Showing posts with label Airport transportation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Airport transportation. Show all posts
Big cities on a budget rule #2: Take public transit to and from the airport Read Post

Big cities on a budget rule #2: Take public transit to and from the airport

A $50 cab ride. It's the only way to get into Manhattan, right?

Actually, there's another option, and it's a lot cheaper.

When our family arrived at JFK at 7:45 a.m., we hopped on the Air Train. We paid $5 to ride a train that zips you to the subway. It's free for kids 5 and under, so my son rode for free. We only had to pay $15 for three of us.

At the subway, we paid another $2.25 for my husband and me; the station agent said the kids were short enough to get in free. And so we got into Manhattan for $19.50--more than half what we would have paid a cab driver.

Is there a downside? Well, yes. After taking the train, the subway, and then walking to our hotel, it took us nearly two hours to reach our destination. We would have arrived in an hour in a cab. But when your flight gets in long before anything is open, taking public transit is a great way to kill some time.
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9:21 PM 3 comments
More air travelers skipping the cab Read Post

More air travelers skipping the cab

A $40 cab ride into town, or a $20 shuttle bus? These days more air travelers are opting for the latter, according to a story in The New York Times.

The article says an increase in transportation options, especially direct trains and shared ride services at big airports, is one reason for the trend.

Even though passenger traffic at La Guardia, Kennedy International and Newark Liberty International airports declined 9.4 percent in the first five months of this year compared with the same period in 2008, passenger traffic on the Kennedy and Newark AirTrains was 1.4 percent higher in the first five months of this year than the same period last year.

In a sagging economy when people are looking to save money this all makes sense. You'll pay $5 for the AirTrain JFK, and $45, plus toll and tip, for a one-way cab ride from Kennedy Airport to Midtown Manhattan. Even if you're a family of four, it still costs half as much to take public transit.

How do you typically get from the airport into town?
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4:35 PM 2 comments
Budget travel tip: Take public transit from the airport Read Post

Budget travel tip: Take public transit from the airport

My daughter, Paris, and I traveled to Washington, D.C. over the weekend. After landing in Washington/Dulles, we headed for the taxi line. But we quickly decided to look for alternative transportation options to our hotel after discovering that a cab cost $55 to $58. With tip that's over $60.

We ended up on a bus, the Washington Flyer, that cost only $10 (kids free) and dropped us at the Metro, where we paid another $1.65 to get to our hotel. We saved $50.

Yes, taxis are convenient but they'll break your travel budget. If you have the time, you'll pay a lot less by opting for public transit. Here's a rundown of what you'll save by taking public transportation from the airport to downtown in top U.S. destinations. For point-to-point trip planning on public transportation systems in 60 U.S. cities, check out the new Google Transit at www.google.com/transit.

Chicago, O'Hare
Taxi:$45 including tip
Public transit:$3.50 (bus and train)
Save: $42

Honolulu
Taxi: $45 inclulding tip
Public transit: $1 (city bus)
Save: $44

New York, JFK
Taxi: $45 including tip
Public transit: from $7 (AirTrain and subway)
Save: $43

Portland, Ore.
Taxi: $45 to $60 including tip
Public transit: $2.30 (Max light rail
Save: $57.70

San Francisco
Taxi: $55 including tip
Public transit: $5.35 (Bart underground)
Save: $50

Feel free to add to the list and comment on your favorite public transit options at U.S. airports.
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5:42 PM 3 comments