New York City (NYC), officially known as The City of New York, or simply New York (NY), is located at the southern tip of the state of New York, in the northeastern United States, approximately halfway between Washington, D.C. and Boston.
New York City consists of five boroughs — The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island — each of which is a county of New York State.
The most convenient route to New York is by air to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), commonly known as New York-JFK, New York-Kennedy, Kennedy Airport, JFK Airport, JFK or Kennedy.
The airport is located in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, about 26km (16mi) southeast of Midtown Manhattan.
Alternatively, the New York City area also includes Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), located 14km (8.6mi) west-southwest of downtown Manhattan, and LaGuardia Airport (LGA), located in the northern part of Queens and about 17km (10.5mi) from downtown Manhattan.
The following are the most convenient and quickest routes to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
Within United States: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines operate the most convenient daily flights to New York.
Atlanta to New York is 2 hrs 13 min, direct flight
Boston to New York is 1 hr 7 min, direct flight
Chicago to New York is 2 hrs 16 min, direct flight
Dallas-Fort Worth to New York is 3 hrs 45 min, direct flight
Los Angeles to New York is 5 hrs 20 min, direct flight
San Francisco to New York is 5 hr 31 min, direct flight
From Canada: American Airlines and Delta Air Lines offer the most convenient daily flights to New York.
Toronto to New York is 1 hr 42 min, direct flight
Montreal to New York is 1 hr 42 min, direct flight
Vancouver to New York is 5 hrs 5 min, direct flight
From United Kingdom: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines offer the most convenient daily flights to New York.
London to New York is 7 hrs 40 min, direct flight
Manchster to New York is 7 hrs 20 min, direct flight
From Ireland: Aer Lingus and Delta Air Lines offer the most convenient flights to New York.
Dublin to New York is 7 hrs 30 min, direct flight
From France: Air France, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines offer the most convenient flights to New York.
Paris to New York is 8 hrs 15 min, direct flight
From Germany: Lufthansa, Delta Air Lines and Eurowings offer the most convenient flights to New York.
Berlin to New York is 9 hrs 14 min, direct flight
Dusseldorf to New York is 9 hrs 15 min, direct flight
Frankfurt to New York is 8 hrs 45 min, direct flight
Munich to New York is 9 hrs 25 min, direct flight
Hamburg to New York is 10 hrs 15 min, connecting flightˆ
From Australia: Qantas, Virgin Australia, Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines offer the most convenient daily flights to New York.
Adelaide to New York is 23 hrs, with connecting flightˆ
Brisbane to New York is 19 hrs 20 min, with connecting flightˆ
Sydney to New York is 20 hrs 5 min, with connecting flightˆ
Melbourne to New York is 20 hrs 59 min, with connecting flightˆ
Perth to New York is 25 hrs, 5 min, with connecting flightˆ
From New Zealand: Air New Zealand, Jetblue Airways and Delta Air Lines offers the most convenient daily flights to New York.
Auckland to New York is 18 hrs 30 min, with connecting flightˆ
From Singapore: Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines offer the most convenient flights to New York.
Singapore to New York is 20 hrs 55 min, with connecting flightˆ
(ˆincludes transfer time.)
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), also known as New York-JFK, New York-Kennedy, Kennedy Airport, JFK Airport, JFK or Kennedy, is located in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens in New York City, about 26km (16mi) southeast of Midtown Manhattan.
The AirTrain JFK provides a free service between all terminals, taking about 8 minutes, as well as to long-term parking and car hire facilities.
Taxi: Travellers are advised only to use taxis from the taxi dispatch booths at the airport. Flat fares to Manhattan are US$52 (excluding tolls and tips), and the journey time can vary from 40-100 minutes depending on traffic conditions.
Ground transportation information desks are situated in the arrivals areas of all terminals.
Shuttle: The NYC Airporter (tel: +1 718 777 5111; www.NYCAirporter.com) departs every 30 minutes for Grand Central and Penn Stations, and the Central Bus Terminal, taking around 90 minutes with a fare of US$18.
The Super Shuttle Manhattan (tel: +1 800 258 3826; www.supershuttle.com) runs 24 hours a day and is a shared door-to-door service to any location in Manhattan. A trip to central Manhattan costs around US$19.
Bus: MTA New York City Transit (tel: +1 866 410 2435; www.mta.info/nyct) buses operate to a number of destinations in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island. Single fares start from US$2.75.
Rail: The AirTrain JFK light rail system links JFK airport’s terminals and the region's rail transportation network 24 hours a day.
The AirTrain JFK (tel: +1 877 535 2478; www.mta.info/nyct) connects JFK Airport to the New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road, taking around 36 minutes from Terminal 4 to Penn Station, Manhatten, every 10 minutes.
The train stops at all terminals, parking lots, hotel shuttle areas, car rental lots, the Jamaica LIRR station, Howard Beach-JFK Airport subway station and Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport subway station on the Archer Avenue Line (E, J and Z trains).
Subway fares to Manhattan start at US$7.75 one way with a journey time between 50 minutes to 75 minutes.
Air: US Helicopter operates regular scheduled flights every hour between Terminal 3 and the East 34th Street Heliport.
Car hire companies at the airport include Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Payless and Thrifty. Booths or courtesy telephones are situated in the baggage claim areas in all terminals.
Money: Bureaux de change and ATMs are available in all terminals.
Food: There are numerous places to eat and drink throughout the airport, including bars, pubs, fast-food outlets, cafés and steakhouses.
Shopping: Numerous shops, including duty-free outlets, gift shops, designer outlets and bookshops are located throughout the terminals.
Wi-Fi: Free Wi-Fi internet access (for up to 30 minutes) is available throughout New York John F. Kennedy International Airport. A full-service post office is located at Building 250, on North Boundary Road.
Other: Other facilities at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport include a chapel in Terminal 4, as well as a medical centre, baby changing facilities and shoeshine services. Fax, computer, photocopying and courier services are available within the terminals
New York John F. Kennedy International Airport is wheelchair-accessible and well-equipped to accommodate disabled passengers. Disabled toilets can be found in each terminal and TDD telephones are clearly-signposted throughout the terminals.
Reserved reduced-rate parking is available in the car parks close to the terminals: passengers should contact the car parks operator for further information (tel: +1 718 244 4168).
Hand-operated cars can be hired from Avis or Hertz.
A machine-readable passport valid for at least six months beyond intended period of stay as well as a ticket for return or onward travel. Under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP), nationals of Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom do not need a visa for stays up to 90 days.
Walking is the best way to explore New York City, and in Central Park you can stroll trails to discover wooded sections where you hardly even see or hear the city.
The New York subway is often the fastest and most reliable way to get around the city, and both the bus and subway system offer an inexpensive way of crossing town on longer sightseeing trips.
Taxis can be hailed anywhere… although don't expect to catch a cab during the morning and evening rush hours, and always make sure the meter is turned on at the start of the ride.
NYC is also a bike-friendly city: the popular bike-share program, Citi Bike, offers excellent access to get around Manhattan.
More on how to get to New York City…
Latest update: How to get to New York City: 12 May, 2022
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