The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced last week that the number of riders taking AirTrain JFK grew to nearly 4 million last year, a 15 percent increase when compared to 2005 and a sign that New Yorkers are migrating toward this cost-effective alternative to taxi cabs when traveling to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport.
This positive development could over the long term reduce congestion on the traffic-choked roadways around JFK and alter the way cab companies operate in Nassau.
Most Long Island Rail Road commuters are already familiar with AirTrain JFK, a light-rail system which for only $5 takes a traveler to the doorstep of all major JFK airline terminals from Jamaica, Queens, a trip which usually takes less than 15 minutes. Eight of the nine LIRR branches pass through Jamaica station, with the exception being the Port Washington line. AirTrain JFK can also be reached via New York City subways.
I travel occasionally on business and recently tried AirTrain JFK, coming away a believer. Now, I was only carrying one bag and it was during off-peak hours on the LIRR. But once I got to Jamaica, I walked upstairs to AirTrain JFK, swiped my MetroCard, and then hopped minutes later onto the next AirTrain JFK monorail car. The brief journey was the mass transit equivalent of a magic carpet ride. How are all of those arrogant cab companies going to compete with AirTrain JFK, once the word gets out?
AirTrain JFK has only been operating for three years but I think the taxi companies have something to worry about, such as the one who charged me $90 in early December to go to Newark International Airport from western Nassau.
On my return trip, I took AirTrain Newark to a New Jersey Transit train, which then went directly into Penn Station. If you include my LIRR peak fare ticket, I spent about $27 to get home from Newark whereas it cost me $63 more, plus a tip, to make the same trip initially in a cab that smelled like the last row at a Grateful Dead concert. More importantly, I made the less costly trip in less time, too.
There are some chinks in the AirTrain JFK armor. The target audience is the business traveler, and even I reluctantly called a cab last week to come home from JFK International Airport after my plane landed around 10 p.m. Who knows when the next train would be coming into Jamaica at that time of night? Moreover, I cannot imagine a Nassau parent like me taking their kids onto the AirTrain JFK, mostly because the LIRR trip to Jamaica station would be too much of a hassle, especially figuring out how to transport everyone's suitcases.
Instead, I'll again call my local cab company for that assignment. If I ask the driver really nicely, I'm sure he or she might even open the trunk when I bring the bags to the back of the car.
