Take The Ferry To Laguardia

Ooh, Circle Line Cruises is looking to start high-speed ferry service between Manhattan and LaGuardia by midyear, according to the NY Times. Details: Every half hour and for $25, the ferry will take you between Pier 11 in Wall Street and near the Marine Air Terminal in just 30 minutes. There's been a tortured history of trying to establish ferry service between Manhattan and the airports, given the expenses to try to establish service and to build terminals, plus the uncertainty of running a ferry service at all (the Delta Water Shuttle ended 4 years ago); the Port Authority has been looking into offering ferry service, besides the Lower East Side to JFK link. Circle Line hopes that knowing it'll take 30 minutes will be the most attractive selling point, given the unpredictable nature of midtown and Queens expressway traffic.

Would you take a downtown ferry to the airport? If you've been taking the Air Train to JFK, how has that been working out for you? Gothamist likes the idea of going to the airport via ferry (we're pretty into any kind of public transport to the airport), because there's something romantic about it. We think it will be an idea downtown business people might take a cotton to, especially if the ferries offer Wi-Fi and they can get work done on the way.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on January 11, 2005 8:40 AM

Comments [rss]

steven

From spring to fall, a ferry to the airport would be a GREAT idea. I used to catch the free ferry that ran in 2002 from the Wall Street pier to the Brooklyn Army Terminal, and it was both much more pleasant ride than riding underground on the subway, and there was a shuttle bus at the exit that ran up and down 4th/5th Aves (i.e., an easy commute for Sunset Park and Bay Ridge residents).

If they can provide service that convenient to the airports, that'd easily be worth the $5 one spends on the AirTrain (and it sounds like the trip would be far faster, too).

matt

The E seemed quicker to me than the A, when I have taken it to JFK. The A seems interminable in Brooklyn.

Christina

Someone pointed out to me that it's actually faster to take the E train through Queens to the AirTrain, because it runs express.

I did it once, and it was fairly quick. However, have never taken the A.

W

Love the AirTrain from Penn to Newark -- I did this on Christmas Eve morning and it was very easy even on little sleep and with a big suitcase. Just remember to add on about ten-fifteen minutes from the arrival time to actually change from the train to the Airtrain and get to the terminal.

I wish someone would come up with an easier mass transit way to get to JFK and LaGuardia from SE Brooklyn, where I live. I have to go all the way into Manhattan to pick up the A for the Air Train or to catch any of the options to LaGuardia.

Chris

$25?! That's way too much for any form of public transportation, when you can take a cab for little more than that and have far more comfort and privacy.

As for the AirTrain - I live very close to the LIRR stop on Flatbush so I can make it to JFK from my place in Boerum Hill in about 20 minutes. Sweet. But I agree that the Metrocard thing is screwy.

Anna

Actually if you have a monthly or a weekly pass, you DON'T need to buy an extra $2 fare. It's hard to understand at first, but you leave the Airtrain as if you're being picked up at the station(yeah right) and then get back in the subway the regular way. It also says in the Airtrain itself that you pay the $5 fare once you get to the Howard Beach or Sutphin Blvd. stations.

Meghan

It's much easier to take the AirTrain on the A train. It is very, very easy to catch the subway. Here is the rub about the AirTrain. What they DON'T tell you is that you have to buy a ticket when you get off the AirTrain in order to leave and that you have to buy a $2 Metro card also. To get out! You cannot use a monthly or weekly pass. You are totally stuck. So you end up paying $5, plus $2 for the Metro Card you don't friggin' need.

On the plus side, there is no denying the total affordability of AirTrain versus a cab.

Grace

I took the ferry from Wall Street to LaGuardia literally decades ago and it was great - it seemed a different, more peaceful world out on the water. Would love to be able to do it again.

Autrement qu'etre

AirTrain to Newark is fabulous. Takes like half an hour and costs around $12. And if you are flying Continental, there is a check in stand right there where the AirTrain gets in and you can get your boarding pass and divest yourself of your luggage immediately.

C. elegans

How's the train from Penn to Newark? I prefer that airport and it should be a shorter trip, right? I agree that the airtrain is tough on foreigners. We had British houseguests who found the subway links to get there, especially being sure to get on the right A, difficult.

tien

the only problem with the bus to jfk is that pesky van wyck, so while the bus to lga is great, you run the risk of sitting in traffic forever if you take it to jfk.

and when i say bus, i mean those busses from manhattan that cost like $10, not the city busses.

Christina

$25 seems pretty expensive...I'm a big fan of the bus, but only when I'm lucky enough to have carryable luggage.

Robin

I LOVE the AirTrain. But I'd love it even more if I didn't have to ride the subway for an hour first to pick it up.

Don

The AirTrain is great for New Yorkers, but I feel really sorry for foreigners who arrive at JFK, hop the AirTrain, and then find themselves dumped on the street in Jamaica with all their luggage. For foreingers, the walk to the subway is scary and confusing, and the subway station is equally scary and confusing. And by the way, nowhere on the AirTrain are there any other languages than English, which is absurd.