New York City’s airport connections are some of the worst in the U.S., as you probably know if you’ve ever flown into the city. There are tricks that can save you time and money on each airport connection (here’s a guide to getting to/from Newark Liberty), and some neighborhoods are more accessible than others, but in general, it can be a pain to get to your destination in the city from JFK, Newark Liberty or LaGuardia.
Thanks to rideshare app Via, however, it’s now at least a little bit easier and cheaper to get to Manhattan from LaGuardia. With Via’s new LGA Connect pilot program, you can book a $15 flat-rate shared ride from LaGuardia to anywhere in Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens, or a $20 flat-rate shared ride from LaGuardia to anywhere in Staten Island or the Bronx. The tradeoff for the low price is the “shared” part, which means that you may have to pick up and drop off people along your route home (like with UberPool or Lyft Line). And as One Mile at a Time notes, “with Via rides you often have to walk a block or two from your drop-off point to your ultimate destination. That may be less convenient than a door-to-door service, especially when you have a lot of luggage or in bad weather.”
The savings could make those tradeoffs worth it many times over, but that’s up to you. At the very least, travelers arriving at LaGuardia now have another option to consider.
How LGA Connect works
You basically need the app downloaded and to fly into an NYC airport. In addition, says the Via website, “LGA Connect rides can be booked 7 days a week between 8 am and 1 am with a credit card through the Via app, or with the help of a dispatcher at a designated ‘LGA Connect’ pickup point outside of Terminal C/D. In the Via app, passengers select ‘LGA Connect’ from the menu, and enter their desired destination. Via’s algorithm matches multiple passengers headed in the same direction into a single vehicle and provides passengers with vehicle identification information and an ETA. Rides depart within 10 minutes, and passengers will be dropped off at a nearby corner within walking distance of their destination.
For $10 of Via credit
If you’ve never used Via before, you can use my referral code john9n3r when you sign up. After you’ve taken your first ride with Via, you’ll see $10 credited to your account.
Have you used LGA Connect to get to Manhattan from LaGuardia?
If you’ve tried Via LGA Connect, or used Via otherwise, please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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I tried it coming out of Delta this week at LGA.
The Via App is a bit wonky: although I’ve never used it before its starts out saying I was at a dry cleaner in Brooklyn. Then it settled down and I could use the Via Connect.
It says to look for the driver at Arrivals. This is INCORRECT. The driver called me and I could hear two words: Metris and Lot. Metris Lot? There is a lot but he couldn’t direct me to it.
I asked someone controlling traffic where the Via lot was and it was about 100 yards away–not at Arrivals.
Once I found it, they had attendants that directed me to a shiny Metris Mercedes van with only one other passenger.
Very quick to midtown and only $16 with tax.
The reason companies fail is that they are not smart enough to put “Walk 100 yards to your left after exiting arrivals to find the Via lot”. So before it fails, I recommend Via if you don’t have a lot of luggage and kids to drag to the lot, can handle a wonky app, and are going to midtown.