Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
AirTrain to JFK will be half price this summer to cut down traffic
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Jun 28, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Sergi Reboredo/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Jun 28, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The Port Authority is having a summer sale on AirTrain tickets.
The bistate agency will offer half price fares for the AirTrain from July 1 through Labor Day in an effort to reduce vehicle traffic to JFK Airport during heavy construction this summer.
The lower, $4.50 fare, applies to riders that enter or exit the AirTrain at the Howard Beach or Jamaica stations.
The Port Authority suggests travelers should be able to get to the Jamaica station in 20 minutes, depending on the timing, by taking the Long Island Railroad from Grand Central Madison, Penn Station or Atlantic Terminal.
The authority also recommends people who drive to the airport get dropped off at the Lefferts Blvd. station, where short term parking, and the AirTrain are both free.
Last month, Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton floated the possibility that if vehicle traffic during the $19 billion construction work this summer got bad, he’d waive all fees for the AirTrain to further discourage driving.
“When coming to or leaving the airport, we cannot more strongly recommend that travelers use the multitude of train and subway options that are reliably available,” Cotton wrote in a statement.
Travelers who do choose to use the AirTrain can pay with a contactless credit card or smart phone using OMNY, although the turnstiles are wide open.
This comes as the Port Authority reported record high travel at its airports this May with 13 million passengers.
The Port Authority is building two new terminals and is redesigning the roadways around JFK Airport this summer. The entire project isn’t expected to be completed until 2030, although some of the most disruptive work is expected to take place this summer.
Tagged
transportation
jfk airport
airports
Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .