John F. Kennedy Airport may be in Queens, but it’s not that hard to get to from Brooklyn. You have a number of options if you’re coming to or leaving from JFK, including public transportation, driving, and car services. Keep reading for the best and fastest routes straight to the airport.
Photo courtesy of Hal Dick via Flickr.
Subway and AirTrain Service
Two words that will make your commute to the airport cheap and simple: JFK AirTrain. AirTrain service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, every 5 to 10 minutes, and leaves from three different destinations in Queens. It costs $5 to enter or exit the system, and children under 5 ride free. Here are how you get to those three destinations from Brooklyn:
The Sutphin Boulevard E/J/Z subway station in Jamaica: From Brooklyn, take the J or Z subway lines toward Queens, exiting at the Sutphin Boulevard/Archer Avenue/JFK Airport subway stop. (You can also take the E line to this subway station, but the E does not stop in Brooklyn.) From the subway exit, you can connect directly to the AirTrain — just follow the signs. The AirTrain trip will take no more than 10 minutes from here.
Jamaica LIRR Terminal: This is the quickest, easiest, and most direct way to the airport. Get on an LIRR train at Atlantic Terminal (which also connects with the 2/3, 4/5, B/D, N/Q, and R subway trains) or at the Nostrand Avenue LIRR stop (located at Nostrand and Atlantic Avenues) and head to Jamaica. The trip is about 20 minutes long. Exit your Long Island Railroad train at Jamaica terminal. Follow signs to the in-station link to the AirTrain platform. The AirTrain trip from here takes about 10 minutes.
Howard Beach A subway station: You could also take the A train toward Queens, and exit at Howard Beach. (This is a long trip.) You MUST take an A train with its destination marked as “Far Rockaway,” NOT “Lefferts Boulevard.” If you’re not sure, ask! Exit at the Howard Beach station and follow the signs to connect to the AirTrain. The AirTrain stops at Howard Beach every 5 to 10 minutes.
The B15 bus | Allen1628famm via YouTube
Bus Service
There is only one bus that will take you from Brooklyn to JFK Airport: the B15, which runs through Bedford Stuyvesant. (Here’s the bus schedule.) This is a long and busy route, and it’s probably best to take the subway or LIRR instead. The bus will take you directly to Terminal 5 at the airport.
Driving
The trip from the Barclays Center to JFK is just about 10 miles and will take around 40 minutes. Depending on where you’re coming from, you can stick to the highways by taking the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway south to the Belt Parkway to the Nassau Expressway, or north to 495 east to the Grand Central Parkway south. Both of these ways can be fast if there’s no traffic.
A more direct route from many parts of Brooklyn is to take Atlantic Avenue east to Conduit Boulevard South to the Nassau Expressway. This way will take you through a lot of traffic lights, but it can be a good option when the highways are clogged with rush hour traffic.
From the Jackie Robinson Parkway, take it east to the Van Wyck south, which leads directly to JFK.
Car services
All private car services based in Brooklyn will take you to JFK on a set price, usually around $40. Aricebo and Eastern Car Service both charge $40.
Try Concrete Connect, Brooklyn’s premier airport shuttle transportation service. They offer a safe, reliable, and comfortable shared-ride experience for customers traveling to/from Brooklyn and New York City area airports, all at an affordable price. Our drivers are also courteous and professional. Concrete Connect has regularly scheduled departures from in front of LIRR Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn going to JFK Airport.
If you’re leaving JFK and heading into Brooklyn, it’s probably easiest to catch a green or yellow cab at the taxi stations right outside the airport.
As for Uber, the company quotes a price from the Barclays Center to JFK anywhere between $39 and $115.