March 14, 2005

Emmanuelle takes an AirTrain safari

Emmanuelle Richard and Matt Welch visited us in New York last month and tested out AirTrain service from JFK Airport to Brooklyn – and back. Emmanuelle has sent the full report with all the pros and cons. She was traveling several weeks after the fire at the Chambers Street station, which may account for some of the delays waiting for the A train. Emmanuelle calls it an "AirTrain safari" but says "you sure can't beat the price though."

It's inexpensive and pretty good but you need to go well in advance - it takes longer than envisioned and it can be a little confusing. On the way in, I waited for the train for a good 20 minutes in the cold, but as you said, it was maybe due to work on the tracks.

On the way back with Matt (we left on a Sunday afternoon,) we also waited a little bit from the (Jay Street/Borough Hall) station where you dropped us. Downstairs, we couldn't go through the revolving metal door with our big luggage so we had to find a better entrance with an employee able to let us go though a special glass door. Then you wait for the right train (one that goes all the way to the airport,) and once at the subway stop (Howard Beach?) you transfer to the little AirTrain. That's where you see a crowd of puzzled tourists who have no idea what is expected from them. Thankfully, there are a bunch of agents helping out: if you have a subway pass, you can basically go through. Here is what they say on the site:

- AirTrain is affordable. Make the connection with the MetroCard.
- When entering or exiting the AirTrain system at Howard Beach or Jamaica station, in order to connect to or from the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), subway, local bus, or street, you will pay an access fee.
- Use a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard and pay $5 per ride.
- Buy the Unlimited Ride MetroCard for AirTrain for $40, and pay less than $1 per ride.
- Children under 5 ride free.
- The $40 Unlimited Ride MetroCard for AirTrain is the only reduced fee MetroCard for AirTrain.

Passengers coming from JFK are also confused because they need to pay on arrival (they thought: "awesome, a free train!" but in fact that have to pay $5 once they arrive at Howard Beach + a subway ticket or pass to travel on the subway.)

Travelers transferring from the subway to JFK and who don't have a Metro pass stand in line in front of the machines or queue at the single booth and that's when you look at your watch and think: "oh my God, it's so late already!" Also: TV screens indicating from which terminal your flight leaves don't appear until the very last minute. They're right there at the AirTrain stop. You can see that a lot of tourists expect the monitors to give them the info at the subway station itself and they waste time trying to find out where their plane leaves from, not knowing it's displayed much further away down the corridor.

March 14, 2005 01:53 PM in Arrivology

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