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The Lower Manhattan skyline seen from the water on a clear day.
Layover guideJFK · United States

New York

What crew need on the ground

A published flat fare into Manhattan, and a cannabis rule that is legal to buy in the state and illegal to carry out of it.

Diliff / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5
JFKJohn F. Kennedy International
RegionAmericas
CurrencyUSD
Based hereJetBlue
Getting out

Yellow cabs run to Manhattan on a published flat rate from official stands at every terminal, and the AirTrain links the terminals to the subway and the Long Island Rail Road.

Ride-hailing

Uber and Lyft operate at JFK, but the pickup point is not always the kerb: Terminals 5 and 7 send you out to Howard Beach on the AirTrain.

Right now · New York
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Travel advisory · liveUpdated 18 August 2026

USA travel advice

Updated information about US Hurricane season predictions (‘Safety and security’ page).

Read the full advice at UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office →
If you have

One neighbourhood, and at least the traffic is not your financial problem.

  1. The yellow cab to Manhattan is a flat $70 plus tolls, tip and $2.75 to $8.50 in fees. That flat fare covers the first Manhattan stop only: ask for a second and the meter starts a new trip on top of it.
  2. AirTrain to Jamaica or Howard Beach is $8.75 on contactless or OMNY and connects to the subway and the Long Island Rail Road. It is the option that does not depend on the road.
  3. Use an official stand or the Port Authority Welcome Center. JFK states that soliciting of ground transportation is illegal and that many solicitors are unlicensed and uninsured.

The Skylane’s read, built on the transfer times sourced above.

Crew mapHow New York connects to the airport
  1. JFKJohn F. Kennedy
  2. JamaicaAirTrain interchangeSubway and the Long Island Rail Road
City destinations
Closer options
  • DumboAcross the river in Brooklyn
Farther option
Schematic · not to scale
Neighbourhoods

  • Jamaica

    The AirTrain interchange for the subway and the Long Island Rail Road, and the nearest of these to JFK.

  • Lower Manhattan

    The financial district and Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place, at the southern tip.

  • Lower East Side

    Essex Market and The Market Line beneath it, east of SoHo.

  • Chelsea

    Chelsea Market, open daily 07:00 to 22:00, and the High Line above it.

  • Midtown

    Grand Central and the Times Square halls, and most of the crew hotel stock.

  • Dumbo

    Across the East River in Brooklyn: Time Out Market and the skyline from the other side.

What things costPublished rates only
  • Taxi, JFK to Manhattan$70 flatPlus tolls, tip and $2.75 to $8.50 in fees that vary by time of day and destination. The flat fare covers the first Manhattan stop only: ask for a second and the meter starts a new trip on top. Trips that are not JFK to Manhattan are metered from $3.00.JFK Airport · Aug 2026
  • AirTrain, one way$8.75To Howard Beach for the subway or Jamaica for the subway and the Long Island Rail Road. Children under five ride free. Pay by contactless card, a phone, or an OMNY card.JFK Airport · Aug 2026
  • Sales tax8.875%Added at the register. Sticker prices never include it, so the number on the shelf is not the number you pay. Most grocery food and prescription drugs are untaxed.NY State Department of Taxation and Finance · Aug 2026
  • Clothing and footwear exemptionUnder $110 per itemFully exempt from state, local and MCTD sales tax. The threshold is per item and not per receipt, so a basket of sub-$110 pieces is all tax-free.NY State Department of Taxation and Finance · Aug 2026
  • Restaurant tip18 to 20%, with 15% the floorService is NOT included unless the bill says so, or an automatic gratuity is added for parties of six or more. Check before doubling up. Hotels run $1 to $2 a bag for porters and $3 to $5 a day for housekeeping.NYC Tourism + Conventions · Aug 2026

Only rates the operator or the authority publishes. Anything not listed is not published, so treat a figure from anywhere else as somebody’s estimate.

Reality checkThe full section

Local laws that catch crew out

Two legal systems apply at once, and cannabis is the trap: legal to buy in New York State, illegal to take out of the state or the country.

  1. The FCDO puts it plainly: while you are in a state you are subject to both that state's laws and national law. Breaking them can affect your visa status and future travel to the US.

  2. Illegal drugs, including cannabis, carry severe penalties. The FCDO says to expect a long jail sentence and heavy fines for possessing, using or smuggling them, and notes that US airports use sophisticated technology to detect illegal items, including scanning the baggage of transit passengers.

  3. New York State allows adults 21 and over to possess 3 ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of concentrate, but the state's Office of Cannabis Management states that leaving or coming into the state or country with any cannabis product is against the law. Buying it legally in Manhattan does not make it legal in your bag.

  4. UK prescriptions are not valid in the US, and you cannot take some prescription drugs into the country. Getting pharmacy drugs needs a prescription from a US provider. Check the FDA guidance on bringing medicines into the US before you travel with anything unusual.

Sources (3)

On the ground in New York

The AirTrain JFK platform at Jamaica station in New York.Tzuhsun Hsu from Taipei, Taiwan / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Getting out of the airport

Official taxi stands are at each terminal. JFK says soliciting of ground transportation is illegal and that many illegal solicitors are unlicensed and uninsured, so use an official taxi stand or the Port Authority Welcome Center in the arrivals area of each terminal.

Getting out of the airport in full
Sources (3)
A yellow New York taxi, a Ford Crown Victoria, passing at night.Ermell / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Ride-hailing

Uber and Lyft are the ride apps JFK names. Uber Shuttle, a shared shuttle service booked through the Uber app, runs to Port Authority at 42nd Street and Greenwich Village, with seats reservable in advance.

Ride-hailing in full
Sources (3)
Staying connected

Free unlimited wifi at all Port Authority airports, no time limit.

JFK, LaGuardia, Newark and Stewart all have free, unlimited high-speed wifi from the Port Authority — no time limit. At JFK the network is '_Free JFK WiFi'.

Staying connected in full
Sources (2)
A Manhattan street in a snowstorm, a taxi crawling through the snow.Deans Charbal / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Weather

Four real seasons: 30C summers, snowy sub-zero winters, rain possible any month; hurricane season peaks Sep.

Climate normals (Central Park, 1991-2020): July averages 84.9F/70.1F (29C/21C); January 39.5F/27.9F (4C/-2C). Pack for genuine cold Dec-Mar and genuine heat Jun-Aug.

Weather in full
Sources (2)
Tipping

Tip 18-20% at restaurants (not included in the bill), $1+/drink at bars, 15-20% in taxis — it is wages, not extra.

Restaurants: 18-20% of the bill is standard, 15% the floor, per the official tourism board. Service is NOT included unless the menu/bill states a no-tipping or service-charge policy, or an automatic gratuity is added for parties of six or more — check the bill before doubling up.

Tipping in full

NYC Tourismchecked Aug 2026

A pastrami sandwich on a plate at Katz's Delicatessen in New York.City Foodsters / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Out in New York

Eating near the crew hotels

Food halls are the crew move — one roof, many vendors, long hours; Chelsea Market runs 7am-10pm daily.

The city's official tourism board's food-hall guide lists Urbanspace Vanderbilt and Great Northern Food Hall by/inside Grand Central, City Kitchen at Times Square, Gotham West Market near the Javits Center, Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place, The Market Line under Essex Market (Lower East Side) and Time Out Market in Dumbo.

Eating near the crew hotels in full
Sources (2)
What to buy

Clothing and shoes under $110 per item are completely tax-free in NYC; most everything else adds 8.875% at the register.

Clothing and footwear under $110 per item are fully exempt from all sales tax in New York City — state, local and MCTD — per the NY tax department (Pub 718-C, effective March 2025). The threshold is per item, not per receipt, so splitting a basket of sub-$110 pieces is all tax-free.

What to buy in full
Sources (4)

Before your pickup

Keep New York on your phone

Save the guide and its 8 sections now, and read them on the crew bus before you have a SIM.

Two guides side by side

Why you are here

New York · Americas
Based here
What the job pays

Benchmarks for Americas, with the tax treatment and the allowances stated on every row.

Americas pay
RecruitingUnited States
  • Wed, 14 OctoberEmirates · Dallas
  • Fri, 16 OctoberEmirates · Los Angeles
The calendar
ReadingAmericas
Sources & practical information19 sources · checked Aug 2026

Fares, timetables and rules change. Where a figure matters to your plan, the publisher above is the one to check.