Eleven miles apart, and every option between them has a catch. Here is what each one actually costs, how long it really takes, and how much connection time to leave.
Get a flat rate Call (516) 229-1466There is no direct train, and no free shuttle, between LaGuardia and JFK. They are roughly eleven miles apart — about twenty minutes of driving with clear roads, and closer to an hour when the Grand Central Parkway and the Van Wyck are busy, which is most of the time.
Every route between them is either fast and paid for, or cheap and slow. Below is what each one honestly involves.
If you are connecting between flights, allow three to four hours between landing at LaGuardia and departing from JFK. That is not padding — it covers baggage claim, the transfer, and check-in at a different airline in a different airport. Two hours is possible and occasionally goes wrong.
The only option that goes directly, with your luggage, without a change.
Yellow cab. Available outside every LGA terminal. This route is metered, not flat-rate, so expect roughly $40–$60 plus tolls and tip — and the meter keeps running in traffic, which is exactly when you least want it to.
Rideshare. Uber and Lyft typically land in the $36–$71 range for the trip, plus congestion and airport access fees. Surge pricing applies at the worst moments — bad weather and evening arrival banks.
Pre-booked car service. A flat price agreed before you travel, a chauffeur who has tracked your flight and is waiting when you land. It costs more than the subway and it does not move in traffic any faster than a taxi. What it buys is certainty: a fixed number, a car that is already there, and no queue at the taxi rank with your bags at 11pm.
The cheapest route, and the one most often misunderstood.
Total cost is around $11 per person: the subway fare plus the AirTrain, which is $8.25 and is not free. Budget 90 minutes minimum, and more with luggage — you are carrying it up and down stairs at two interchanges.
This is a good option if you are travelling light, alone, and not against the clock. It is a poor one with children, checked bags, or a flight to catch.
Several operators run shared vans between the airports. Cheaper than a private car, slower than one — the van waits to fill and may drop other passengers first. Worth considering for one or two people with time in hand; the arithmetic stops working for a family of four, where a single car often costs the same or less.
Choose the Q70 and AirTrain if you are on a budget, travelling light, and have three hours or more.
Choose a taxi or rideshare if you want to go directly and do not mind a price you cannot know in advance.
Choose a pre-booked car if the connection is tight, you have luggage or family with you, you are arriving late at night, or you simply want the number settled before you land.
We quote LGA to JFK as one flat, all-in price — tolls and gratuity included, no surge at any hour. Your chauffeur tracks the inbound flight and adjusts if it moves, and there is no charge for a delay that is not your fault. Domestic arrivals include 60 minutes of free wait time, international 90.
Curbside pickup is included. If you would rather be met inside at baggage claim with a name sign, that is $20 extra.
Send the two flight numbers through the form and we will come straight back with the number — usually within fifteen minutes during the day.
Terminals matter at JFK. There are six, spread around a loop, and the AirTrain between them takes time. Tell your driver the terminal, not just the airport.
The Van Wyck is the bottleneck. Most routes between the two airports use it, and it is reliably slow in the afternoon peak. A driver who knows the alternatives via the Grand Central Parkway and Woodhaven can save fifteen minutes when it is bad.
Late arrivals. LGA taxi ranks thin out after the last arrival bank. If you are landing after 11pm, having a car booked is worth more than the money it saves.
No. There is no free shuttle, bus or train that runs directly between LaGuardia and JFK — a common misunderstanding, because the Q70 LaGuardia Link bus that serves LGA is free. The Q70 only takes you to the subway at Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue. From there you still need the subway and the JFK AirTrain, and the AirTrain is not free.
By road, 30 to 60 minutes depending on traffic — the airports are only about 11 miles apart, but the route runs through Queens and the Van Wyck. By public transport, allow 90 minutes or more.
A yellow cab is metered rather than a flat rate on this route. Expect roughly $40 to $60 plus tolls and tip, and more in heavy traffic because the meter runs while you sit in it.
Three to four hours between landing at LaGuardia and departing from JFK is the safe figure once you account for baggage claim, the transfer itself and check-in. Two hours is possible but leaves nothing for a delay.
A car, by a wide margin. The public transport route averages 90 minutes or more with two changes and your luggage; a car is 30 to 60 minutes door to door. The subway makes sense when you are travelling light and have time to spare.
Send the details and we will come back with a flat, all-in rate.
