Summary LGA and JFK lack efficient public transportation options for Manhattan's main areas due to no dedicated subway station. Newark Airport in New Jersey offers better public transit to NYC than LGA and JFK. High-speed ferries could provide swift, convenient transportation linking Manhattan and the two major airports.
Few airports are as important in the United States as LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), the only two facilities officially located within New York City. These airports handle millions of annual passengers, each serving a uniquely important purpose, with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reporting a record 65 million passengers across the two facilities in 2023.
LaGuardia is only connected to New York via a few bus routes, and it does not offer convenient access to Manhattan’s major business districts and residential areas. JFK also lacks an easy transportation option, and like LGA, does not offer a dedicated station on the New York Subway, again requiring most to undertake multiple transfers between forms of mass transit to get to their final destination. Bizarrely enough, the best-connected airport in the region by public transportation is Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey, which maintains multiple regional rail services per hour to New York’s Penn Station.
The facility also offers its own dedicated Amtrak connectivity, with access to the Northeast’s only high-speed rail services.