John F. Kennedy International Airport

About John F. Kennedy International Airport

JFK is New York’s primary international gateway, 24 km southeast of Midtown Manhattan in the Queens neighbourhood of Jamaica. It handles more than 60 million passengers a year across six active terminals (1, 4, 5, 7, 8, and the rebuilding T6), and is the United States’ third-busiest passenger airport after Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth, and the busiest for international traffic on the East Coast. Major carriers include American, Delta, JetBlue, and a wide list of European, Asian, and Latin American airlines.

Getting from JFK to New York

The most-used route to Manhattan runs via the Van Wyck Expressway and the Long Island Expressway, then crosses into Manhattan through the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. Drive time averages 45 minutes; peak weekday traffic can stretch it to 75–90 minutes. For Lower Manhattan or Brooklyn, drivers use the Belt Parkway and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel or the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Northbound trips to the Upper East Side typically take the Triborough (RFK) Bridge.

Pre-booked transfers wait inside arrivals with a name sign, track the flight, and include 60 minutes of free wait, all tolls, and any airport access fees.

Terminals and pickup points

JFK runs six terminals, each with its own arrivals hall:

• Terminal 1 - Air France, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Turkish, and several other international carriers
• Terminal 4 - Delta long-haul, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, plus a wide international list
• Terminal 5 - JetBlue (domestic and international)
• Terminal 7 - British Airways, Iberia, and other oneworld carriers (subject to ongoing T6 reconstruction)
• Terminal 8 - American Airlines and oneworld partners

Drivers stage near the terminal corresponding to your inbound flight and meet inside the arrivals hall.

Common transfer routes from JFK

• JFK to Midtown Manhattan hotels (Times Square, Bryant Park)
• JFK to Lower Manhattan and the Financial District
• JFK to the Upper East Side and Upper West Side
• JFK to Brooklyn (Williamsburg, DUMBO, Park Slope, Red Hook)
• JFK to Newark Liberty (EWR) for connecting flights
• JFK to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal at Pier 88/90
• JFK to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal
• JFK to Long Island destinations (Garden City, Hamptons in season)

Booking your JFK transfer

Reservations confirm in real time at a fixed price. Payment runs through Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, iDEAL, Wero, or PayPal. The fare covers driver, vehicle, tolls, taxes, airport access, and meet-and-greet. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before pickup, which covers most schedule changes on international arrivals into Queens.