Landing at JFK? finally, you don't have to stand in line to pay for the AirTrain anymore
JFK is the gateway to New York most used by Italians. Both ITA Airways and Neos land here, [...]
JFK
United States of America
JFK is the gateway to New York most used by Italians. Both ITA Airways and Neos, the two Italian carriers that connect Milan and Rome with the Big Apple, land here, as well as Emirates with its fifth-freedom flight, Delta, and American Airlines. Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, British Airways and many other carriers often used by passengers departing from Italy also land there.
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Once immigration has passed there are many ways to reach the final destination. The fastest way is definitely the helicopter, but it is not the cheapest way. There are cabs, uber, hotel shuttle buses, and then the absolute cheapest, which has recently become even faster, which is the subway.
The queue at the toll booth
In the past few days the miracle happened, one of the most absurd things was arriving at the Airtrain terminus and standing in endless queues to pay for the ride while also having to bear the metro card fee, a real bore.
The point is that the Airtrain is free to travel between terminals at JFK to the Federal Circle stop, which is the one used by car rental companies and hotel shuttles that offer pickup to their guests; however, it becomes a fee if you reach the Jamaica, Lefferts Blvd. and Howard Beach stops.
This may sound like a no-brainer, but only those who have passed once in their lives during rush hour in Jamaica understand how this innovation simplifies life as soon as they arrive in NY. Especially those who have never been through it are left bewildered at the automated teller machines not immediately understanding how to behave and often finding it difficult to manage in addition to payment the purchase of the Metrocard and the related credit loading.
The OMNY "technological" revolution
Now so is the Airtrain, as is the entire New York City subway system, is payable simply with a tap from one's cell phone, smart watch or by swiping with a credit card thanks to the installation of turnstiles connected to the OMNYO system, which stands for One Metro New York. This will save not only money for the metro card (1$), but also a lot of time and stress.
The novelty is on some turnstiles in Jamaica and Howard Beach and by the end of 2024 will be extended to all gates so as to avoid even the (inevitable) crowds that will move from the automatic checkouts to the turnstiles.
To understand how much this mode simplifies the life of commuting in New York just take a read of the numbers released by the MTA.
Customers used OMNY to access all 472 subway stations. Customers also chose to board 204 local bus lines and 31 express buses with OMNY. OMNY continues to expand. Nearly half of all subway users use OMNY to connect to the system, with two million using OMNY every day. OMNY has compiled papers from all 195 countries issuing bank cards and 68% of OMNY transactions are made by customers using digital wallets on phones and wearable devices.
