How to Travel Between Brooklyn and Newark Airport

3 Ways to Get to and From Newark Airport

By
Ellen Freudenheim
Ellen Freudenheim
Ellen Freudenheim is the author of four guidebooks to Brooklyn, where she has lived for more than 20 years.
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Updated on 07/15/20
Fact checked by
Jillian Dara
Jillian Dara
Fact checked by Jillian Dara
Emerson College
Jillian Dara is a freelance journalist and fact-checker. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, USA Today, Michelin Guides, Hemispheres, DuJour, and Forbes.
TripSavvy's fact-checking
Taxis at Newark Airport

Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images 

When booking a flight to Brooklyn, you can fly into Newark Liberty International Airport. Although many travelers utilize JFK or LaGuardia, Newark is a viable and easy option when traveling to Brooklyn. If you've booked tickets from Newark, here are three ways to help you get to the airport without (hopefully) any hassles.

Budget-Friendly Option 

You can save some cash by taking public transportation to Newark. Use the subways to connect to the Newark Air Train from any point in Brooklyn, or from Newark to Brooklyn. It's the cheapest way to go, and sometimes (for instance on Thanksgiving and other busy holidays) also the fastest.

  • Cost: About $15
  • Time: 1 3/4 hours to 2 hours

AirTrain Newark doesn't take you into Manhattan or Brooklyn. It's just a quick ride from (or around) the airport to a dedicated "Rail Transfer Station,” where you change for a regular New Jersey Transit commuter train into New York Pennsylvania Station. There are escalators and elevators in case you have big luggage.

AirTrain Newark costs $5.50 (as of July 2020) as you enter or exit the system at the Airport (Rail Link) Station. The fee is included when you purchase a ticket from NJ TRANSIT or Amtrak at their train stations, ticket offices, or ticketing machines.

Note: If you need help, luggage assistance or any other service, know that AirTrain Newark/NJ Transit is 100% self-service.

  • Route from Newark to Brooklyn: Take the Air Train to the Airport Rail Link Station, and then hop on the NJ Transit train to NEW YORK Penn Station (NOT Newark Penn Station). Go downstairs. There, choose your route or get a 2 or 3 train to Atlantic Terminal/Barclays Center where you can find almost every connecting subway.
  • Route to Newark from Brooklyn: Take the subway to Penn Station at 34th Street and 8th Ave to North Jersey Coast Line trains to Newark Airport. DO NOT GET OFF AT "NEWARK PENN STATION." STAY ON THE TRAIN UNTIL YOU REACH NEWARK AIRPORT RAILROAD STATION.

You can also take a bus from Manhattan to Newark and back.

  • Route from Newark to Brooklyn: Coming into Manhattan from Newark you can get off at Port Authority, Bryant Park or Grand Central, to get your subway to Brooklyn.
  • Route to Newark: Take the subway into Manhattan to get the bus at Port Authority, Bryant Park or Grand Central. The Newark Airport Express which comes every 15 minutes during the day, 365 days a year (departures every 30 minutes before 6:45 AM and after 11:15 PM). It costs $17 one way and $30 roundtrip (as of July 2020) and does a loop that goes from the terminal to Manhattan (and across 42nd Street).

Easiest Route

The most comfortable way to get to and from Newark is also the most expensive: by taxi or car service. It's a long trip so be prepared to pay for the service. You can call a car service or use the green "Boro taxis" to prearrange a pick up to take you to Newark, which you can hail or get through UberX.

It's smart to reserve a day in advance or two days during a holiday rush.

A trip from Brooklyn to Newark costs from $60 up. Tolls (which can cost $15), tips, parking, and any other fees are not included. If you use a car service, make sure to call to make the reservation, make sure to ask the dispatcher if tolls are included in the quoted fare. An average fair on UberX is around $75.

Taxis: If you happen to be in Manhattan or hail a taxi in Brooklyn, you will pay from $60 to $80.

If you're not up for using an app, you can go old school and call a car service from Newark to Brooklyn. Here are some popular car services:

Drive and Park

If you've rented a car during your stay, you can always pick it up at Newark Liberty, which is conveniently located on the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95). Or many people prefer to just drive to Newark and park their car.

Edited by Alison Lowenstein