Community Stories

Going from JFK Airport to Newark Liberty Airport

ikanbilisclub
Posts
533
Likes
5,911
Hi fellow OFers based in the States/New York,

Have been exploring the various options in terms of travelling from JFK airport to Newark Airport on a Sunday.

My flight lands in JFK on a Sunday at about 11am and my connecting flight departing Newark departs at 3pm. Its a bit of a narrow window to make the transit so I'm looking at fastest options out there.

1. Taking a taxi direct from JFK airport to Newark Liberty Airport (assuming cost isn't an issue) - how long would it roughly take with the traffic on a Sunday? Google maps seems to estimate the travel time between 1hr 5mins to 1h 45mins.

2. Taxi to Penn Station New York and the take the NJ transit and Airtrain subsequently to Newark Airport. My only worry with this is the time taken for the taxi to get from JFK into Manhattan to the station might be quite long on Sunday (am I assuming this correctly?)

3. One of the airport shuttle services from JFK airport to Newark Liberty?

Thanks all for the help in advance!
Edited:
 
Zman4eva
Posts
747
Likes
6,442
I vote for option 1. You'll be on the highway the entire time via the Belt Parkway through Staten Island to New Jersey and up I95 to Newark. Depending on the time, there will be traffic on the Belt Parkway but you'll definitely get there on time.

I wouldn't mess with going to Penn Station if you're unfamiliar with the area. Easy to get lost plus you'll be hauling luggage around. Not worth the hassle.
 
Evitzee
Posts
6,800
Likes
12,837
Reserve a private car (limo) and have them meet you at JFK, more comfortable and better service. When I lived in Morristown, NJ and had to travel to JFK that was the way we did it. The ultimate way we ever did it was in the mid-80's, PanAm offered a special service for their First Class and Clipper Class passengers flying to Europe, they helicoptered you from EWR to JFK, it was beautiful. They carried 16 passengers and got you there in a hurry. You went through security in Newark, which was minimal in those days, and they landed at the international concourse at JFK, you got out, walked up the stairs to the departure concourse, and strolled to your gate. Stress free.
 
abrod520
Posts
11,668
Likes
37,555
Four hours connection time is plenty even if you're delayed an hour but I'd choose a car. If it were me I'd probably use Uber or Lyft, or arrange a private car.
 
gbesq
Posts
9,006
Likes
46,318
Two of my least favorite airports based upon plenty of experience. My condolences. That being said, I agree with abrod520. Uber, Lyft or a private car is your best option. Public transit isn't worth the hassle with luggage and 4 hours is plenty of time. Depending upon a variety of factors, getting through TSA security at Newark can be a nightmare. If you have TSA precheck, that's the way to go. If not, and the lines are long, you might want to try a trial membership to CLEAR if they operate at Newark. You can sign up at the airport, the process is quick, and they escort you right up to the front of the line for security. The best part is that you can cancel within the trial period and pay nothing.
 
TDBK
Posts
579
Likes
1,828
You have plenty of time to take transit. You can take the JFK AirTrain to Jamaica then LIRR to Penn Station and catch NJ Transit from there to EWR. (There are other options but this is probably fastest.) Google claims about 1:45 trip duration. Fare is around $30 on Sunday.

You can take a taxi or Uber/Lyft from JFK to EWR. On a Sunday it's probably around an hour. Right now it would cost about $200 for Uber.

Or you can take the Blade helicopter service, I think you'd need to take two legs flying through Manhattan. Would be around $500, but they don't fly that early on Sunday. I think you could charter a direct JFK EWR leg with them for about $2K. (6 people, I think.)
 
gbesq
Posts
9,006
Likes
46,318
TDBK TDBK
You have plenty of time to take transit. You can take the JFK AirTrain to Jamaica then LIRR to Penn Station and catch NJ Transit from there to EWR. (There are other options but this is probably fastest.) Google claims about 1:45 trip duration. Fare is around $30 on Sunday.

You can take a taxi or Uber/Lyft from JFK to EWR. On a Sunday it's probably around an hour. Right now it would cost about $200 for Uber.

Or you can take the Blade helicopter service, I think you'd need to take two legs flying through Manhattan. Would be around $500, but they don't fly that early on Sunday. I think you could charter a direct JFK EWR leg with them for about $2K. (6 people, I think.)
I just checked the price on Uber for an advance reservation and I got a price of $177. In my experience, it will drop further as the date gets closer. The driving distance from JFK to EWR is 34 miles. I just got back from a trip to San Francisco and Uber charged me $52 for an advance reservation made that same day to go from the Emeryville Amtrak station to SFO, a distance of 21 miles. I doubt that the Uber fare will be $200 by Sunday.
 
Larry S
Posts
12,947
Likes
51,747
Penn Station is an embarrassment and the Port Authority is too. Avoid it and take a cab or take your chances on the inter airport shuttle (which I’m sure sucks) . Newark used to be my home airport before O’Hare and it was my go to for business trips into NYC from Chicago. The connection into Penn Station NYC via rail from Newark isn’t bad but going the other way sucks. I hate Kennedy Airport. Terrible location. Traffic won’t be bad on a Sunday.
 
MRC
Posts
3,381
Likes
8,530
Evitzee Evitzee
When I lived in Morristown, NJ and had to travel to JFK that was the way we did it. The ultimate way we ever did it was in the mid-80's, PanAm offered a special service for their First Class and Clipper Class passengers flying to Europe, they helicoptered you from EWR to JFK, it was beautiful. They carried 16 passengers and got you there in a hurry.
The helicopter trip is spectacular -- take it if you can get someone else to pay for it! My ride in the late 1970s was courtesy of whichever airline had deposited passengers from SFO at the wrong airport and 10 hours late. It was not unusual to need to make that transit, eg my car's at Newark, flight diverted to JFK. One taxi ride the driver got lost in NJ and I had to guide him towards Newark. He did stop the meter when it became obvious he was lost otherwise there would had been some shouting about it 😡 That was years before satnav of course.
 
pdxleaf
Posts
4,959
Likes
17,321
Consider visiting the TWA Hotel/Terminal at JFK. It's outside security but connected by the Tram. Since you're leaving security anyway you should have time for a quick stop.

https://www.twahotel.com/hotel
 
Evitzee
Posts
6,800
Likes
12,837
Four hours is NOT a lot of time to make this connection, imo. It's doable, but everything has to work smoothly. He lands at 11am and then has to get any checked luggage and then make it through Immigration and Customs. If he clears all these efficiently he may be on the street by noon. But I've been stuck in long lines clearing Immigration too many times, you never know, especially if a couple of planes arrive at the same time or if they are short of officers to man the booths. (Sunday.....absenteeism). He needs to be at Newark's airport doors at least an hour before departure to allow time to get through TSA, that leaves TWO hours to make the drive from JFK to EWR. Never assume Sunday will be a low traffic day, these days every day seems to have heavy traffic. And if there is an accident.....all bets are off. OP needs to boogie and hope everything lines up.
 
gbesq
Posts
9,006
Likes
46,318
Evitzee Evitzee
Four hours is NOT a lot of time to make this connection, imo. It's doable, but everything has to work smoothly. He lands at 11am and then has to get any checked luggage and then make it through Immigration and Customs. If he clears all these efficiently he may be on the street by noon. But I've been stuck in long lines clearing Immigration too many times, you never know, especially if a couple of planes arrive at the same time or if they are short of officers to man the booths. (Sunday.....absenteeism). He needs to be at Newark's airport doors at least an hour before departure to allow time to get through TSA, that leaves TWO hours to make the drive from JFK to EWR. Never assume Sunday will be a low traffic day, these days every day seems to have heavy traffic. And if there is an accident.....all bets are off. OP needs to boogie and hope everything lines up.
That's a fair point. Assuming that you're correct and things take longer than anticipated, it still seems that the private car/Uber/Lyft option would be the best choice, no?
 
Evitzee
Posts
6,800
Likes
12,837
gbesq gbesq
That's a fair point. Assuming that you're correct and things take longer than anticipated, it still seems that the private car/Uber/Lyft option would be the best choice, no?
That will be the quickest option I think. I would reserve a private car, they will be waiting for you holding up their cell phone with your name on it when you come out of customs. No searching out for an Uber driver.
 
ikanbilisclub
Posts
533
Likes
5,911
thanks all for the insight and ideas. you guys are the best!

seeing whats been said i'll go with a car transportation of some sort and skip the trains.

haha its a work trip but highly doubt a Blade ride will be covered by management as amazing as it sounds.

Any recommendations for private car hire companies?

Yes i really hope clearance at JFK isn't a pain cause I dont want to miss the Newark connecting flight so fingers crossed!
 
abrod520
Posts
11,668
Likes
37,555
ikanbilisclub ikanbilisclub
Any recommendations for private car hire companies?

Uber will work just fine for this; in NY the cars you get are licensed by the Taxi & Limousine Commission so there are no stinky half-broken-down base model Priuses like you get in some other markets (*cough*California*cough*)

If you can't download Uber for whatever reason, there are plenty of car services in NYC.

These guys have been around forever and could be the starting point to compare to.
https://www.carmellimo.com/

Otherwise, a quick Google of 'airport car service new york city' will turn up dozens of others!
 
vbrad26
Posts
4,329
Likes
22,326
Like @abrod520 mentioned, I used Carmel a handful of times to pick me up at JFK or LGA and drive me into the city.
This was before Uber really took off.
They always seemed reasonable. It was nice to just have them waiting in a black Town Car, instead of having to wait for a Taxi.
And the cost was not even that much of a difference if I recall...
Looks like these days the flat rate from the airport to "Manhattan" by yellow cab is $70 not including tips or tolls...
 
BlackTalon
Posts
5,375
Likes
9,170
Dan S Dan S
What's a taxi? 😉
According to Mr. Wonderful, it's a transportation option for those that cannot afford Pateks.
 
11 More Posts...
Sign up or log in to reply...