A father flying home from Europe with his two kids faced a classic New York transfer headache: landing at Newark Liberty on SAS, but connecting to a JetBlue flight out of JFK. With roughly five hours to spare and a quoted $280 for an Uber or Lyft between the airports, he chose a different plan — take the kids into Manhattan for their first taste of the city.
The route was refreshingly simple. After clearing passport control quickly and travelling light, the family rode the AirTrain to the rail link, then caught an NJ Transit train into NY Penn Station. The kids, used to trains in Europe, enjoyed the ride — aside from the screech as the train dropped underground into Penn. Stepping out onto the street, his son Augustine was visibly thrilled to spot the Empire State Building.
From Penn Station they walked to Times Square, the intersection of 42nd Street, Broadway and Seventh Avenue. The verdict from the kids: they looked at it, took photos, got hungry. A Taco Bell across the street solved that — an unglamorous but apparently satisfying pit stop. Then it was back to Penn Station, a packed Long Island Railroad train to Jamaica (standing room only), and the AirTrain out to JetBlue's Terminal 5 at JFK.
Total cost: a fraction of the $280 ride-hail quote. Total payoff: two kids who slept the entire flight to Burbank and a family memory that will outlast any taxi ride.
Is this realistic for you? It depends on timing. Five hours is generous; a tight three-hour connection probably isn't, given that the public transport route involves three separate legs and no guarantee of a seat. But if your schedule allows a buffer, the math is compelling. The AirTrain-plus-NJ Transit hop from Newark to Penn Station is fast and reliable, the LIRR to Jamaica runs frequently, and the whole chain is far cheaper than a cross-town cab at peak traffic — which can crawl badly at the wrong hour. Travelling with carry-on only makes it genuinely painless; with big checked bags, think twice.
It's also a reminder that not every layover has to be dead time at the gate. Even a two-hour window in Manhattan — a quick walk past the Empire State Building, a photo in Times Square, a cheap bite — can turn an airport connection into the part of the trip your kids actually remember. And since JetBlue doesn't have a lounge at JFK's Terminal 5 for most travellers, there was little incentive to arrive early and sit around anyway.
The takeaway for families: if you're connecting between Newark and JFK with hours to spare, check the rail options before you automatically book the Uber. You'll save a serious chunk of money, and you might just give your kids their first New York story.
