Getting to JFK Airport AirTrain in case of LIRR strike presents challenges for travelers

The good news for air travelers who plan on using the AirTrain to and from Kennedy Airport is that service on the 8.1-mile line will run normally even if the Long Island Rail Road shuts down due to the threatened strike midnight Friday into Saturday.

The bad news? Air travelers might need to find a new or better way to access the Jamaica AirTrain hub to use the service, despite the current contingency plans.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has a contingency plan in place, but it only provides for limited shuttle bus service from a handful of stations — and then only on weekdays and with small service windows.

The MTA will offer four shuttle buses from Bay Shore, Lakeview, Hicksville, Huntington, Mineola and Ronkonkoma to Howard Beach and Jamaica on weekday mornings and afternoons until 7 p.m.

Service will be severely limited, with Manhattan-bound shuttle buses running weekdays from 4:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and Long Island-bound buses running from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Weekend alternatives will be even more limited, though travelers will still be able to use subway and city bus service to and from the AirTrain hubs in Jamaica and Howard Beach.

Alternative options include using the drop-off and pickup lot at Kennedy to catch the AirTrain, as well as New York City subway service. Advocates and the Port Authority urged travelers to carpool or stay closer to the airport when catching weekend flights. 

"The AirTrain is still the fastest way to get to JFK given construction and additional traffic," said Lisa Daglian, executive director of the MTA Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee. "There's no substitute for the LIRR getting there, but when you have no other choice, the shuttle buses are an option ... but the best option for everybody is there to not be a strike."

The AirTrain serviced more than 11.65 million travelers in 2025, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. That's about 32,000 riders a day using AirTrain service to connect to and from Kennedy from stations in Jamaica and Howard Beach.

Neither the MTA nor the Port Authority have statistics on how many AirTrain customers use the LIRR as a connector at Jamaica. 

Fares on the driverless, elevated, automated system cost $8.75 one way.

AirTrain connects to the E, J and Z subway lines at Jamaica and to the A train at Howard Beach and the B15, Q3 and Q10 buses at Lefferts Boulevard.

Travelers can also access long-term parking at both Howard Beach and Lefferts, while the Port Authority notes there is a ride app pickup at Howard Beach and the free wait pickup and drop-off private transport area at Lefferts.

There are concerns, however, that travelers seeking to access the airport directly by other means — including car service, rideshare or private vehicles — could overwhelm roads in the area around Kennedy, among them the Van Wyck Expressway.

Ongoing construction on the Van Wyck, coupled with the continuing $19 billion construction project at Kennedy, will only add to the potential chaos on the roads. 

"Unfortunately, there is no substitute for the Long Island Rail Road, and its shutdown will cause severe congestion and delays," the MTA said in a statement posted to its strike-service shutdown alternatives website page, adding: "There will be congestion on the road and travel alternatives will be near or at capacity due to an influx of additional riders."

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.