New York Best for Arrivals - JFK or Newark?

[ShamRoc]

Would welcome advice from seasoned travellers. I am planning a trip UKL -USA to visit New York and am wondering which is best for arrival and getting to the Big Apple, JFK or Newark?
Appreciate any useful advice.
Thanks,
ShamRoc

[boeing boeing.. gone]

I personally always try to fly into JFK and back out of JFK (its easier and cheaper to get a taxi from manhatten to JFK than it is to Newark!!)

[groundhand]

Depending on your budget....and wherfe you are heading
You can get the train from Newark into downtown NYC.

The best option though is to depart from Dublin or Shannon so that you pre clear US Immigration , this can reduce delays on arrival substantially.

[macnan]

EWR is far easier to get in/out of Manhattan on public transport, the mono-rail drops you from the terminal to the train station - a 20minute train ride for $11 (approx) then takes you into Penn Station - direct/no hassles and no traffic jams - JFK has lots of flights, but depending on the time you arrive/depart it can be a nightmare journey from the city to the airport. (and v.v)

[lfc123]

Depends how you plan to get from the airport into the city.

By taxi it doesn't make much difference, although JFK is usually slightly cheaper (is this simething to do with EWR being out of state? I don't know).

Ditto for the minibus shuttle services - doesn't make a lot of difference.

If going via train I agree that EWR is probably the easiest. You can get the subway from JFK but it means a bus transfer.

[PAXboy]

I have used both and that depends upon:

• Cost of flight
• Where my first stop is in the New York conurbation
• How much time I want to spend at the airport - which is an unknown, as you do not know how bad it's going to be. Although, the last time I left from JFK from push-back to rotation was 50 minutes of taxi/wait, taxi/wait.
• Time of day for arrival and departure

As mentioned, the EWR monorail (free) is good and the train to Penn is easy. From JFK the cheapest is the coach (last year it was $14 I think) and works well, dropping you by Grand Central. It picks up at every terminal.

So, there is no simple answer.

[VAFFPAX]

Tough call, but personally I have found EWR to be less of a hassle... Immigration etc is a tad less unfriendly in Joisey than in New York. :-)

S.

[45378]

EWR - if you're using public transport - the train to Penn Station works well.

Also EWR seems a bit less chaotic than JFK.

[Pax Vobiscum]

Although I too favour Newark (subject to PAXboy's well-judged considerations), JFK also has a rail link in the form of the Airtrain - but it takes nearly an hour to reach Penn and you have to change. Some of the trains from Newark terminate at Hoboken on the Jersey shore, from where you can get a ferry to the World Financial Center/Pier 11 (Wall St) on Manhattan. It's a wonderful way to arrive with views of the famous skyline, but probably not the best idea if you have heavy luggage

I once arrived at JFK 8 hours late for my connection to Atlanta, which was leaving from EWR. I jumped in a taxi and the following conversation took place:
PV: Newark airport, please.
Driver (in strong Haitian accent): Where's that?
Only in New York!

[Hufty]

This thread seems to have run out of steam so I thought I would just ask my question here rather than starting a new one...

I may need to fly into JFK or EWR late one evening and fly out the next morning. When I was younger I would have just slept on the floor in the airport but are there any reasonable (and cheap) hotels on the airport or very close by at either of these places that people would recommend?

By cheap I mean 50 quid a night or thereabouts....not looking for luxury but needs to be easy to get back to the terminal in the morning..

[PAXboy]

Start with the airport's web site and the hotels they list.
JFK Airport (Kennedy) - hotels, car rentals, parking, information, and more.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey - Newark Liberty Airport

Then try a couple of the specialised hotel booking sites such as Last Minute, eBookers, Expedia etc. The key point to look for is a free shuttle bus between terminal and hotel. Usually these run regularly in the day and on demand for middle of the night.

I once stayed at a rather grotty hotel on the JFK perimeter, being disturbed by the noise of the cleaning trucks and kitchen - but it was cheap and only about a 15 min ride back to the terminal.