JFK and LGA are both major airports in New York, however they serve different roles. Because of some peculiarities, it’s not unusual for someone to want to make a connection between the two airports. I’ve made a LGA to JFK and vise versa transfer several times. There are even some routes that are sold, on a single ticket between the two airports. While LGA and JFK may both be in Queens, it doesn’t mean the airports are near each other. JFK is primarily thought of as an international airport and LGA is nearly entirely domestic, this is why it’s often advantageous to transfer from JFK to LGA or vise versa.
Getting from JFK to LGA or the other way around, isn’t complicated, but it can be a little stressful, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the two airports. This can be further complicated if you are on two separate reservations and missing a connection would mean a long delay and money out of pocket. So while I won’t necessarily encourage a friend to connect between JFK and LGA, I wouldn’t let it stop an experienced traveler. A cross town NYC airport connection can be a great way to cut total travel time or get to smaller secondary cities.
Bottom Line: My personal record is 1 hour from on the arrival plane at JFK to at the gate in LGA. Due to some flight schedule changes, I had less than 1:30 between an international arrival at JFK and a domestic departure at LGA. This was also a 7pm arrival. From plane to plane, it took me less than one hour. This included passport control with global entry, getting into a taxi, riding to LGA, TSA security at LGA, and walking to the gate. No checked luggage.
In This Guide
JFK Location and Layout
JFK Airport is located on the southern edge of Queens New York, right on the water’s edge. While physically further from Manhattan than LaGuardia Airport, it’s considered better connected as there’s an AirTrain that runs between JFK and Jamaica Station.
JFK has 5 terminals that are not connected air side. They are connected via the AirTrain and this is a free ride. The JFK Terminals are numbered 1-8 but skipping 2, 3, and 6. Those missing terminal numbers have been demolished to make way for others.
All of the individual terminals have their own security check points, baggage claims, customs/immigration, and curb-sides. Because of this all of the JFK terminals also have their own taxi stands, AirTrain stations, and Ride Share pickups. Both the AirTrain and the road form a large loop around JFK Airport.
LGA Location and Layout
LaGuardia Airport is also located in Queens New York, but on the Northern edge, right on the water too. LGA is the closest airport to Manhattan, but for making a connection to JFK, that doesn’t really matter.
LGA is also divided into terminals that are not connected air-side. These are denoted A, B, and C. A is also called Marine Terminal as it’s the old sea plane terminal and is right on the water. Depending on what airline you’re using, you’ll need to go to the correct terminal. However, if things do go really wrong, you can walk between Terminal B and C, but A would require a bus.
LGA is a domestic airport, as such there is no customs or immigration at LGA, so all arrivals must be domestic US or from a pre-clearance airport.
Travel Options
There are a few options for getting between JFK and LGA, Taxi, Ride Share, Shuttle Bus, or Public Transit are likely what most people would chose. Of course you could do something like walking between the two airports, but unless you really have a lot of time to kill, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Taxi
Using a Taxi is probably the most straight forward way of getting between JFK and LGA regardless of the direction. I personally think that a Taxi is the best and easiest way to get between JFK and LGA too. When you land, make your way outside. There will be a taxi stand. Simply get into a cab and tell the driver your destination. Cost will be about $35+tip. Not bad, especially if you’re traveling with more than one person. At rush hour, this will take just under an hour door to door. In non-traffic conditions, this ride takes about 20-25 minutes.
I like this option because there’s always a glut of Taxis outside of the terminals. They all accept credit card and it’s fast and direct. Unlike an Uber/Lyft, you don’t need to wait for the driver to arrive or meet them in a special area, the taxi stand is right out front. They will also load all of your luggage and you don’t have to drag it into and off of trains/busses.
Ride Share
A ride share can also be a good option between JFK and LGA. I’ve done this in the past and one downside is that you need to meet your driver. This can add a few minutes and if you have a tight connection, this can be stressful. The travel time is the same as a Taxi, about an hour at rush hour, and 20-25 minutes in less busy times.
Cost of an Uber/Lyft will be more variable than a Taxi. $30-50 is the likely rate, depending on surge demand prices. Ride Share between LGA and JFK does have some advantages, notablely, the directions that the driver should follow are right on the app. You don’t have to rely on a cab driver to chose the correct or fastest route.
Like the taxi, the ride share will also load all of your luggage and you don’t have to drag it into and off of trains/busses. At the end of the day I prefer a taxi, but have used ride-share in the past too.
Shuttle Bus
A few different companies offer shuttle bus services between LGA and JFK. These are also sometimes contracted by the airlines in case they need to move passengers between the two airports. I’ve not used this option as the prices don’t really make sense for the time and inconvenience. I cannot recommend taking a shuttle bus between the JFK and LGA. Most shuttle bus services advertise that this service takes 1:15 between JFK and LGA or vise versa.
Public Transport
Using Public transit between LGA and JFK is also an option. This would involve taking the Q70 bus, the subway, and the JFK Airtrain in some order. The good news is that from end to end, this would take just about an hour. The price would be $11 with a Metro Card. $12 if you need to buy a Metro Card. While the MTA accepts contactless payments at the turnstiles for subway rides, the Airtrain doesn’t, it’s a huge pain.
From LGA to JFK, you’ll take the Q70 bus to Roosevelt(The Q70 is free), then the E train to Archer Av/Jamaica(the E train is $2.75), then the JFK AirTrain to JFK(The AirTrain is $8.75 and only accepts MetroCard). To go from JFK to LGA, just reverse the route, AirTrain to Jamaica, Etrain to Roosevelt/Jackson Heights, then Q70 to LGA. This works from all terminals as the Q70 Bus and AirTrain circle LGA and JFK respectively.
I’ve used public transit between LGA and JFK in the past, it’s a nice cheap option if you only have 1-2 people and plenty of time. Just keep in mind, you’ll have to carry all of your own luggage.
If you have a few hours to kill, you have more than enough time to get a slice of pizza near LGA Airport. You could tack that onto a public transit transfer between JFK and LGA as you’ll be along the route anyway.
Minimum Connection Time
Minimum Connection Time is always subjective and subject to your own personal risk tolerance. It’s also dependent on things like checking luggage, your mobility, and time of day. Luggage slows you down, less mobile people don’t move as quickly, and traffic can slow you down. In my opinion, if you have 6 hours, connecting between JFK to/from LGA is easy and comfortable in all situations. Of course I like to push things, so this is my absolute minimum I’ll book between the NYC Airports when using a taxi:
| Time In hours | Domestic to Domestic | Domestic to International | International to Domestic | International to International* |
| No Checked Luggage Non-Rush Hour | 2 Hours | 2.5 Hours | 2.5 Hours | 3 Hours |
| With Checked Luggage Non-Rush Hour | 2.5 Hours | 3 Hours | 3 Hours | 4 Hours |
| No Checked Luggage Rush Hour | 3 Hours | 3 Hours | 3 Hours | 4 Hours |
| With Checked Luggage Rush Hour | 3.5 Hours | 3.5 Hours | 4 Hours | 4 Hours |
As I said earlier, I’ve made a 1.5 hour connection between JFK and LGA on an international to domestic connection. I don’t recommend that and wouldn’t attempt it again.
Travel Tips
It’s important to know what terminal you need to arrive and depart from, you don’t want to end up at the wrong one as that will put you back on the AirTrain to change.
JFK has a highly diverse group of airlines and international destinations, LGA doesn’t. LGA however has better connectivity to smaller US cities in the eastern US. Due to the perimeter rule, LGA has almost no flights farther than Denver.
Airlines will sell single tickets that include connections across town between LGA and JFK, they rarely include transportation between the two airports.
You’ll always need to claim and re-check any luggage if you’re connecting across town at the NYC airports. Even on a single ticket, you need to handle the luggage.
Final Thoughts
I’ve made plenty of cross town connections between JFK and LGA. Mostly because my home airport of GSP doesn’t have flights to JFK, just LGA. While it can be a little daunting, it’s not difficult and with enough time is relatively stress free. If you have more than 6 hours, the connection is easy at all times of day.
I personally think the best and easiest way to get between JFK and LGA is to take a regular taxi. Using a taxi is nice because they are always waiting, the ride is fast, and the price is very reasonable. Ride Share, Shuttle Bus, and Public Transit are also options. Public Transit is the cheapest but slowest and would be my second choice. Ride share works fine too, but I don’t like the process of tracking down a driver in the terminals of New York Airports. I cannot recommend the shuttle busses.