212) 258 3826; website: www.supershuttle.com), available on demand 24 hours a day, is a shared door-to-door minibus service that travels anywhere between 23rd and 96th Streets. Prices range from US$13–US$22. Taxis to Manhattan are a flat rate US$45, plus tolls and tips.

La Guardia International (LGA)
Tel: (718) 533 3400. Fax: (718) 533 3421.
Website: www.laguardiaairport.com

The airport is located in Queens, 13km (eight miles) east of central Manhattan. La Guardia International handles approximately 22 million passengers a year, although almost all flights are domestic.

Major airlines: 16 airlines fly out of LGA. Major US carriers with their own terminals at La Guardia include Delta Airlines (tel: (800) 221 1212; website: www.delta-air.com) and US Airways (tel: (800) 428 4322; website: www.usairways.com). Other carriers include Air Canada, ATA, Canjet, Colgan, Comair, Continental Airlines, Frontier, Midwest, Northwest, Song, Spirit and United.

Airport facilities: Facilities include ATMs, money exchange, child care, bars, restaurants, shops, duty-free boutiques and car hire from Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and National. A free shuttle service helps visitors to get to each of the five terminals. There are also red-jacketed, multi-lingual Customer Service Representatives to help travellers with information and directions.

Business facilities: Modem connections, conference space and fully equipped workstations are available at Laptop Lane (tel: (718) 424 1301; fax: (718) 397 2357; website: www.wayport.net/laptoplane), in the main terminal, lower level Marketplace.

Transport to the city: Air Ride (tel: (800) 247 7433; website: www.panynj.gov) provides information on ground transportation and parking. Public transport is available on the MTA (tel: (718) 330 1234) bus M60, which intersects with all subway lines as it crosses to the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The bus operates daily 0450–0100 and a single fare is US$2, plus an additional US$2 for the subway (journey time – approximately 1 hour). An express bus service, with departures from La Guardia International every 30 minutes daily 0700–2300, is provided by New York Airport Service (tel: (718) 875 8200; website: www.nyairportservice.com), travelling to the Port Authority Bus Terminal or Grand Central Station (journey time – 40–50 minutes). A single fare is US$12. Other shuttle services are also available. The Delta Water Shuttle (tel: (800) 533 3779 or 5935) operates a ferry service from the Marine Air Terminal to 34th Street on the East River or to Pier 11 on Wall Street in downtown Manhattan (journey time – 30–45 minutes, cost US$15). Services operate Monday to Friday 0745–1830. Metered taxis to Manhattan cost around US$20–30, plus tolls and tips.

Newark International Airport (EWR)
Tel: (973) 961 6000 or (888) 397 4636. Fax: (973) 961 6259.
Website: www.newarkairport.com

The airport is located in New Jersey, 27km (16 miles) southwest of central Manhattan. It handles just under 29 million passengers a year, travelling to domestic and international destinations.

Major airlines: 47 domestic and international airlines use EWR, including Continental (tel: (800) 523 3273; website: www.flycontinental.com), which operates both domestic and international flights from Newark International. Other carriers include Air Canada, America West, British Airways, Delta, EVA Air, Lufthansa, Northwest, SAS and Virgin Atlantic.

Airport facilities: The airport has extensive facilities, including banks, a barber, duty-free and other shops, restaurants, bars and coffee shops, a nursery and car hire from Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and National.

Business facilities: Telex, ATMs and currency exchanges are located in each terminal. Business-class lounges are provided by the airlines in all terminals. Facilities include showers, a cocktail service and snacks, meeting space, telephones, modem ports and some business facilities.

Transport to the city: Air Ride (tel: (800) 247 7433, website: www.panynj.gov) is an information provider for ground transportation and parking. The NJ Transit Airtrain service (tel: (973) 762 5100 or (888)397 4636; website: www.njtransit.com) connects Newark International to Penn Station in Manhattan via New Jersey Transit. Trains run weekdays from 0500–0200 and weekends from 0600-0200 (journey time – 58 minutes), with single tickets costing US$11.55. Olympia Airport Express (tel: (212) 964 6233 or (877) 863 9275; website: www.olympiabus.com) offers bus services to Penn Station, Port Authority Bus Terminal, Grand Central Station and several Midtown hotels for US$12. Buses run every 15–30 minutes daily 0600–0200, weekends from 0500-0130 (journey time – 30–60 minutes). Taxis to Manhattan cost approximately US$40–US$75, plus tolls and tip.

Approximate flight times to New York: From London is 7 hours and 45 minutes; from Los Angeles is 6 hours; from Toronto is 1 hour and 30 minutes; and from Sydney is 21 hours.

Arrival/departure tax: Taxes are included in the price of a ticket.