NYC Airport Transfer Tips — JFK, LGA, EWR Compared

JFK vs LGA vs EWR: which NYC airport to fly

JFK (John F. Kennedy): Largest airport, 62 million passengers/year, all international carriers. 15 miles from Midtown, 45–75 min drive time. Hub for JetBlue, Delta, American.

LGA (LaGuardia): Closest airport to Manhattan, 8 miles. 20–45 min drive time (fastest when traffic cooperates). Domestic only — hub for Delta, American, Southwest, United.

EWR (Newark Liberty): Major international gateway, 49 million passengers/year, United hub. 16 miles from Midtown, 30–75 min drive. Often faster to/from West Side Manhattan than LGA.

TEB (Teterboro): Private aviation only. 12 miles from Midtown, 25–60 min drive. Four FBOs — Signature, Atlantic, Jet Aviation, Meridian.

Real NYC airport drive times by time of day

Manhattan to LGA: 20 min off-peak, 35 min weekday rush, 45 min Friday 5 PM.

Manhattan to JFK: 40 min off-peak, 60 min weekday rush, 75+ min Friday 5 PM. Van Wyck is the chokepoint.

Manhattan to EWR: 25 min off-peak (West Side via Lincoln Tunnel), 45 min weekday rush, 65 min Friday 5 PM. Tunnel queue is the chokepoint.

Manhattan to TEB: 25 min off-peak, 45 min weekday rush. GWB is the chokepoint inbound.

Rule of thumb: add 15 minutes for every 100,000 people leaving Manhattan on a Friday evening. If you can fly on a Saturday morning or Sunday morning, drive times drop 40%.

NYC airport terminal tips

JFK Terminal 4 (Delta): Drop at door 1–6 (inner curb). Baggage claim opens to the outer curb for pickup. Meeters & Greeters area near the duty-free exit.

JFK Terminal 8 (American): Drop at door 1–8 departures. Arrivals at door 1–4 on the lower level.

LGA Terminal B (central): Drop curb is on the departures (upper) level. Post-2022 redesign means pickup at the arrivals (lower) level in the Ground Transportation area.

LGA Terminal C (Delta): Pickup in the dedicated livery zone near the Central Heat Plant.

EWR Terminal A (new): Departure curb on upper level. Pickup at lower-level Ground Transportation. Note: EWR has three separate curbs across A/B/C — make sure you know which terminal you're flying out of.

EWR Terminal C (United): Most United flights depart from Terminal C. International arrivals come through Terminal B at the U.S. Customs Hall.

When to pay for meet-and-greet vs curbside

Meet-and-greet (chauffeur inside terminal with sign): worth it for anyone flying with more than 1 checked bag, international arrivals (customs is unpredictable), families with kids, first-time NYC visitors, and weather days.

Curbside pickup (chauffeur at arrivals curb only): fine for solo travelers with carry-on only, domestic flights with predictable timing, and repeat travelers who know the terminal.

Teterboro is always planeside pickup — your chauffeur pulls directly to the FBO ramp. No terminal walk.

Our flat rate includes meet-and-greet by default. Opting for curbside saves $10 and is fine in the right circumstances.

Group airport transfers

For groups of 7–14 on the same flight: Mercedes Sprinter van. JFK group pickup: $250 flat. LGA: $175. EWR: $235. Teterboro: $265.

For groups of 15–20: 20-passenger party bus. JFK: $475 flat. LGA: $350. EWR: $475.

For wedding or corporate-retreat multi-flight arrivals: dedicated staging. We run multiple Sprinters in parallel, meeting each flight separately, all dispatched from one contact. Saves the coordinator from herding 20 arrivals through rideshare apps.