NYC Airporter

We're planning on taking the NYC Airporter bus from Port Authority Bus Terminal to LGA. Website says it's $16 one-way. But also says "book online and save". Does anyone know if that means the price is higher if we just buy tickets when we get to the PA terminal that morning?

Is it better to go ahead and pay for the tickets ahead of time online, or does it really matter? I'm 95% sure that's how we'll get to the airport (our hotel is just a few blocks from that bus terminal so it seemed like the best choice for 4 people with luggage).

If you go through the first step of their on line booking process on the website you'll see it costs $13 if you book online.

Personally I'd take a taxi or car service rather a shared airport shuttle, but it's your call.

If you go through the first step of their on line booking process on the website you'll see it costs $13 if you book online.

 

Personally I'd take a taxi or car service rather a shared airport shuttle, but it's your call.

Thanks! I see now I accidentally looked at JFK when quickly checked price. You're right, it's $13 for LGA (even better).

We have 4 people with 10 days worth of luggage, so it would take 2 taxis (thus kinda pricey compared to the $13 pp). I could schedule another CarmelLimo minivan (we're already doing that from the Newark hotel before the cruise) but I figured with tips and all it would be more expensive. But I just looked and it's not much more ($54 + tip... not sure if there's any tolls). Maybe we'll do that instead.

About how long does the drive take? And how early would you get to LGA for a domestic flight (Southwest) departing 4:45pm on a Monday (Columbus Day, actually)?

Thanks! I see now I accidentally looked at JFK when quickly checked price. You're right, it's $13 for LGA (even better).

 

We have 4 people with 10 days worth of luggage, so it would take 2 taxis (thus kinda pricey compared to the $13 pp). I could schedule another CarmelLimo minivan (we're already doing that from the Newark hotel before the cruise) but I figured with tips and all it would be more expensive. But I just looked and it's not much more ($54 + tip... not sure if there's any tolls). Maybe we'll do that instead.

 

About how long does the drive take? And how early would you get to LGA for a domestic flight (Southwest) departing 4:45pm on a Monday (Columbus Day, actually)?

If you can get a mini van or SUV taxi you could all fit into one vehicle, but the problem is that there's no way to know if one will be available when and where you want it.

There is a huge parade that runs up 5th Ave. in Manhattan on Columbus Day, and coming from the West Side you're going to have to cross 5th Ave. to get to an East River crossing that will take you into Queens so you can get to LGA. Even though the parade should be close to ending by the time you're ready to go to the airport, traffic in Manhattan could still be really fouled up, which means you'll need to allow lots of extra time for your trip.

In theory you could get to LGA in a half hour or less in no traffic, but you're going to have the polar opposite of no traffic...I'm going to guess you should allow 90 minutes for the trip and assuming you should be at the airport 90 minutes before your flight, I'd suggest being on the road no later than 1:45 pm...maybe even earlier.

If you can get a mini van or SUV taxi you could all fit into one vehicle, but the problem is that there's no way to know if one will be available when and where you want it.

 

There is a huge parade that runs up 5th Ave. in Manhattan on Columbus Day, and coming from the West Side you're going to have to cross 5th Ave. to get to an East River crossing that will take you into Queens so you can get to LGA. Even though the parade should be close to ending by the time you're ready to go to the airport, traffic in Manhattan could still be really fouled up, which means you'll need to allow lots of extra time for your trip.

 

In theory you could get to LGA in a half hour or less in no traffic, but you're going to have the polar opposite of no traffic...I'm going to guess you should allow 90 minutes for the trip and assuming you should be at the airport 90 minutes before your flight, I'd suggest being on the road no later than 1:45 pm...maybe even earlier.

Thanks a bunch!

Carmel lets me pick the vehicle type so I went ahead and booked them. A minivan costs about half more ($54 + toll/tip) than their standard car rates but it's only a little more than the Airporter bus for 4 people and that'll be easier than waiting around at the bus terminal.

I saw that the Columbus Day Parade goes up 5th Ave, starting just a few blocks from our hotel (Hotel St James on 42nd) from 11:30-3pm. I already jumped the gun and booked Carmel half an hour ago for 2pm, but I might call them and change it to 1:30. We'll already be checked in online for our SWA flight but we will have bags to check. I presume the parade will be over at the south end (working it's way north) where we're leaving from by 2pm, but the streets in the whole area will probably be jammed.

Yes, the parade should be over at your end but the effect on traffic will linger.

FYI...I don't know if it's a typo or you're mistaken about the location of your hotel...it's on 45th St., not 42nd St.

Yes, the parade should be over at your end but the effect on traffic will linger.

 

FYI...I don't know if it's a typo or you're mistaken about the location of your hotel...it's on 45th St., not 42nd St.

Yes, a typo. I need to slow down when typing in these forums. Or get used to proof-reading more. The older I get, well... :o

I called and changed it to 1:30pm to be safe. Thanks again.

Just an FYI update... the parade turned out to be no problem. Surprisingly, traffic was quite clear. The driver just went down to 36th and breezed through. Took about 20 minutes from Times Square to LGA. Just killing 2.5 hours now. Looks like the flight just got delayed 40 minutes too. But better early than late.

Had a good time on the cruise as well as our 2.5 days in NYC. LOTS of walking. Google Maps was a great guide for helping us navigate to most of the big sites. NYC is SOOO expensive though. Probably walked 10 miles but it was worth it to save a little on expenses. We did use the subway to get from Times Square (where our hotel was) down to lower Manhattan and back yesterday. Really disappointed they don't offer a 2 or 3 day pass for like 12-15 bucks for visitors. The smallest unlimited ride pass was 7 days for 30 bucks. $120 for 4 of us for 2 days just didn't make sense, so we just bought one RT card each for 6 bucks. We'd have used the subway more if they offered a shorter pass, but at least we got a lot of exercise this way.