Getting from JFK to LaGuardia or Newark Airport

How far apart are JFK, LaGuardia and Newark?

If your trip connects through two different New York airports, the transfer is a ground trip across the city, not a walk between terminals. JFK and LaGuardia (LGA) are the close pair, about 10 to 13 miles apart in northern Queens. Newark Liberty (EWR) sits across the Hudson in New Jersey, roughly 21 miles from JFK in a straight line but 25 to 35 miles by road, because you drive around or through the city and over tolled bridges or tunnels to reach it.

Distance matters less than traffic. The same JFK-to-LGA run can take 30 minutes at a quiet hour or well over an hour in the weekday peaks, roughly 7 to 10 AM and 4 to 8 PM. Rain or snow can swallow another 30 to 45 minutes before you have even left Queens. Whichever pair you are connecting in 2026, plan around the worst plausible traffic, not the map distance.

How do you get from JFK to LaGuardia?

For the JFK-to-LGA hop, a door-to-door car is the simplest answer. A taxi or a pre-booked private transfer runs about 30 minutes in light traffic and 60 to 90 minutes in the peaks, dropping you at your LaGuardia terminal with your bags. It copes best with luggage and a tight schedule.

Public transport is cheaper but slow and involves changes. The usual route is the AirTrain from JFK to Jamaica Station, the E, J or Z subway toward Woodside, then the free Q70 LaGuardia Link bus straight to LaGuardia Terminals B and C. End to end it runs about 70 to 95 minutes and usually under $15, with the Q70 itself running 24 hours, every 10 minutes or so by day, less often overnight. It works if you travel light, but it is awkward with checked bags.

Helicopter services market a five-minute flight between the two airports at a steep price, which only makes sense for a very tight, very expensive itinerary. For almost everyone, the real choice is a car against the AirTrain-and-bus chain.

How do you get from JFK to Newark (EWR)?

Newark is the harder transfer. By car, budget 45 to 90 minutes or more, because the route crosses the whole city and uses bridges and tunnels with their own tolls and delays. Taxis and car services typically cost more than the LGA equivalent, often around $75 to $100 plus tolls, and a metered cross-state fare can climb in heavy traffic.

On public transport the trip is long and change-heavy: AirTrain from JFK, the LIRR or subway toward Manhattan, NJ Transit out to Newark, then the AirTrain at Newark to your terminal. Plan on well over an hour, often closer to 80 to 100 minutes with the connections, and a fare anywhere from about $15 to $50 depending on the trains. Shared airport shuttle buses also run between the two airports if you would rather not change trains with luggage.

Because EWR is in a different state and far from JFK, treat it as the connection most likely to go wrong. A fixed-price car booked in advance removes the biggest variables: working out the train sequence, and a meter that keeps ticking in traffic.

How much time should you leave between flights?

There is no airside link between New York's airports, so any change of airport means leaving, travelling across the city, and checking in fresh. A safe minimum for a JFK-to-LGA self-connection is about 3 hours from landing to the next departure's check-in cut-off; for JFK to Newark, lean toward 4 hours or more. Those are floors, not targets, and they assume your first flight lands on time.

Whether your bags follow you depends on the ticket. On a single ticket, the airline through-checks your luggage and protects the connection, so a delay becomes the airline's problem to rebook. On two separate tickets you collect your bags, re-check them and clear security again at the second airport, and a missed connection is on you, not the airline. The minimum connection times airlines publish do not apply across separate tickets. If your first flight is international, add time to clear immigration and customs before the transfer can even start.

The connection mistake to avoid

The common error is booking a tight self-transfer between two different New York airports on separate tickets, then treating the gap like a normal layover. Travellers see "21 miles" and leave a 2.5-hour window from JFK to Newark, without allowing for bag claim, a cross-state road trip in traffic, a fresh check-in and security. When the first flight runs late, the second ticket is simply lost.

The fix is part booking, part ground plan. Where you can, keep the whole trip on one ticket so the airline owns the connection. When that is not possible, buy yourself hours rather than minutes, and lock the transfer down in advance. A private car booked through GetTransfer has a price fixed at booking and tracks your inbound flight, so the driver is waiting whether you land early or late, and a delay does not turn into a surge fare or a missed train. If you are heading into the city rather than to another airport, our JFK-to-Manhattan guide compares the taxi, AirTrain and transfer options.