Something else happened here in New York City on December 17, 2003, the centennial anniversary of Orville and Wilbur Wright’s historic first flight, but as was appropriate, the famed aviation brothers received all the press that day. The “something else” was the grand opening of the new AirTrain at New York’s Kennedy International Airport. Being a new public transit system, the AirTrain is fully accessible to persons with disabilities as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
AirTrain JFK is an 8.1-mile long light rail system constructed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Kennedy Airport. It is part of a larger, in excess of $9 billion, improvement program at this airport that began in the mid-1990s, and which has resulted in the construction of new terminals, parking garages and a much better roadway system. AirTrain JFK was built at a cost of $1.9 billion, but without any state or federal tax dollars; it was funded through a combination of Port Authority revenues, including a $3 surcharge on departing passengers from New York City airports.
How can AirTrain JFK assist wheelchair- using airline travelers? For New Yorkers heading outbound from the city, it can save you a lot of money-AirTrain costs just $5 per trip-and probably a great deal of time on the road, depending on when you are trying to reach Kennedy Airport. You can connect to AirTrain via buses, the Long Island Rail Road and subways.
There are eight New York City Transit and six Green Bus Lines routes that can take you to the AirTrain JFK Station D, or Jamaica Station. Another Green Bus Lines route, the Q11, can get you to within one block of Station A, the Howard Beach Station. For
Long Islanders, board the LIRR at one of its many wheelchair-accessible stations, and transfer at the LIRR Jamaica Station to the AirTrain JFK station of the same name.
The best way to reach AirTrain JFK via subway is to take the E train. Wheelchair- accessible E train stations in Manhattan include the World Trade Center, 14th Street, 34th Street, and 42nd Street. You can also board the A train at 207th Street in Inwood or 175th Street in Washington Heights, and transfer to a Queens-bound E train at 42nd Street. You take the E train to Jamaica Station where you transfer again to your ride to the airport.
What’s the advantage of AirTrain JFK for visitors to New York City who require wheelchair access? Well, before its arrival, there weren’t a lot of other wheelchair- accessible and affordable means to get out of JFK! But, you want to keep in mind that for wheelchair users, AirTrain can only connect you directly to a limited number of places in New York: communities in the borough of Queens via local bus routes; a bunch of Long Island towns via the LIRR; and, the west side of Manhattan via the E subway line. Another benefit of AirTrain JFK is that it provides a wheelchair-accessible connection to all terminals, rental car facilities, hotel shuttles, and on-airport parking. This will make it easier for disabled visitors to move around JFK. By the way, the use of AirTrain on the airport itself is free; those who switch to it from the bus, LIRR, and subway must fork over a $5 fare.
In a press release it issued on the occasion of AirTrain JFK’s opening, the Port Authority stated in part, “the trip from midtown Manhattan to JFK can presently take more than two hours by car or taxi during high- congestion periods.” I will testify to this as one who has been stuck in that traffic. AirTrain takes less than 45 minutes from Penn Station in midtown Manhattan to JFK. As more subway stations become wheelchair-accessible in the years ahead, AirTrain will become more practical for use to additional parts of this city by locals and visitors with disabilities.
For more information, visit www.airtrainjfk.com.
Terry Moakley is Associate Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs.
