When it comes to getting into the center of a US city you’re visiting from the airport, or getting to the airport for a trip out of town without worrying about parking, a taxi or airport shuttle van springs first to mind for most Americans. But there are many cities where convenient and very affordable (compared to a cab or shuttle) bus or rail transit options exist that make the city to airport trip a breeze. Some are well known, others are hidden gems. Here’s an overview of ways to get to major airports from downtown in xx US cities (fares listed are as of August 2017 and are full adult one-way fares; discounts are usually available for seniors, children and people with disabilities. Double the one-way fare for a round trip):
Albuquerque
Take ABQ RIDE express bus route 250 between Albuquerque International Sunport and Alvarado Transportation Center downtown (bus bay E). Runs every 20 minutes.
Travel time: 25 min
Fare: $1.00
Atlanta
Take the MARTA Red or Gold Lines (metro rail) from the Airport station at the main terminal into downtown (Five Points station is the main transit hub). Runs every 5 to 20 min.
Travel time: 20 min airport to Five Points
Fare: $2.50
Boston
There are two ways to easily get from downtown to Logan Airport. One is by taking the Blue Line subway to Airport station, from whence there are frequent, free shuttle buses for the short hop to the terminals. The other is the Silver Line bus rapid transit system, which runs in a tunnel through downtown and goes right to the terminals.
Travel time: about 20 minutes.
Fare: $2.75 ($2.25 with a CharlieCard)
Luggage space: No designated space, but ample floor space (standard subway cars & transit buses)
Charlotte
Take CATS route 5 bus from the terminal to the Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown, where you can connect to LYNX light rail, streetcar and all other bus routes. Runs every 20 min.
Travel time: 35 min
Fare: $2.20
Chicago/Milwaukee
O’Hare Airport: Take the CTA Blue Line rail from the terminal into downtown, or take a free shuttle from the terminal to O’Hare Transfer Metra commuter rail station and ride seven or fewer stops on North Central Service into Chicago Union Station (Metra service is not very frequent, but is more comfortable).
Travel time: 1 hour
Fare: $2.25 on CTA; $6.00 on Metra
Midway Airport: Take the CTA Orange Line rail from Midway station (a 15-min walk through a parking garage from the terminal) into the Loop.
Travel time: 40 min
Fare: $2.25
Luggage space: Standard subway cars; ample floor space
Milwaukee General Mitchell Airport: Take a free shuttle bus to the Milwaukee Airport Amtrak station and take the Hiawatha line (which runs every 2 hours) one stop into downtown Milwaukee or 3 stops to Chicago Union Station
Travel time: 20 min to downtown Milwaukee; 1 hr 30 min to Chicago
Fare: $25.00 to Chicago; $8.00 to downtown Milwaukee (flat fare regardless of time of booking)
Luggage space: Overhead racks & luggage racks at end of each train car
Cleveland
Take the RTA Red Line rail directly from Hopkins International Airport into center city.
Travel time: 30 min from Tower City
Fare: $2.50
Luggage space: Overhead racks
Dallas/Fort Worth
DFW Airport: Take the DART Orange Line light rail directly from the airport into downtown Dallas, or take the free connector bus from the airport to CentrePoint/DFW TRE commuter rail station and take TRE to downtown Dallas, downtown Fort Worth or intermediate points.
Travel time: 1 hr 10 min by light rail; 1 hr 35 min by bus plus TRE to Dallas Union Station; 1 hr 20 min to Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center by TRE.
Fare: $2.50 on DART; $5.00 to Dallas or Fort Worth on TRE
Luggage space: Overhead racks; racks on lower level of TRE train cars
Dallas Love Field Airport: Take the DART route 524 bus from the airport ground transportation center to Inwood/Love Field rail station; change for an Orange or Green Line DART light rail train to downtown Dallas
Travel time: 30-35 min
Fare: $2.50, including bus-to-rail transfer
Denver
Take the RTD University of Colorado A Line regional rail directly from the main terminal to Denver Union Station, in the heart of downtown. Runs every 15 min.
Travel time: 40 min
Fare: $9.00
Luggage space: Overhead racks & racks at end of each train car
Houston
Hobby Airport: Take METRO bus route 040 from terminal to downtown (runs every 20 min) or routes 050 or 073 (every 12 minutes) north to Magnolia Park station (Green Line) or west to Fannin South station (Red Line) to connect with light rail.
Travel time: 1 hour via 040 bus; 1 hr 5 min to 1 hr 20 min via bus to light rail.
Fare: $1.75
Bush Intercontinental Airport: Take METRO bus route 102 from Terminal C to downtown. Runs every 15 min.
Travel time: 1 hr 5 min
Fare: $1.75
Luggage space: Standard transit bus
Kansas City
Take RideKC Bus 129 to the 10th & Main Transit Center downtown. Departs from Terminal C and arrives at Terminal B at KCI. Runs every 60 min, departing the airport at about 7 min past each hour and departing 10th & Main about 15 min past each hour.
Travel time: 1 hr 15 min
Fare: $1.50
Luggage space: Standard transit bus
Los Angeles
LAX Airport: Take the FlyAway bus nonstop between the airport terminals and Los Angeles Union Station, Hollywood, Westwood, Van Nuys or Long Beach, or take the Metro G bus from the airport ground transportation center to Aviation/LAX light rail station; the Green Line light rail to Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station, and the Blue Line light rail into downtown (7th Street/Metro Center station).
Travel time: 30 to 50 min Union Station to airport on FlyAway (depending on traffic); 1 hr 15 min on light rail
Fare: $8.00 to $10.00 on FlyAway ($9.75 to Union Station); $1.75 on light rail plus bus
Luggage space: Undercarriage on FlyAway; ample floor space on light rail
Burbank Bob Hope Airport: Walk across the parking lot from the airport terminal to Bob Hope Airport Metrolink commuter rail station and ride one stop into L.A. Union Station or catch Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner service to San Diego or Santa Barbara. There are also Metro bus connections.
Travel time: 40 min to LAUS on Metrolink
Fare: $6.00 on Metrolink; $1.75 on Metro bus+rail
Long Beach Airport: Take Metro bus route 104 to Willow Street rail station or 176 to Pacific Coast Highway station and change for the Blue Line light rail into downtown L.A. or downtown Long Beach.
Travel time: 1.5 hrs to downtown L.A.; 50 min to downtown Long Beach.
Fare: $1.75
John Wayne Santa Ana/Orange County Airport: Take OCTA route 400 or Irvine Shuttle route A from terminal to Tustin Metrolink station; change for Metrolink’s Orange County Line to L.A. Union Station, other points in Orange County or Oceanside to transfer to COASTER train to San Diego.
Travel time: 1 hr 40 min to 2 hrs to LAUS
Fare: $11.00 (bus plus Metrolink)
Ontario Airport: Take OMNITRANS route 61 from the stop on Terminal Way in front of the terminal to Pomona Downtown Metrolink station; transfer for Metrolink’s Riverside Line to L.A. Union Station, Riverside, San Bernardino or other points.
Travel time: 1 hr 40 min to LAUS
Fare: $1.75 for OMNITRANS plus $9.00 on Metrolink to LAUS
Miami/Fort Lauderdale/West Palm Beach
Miami Airport: Take the free People Mover 3 minutes to Miami Intermodal Center, where you can catch MetroRail into downtown or Tri-Rail commuter rail to other regional points, plus buses and (soon) Amtrak.
Travel time: 35 min from downtown
Fare: $2.00 on MetroRail
Luggage space: Standard subway cars; ample floor space
Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport: Take the free Tri-Rail Shuttle to the Fort Lauderdale Airport/Dania Beach Tri-Rail station for hourly commuter rail service to Miami, West Palm Beach & other points.
Travel time: 10 min on shuttle; 35 min to Miami on Tri-Rail
Fare: $3.75 to Miami; max. $5.65.
Luggage space: Overhead racks; luggage racks on lower level of train cars.
Palm Beach International Airport: Take the free Tri-Rail shuttle between the terminal and West Palm Beach Tri-Rail/Amtrak station, which is in downtown.
Travel time: 15 min
Fare: Free (up to $5.65 if connecting to Tri-Rail)
Minneapolis/St. Paul
Take the Metro Transit Blue Line light rail directly between either terminal and downtown Minneapolis, where you can connect to the Green Line light rail to downtown St. Paul.
Travel Time: 35 min to downtown Minneapolis; 1 hr 25 min to downtown St. Paul
Fare: $1.75 ($2.25 at rush hours)
Luggage space: Standard transit cars; ample floor space
New York City
JFK Airport: Take the A train subway to Howard Beach/JFK station, the E, J or Z subways to Sutphin Blvd/Archer Av/JFK station or Long Island Rail Road (one stop from Penn Station) to Jamaica station to catch the JFK AirTrain monorail to the terminals.
Travel time: 35 minutes (by LIRR) to 1 hour, 15 minutes (by subway) from Manhattan.
Fare: $5 for AirTrain plus $2.75 for subway or $14.00 ($16.00 at rush hours) on LIRR.
LaGuardia Airport: Take the M60 express bus from Harlem/125th Street station in Manhattan (4, 5 or 6 subway or Metro-North Railroad) or Q70 express bus from 61st St/Woodside station in Queens (7 subway or Long Island Rail Road).
Travel time: About 30 min, depending on traffic, from the rail station to the airport on either bus route.
Fare: $2.75 for the whole trip if done by subway plus bus using MetroCard. $9.00 to $14.00 plus $2.75 if using LIRR or MNRR to connect with the bus.
Newark Liberty Airport: Take New Jersey Transit from Penn Station to Newark Airport station (3 stops) and transfer to the AirTrain monorail to the terminals.
Travel time: 30 min from Penn Station to the terminals.
Fare: $13.00 (includes $5 add-on for AirTrain)
Luggage space: No designated space; standard subway cars, transit buses & commuter coaches
Orlando
Take the Lynx route 11 or 42 bus from the main terminal to the Sand Lake Road SunRail commuter train station, from whence you can take commuter rail to downtown Orlando, Winter Park, Sanford, DeBary and intermediate points.
Travel time: 40 to 50 min airport to downtown Orlando
Fare: $2.00 for the bus plus $2.00 to downtown Orlando on SunRail; higher fares to other points on SunRail.
Note: The major Orlando-area theme parks have their own shuttles to and from the airport.
Philadelphia —
Take SEPTA Regional Rail from one of three Center City stations directly to the airport terminals.
Travel time: 30 minutes
Fare: $6.50 on weekdays; $5.00 on weekends, if purchased from agent or machine in advance (up to $2 higher if purchased with cash onboard).
Luggage space: Overhead racks & ample floor space at ends of cars
Phoenix
Take the PHX Sky Train free people mover between the terminals and the airport ground transportation center and connect to Valley Metro light rail at 44th & Washington Sts for a 4-6 stop ride into downtown Phoenix or 3 stops to downtown Tempe.
Travel time: 30 min
Fare: $2.00
Luggage space: Overhead racks
Portland, OR
Take the Tri-Met MAX Red Line light rail from the airport station (a short walk from the main terminal) to downtown stations. Runs every 10-20 min.
Travel time: 45-50 min
Fare: $2.50
Pittsburgh
Take the Port Authority express route 28X bus from the main terminal into downtown Pittsburgh via the west busway (a bus-only road). Bus runs every 30 minutes.
Travel time: About 1 hour
Fare: $2.75
Raleigh/Durham
To/from Raleigh: Take GoTriangle route 100 from RDU Terminal 1 to downtown Raleigh. Runs every 60 minutes, departing Terminal 1 35 minutes past the hour and departing downtown (Edenton & Salisbury Streets at the State Capitol) 45 minutes past the hour.
Travel time: 40 min
To/from Durham or Chapel Hill: Take GoTriangle route 100 from RDU Terminal 1 to the Regional Transit Center and change for GoTriangle route 700 to downtown Durham, or route 800 to downtown Chapel Hill. All buses run every 60 min with timed transfers at the Regional Transit Center.
Travel time: 50 min to Durham; 1 hr 10 min to Chapel Hill
Fare: $2.25, with free transfer between routes.
Salt Lake City
Take the UTA TRAX Green Line light rail from the airport station (a short walk from the terminals) into downtown. Runs every 15 min.
Travel time: 20-25 min airport to Temple Square
Fare: $2.50
Luggage space: Overhead racks & ample floor space
St. Louis
Take the MetroLink Red Line light rail directly between downtown and the Lambert Airport terminals.
Travel time: 45 minutes
Fare: $2.50
Luggage space: Standard transit cars with ample floor space
San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose
SFO Airport: Take the airport people mover circulator to the BART station and take BART into downtown S.F. or the East Bay, or take BART to Millbrae station to transfer to Caltrain commuter rail for San Jose and Peninsula points. BART runs every 15-20 min. Caltrain runs roughly hourly (more frequently at rush hours). Note: BART from SFO to Millbrae may require a transfer at San Bruno.
Travel time: 50 min SFO to Embarcadero station
Fare: $8.95 on BART from SFO to Embarcadero station; more to East Bay; $4.40 on BART to Millbrae plus Caltrain fare
Oakland Airport: Take the AirBART elevated people mover between the terminal and the Oakland Coliseum station, where you can catch BART into S.F. or other East Bay points, or catch Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor to San Jose, Sacramento and intermediate points. BART runs every 6-15 min. Capitol Corridor runs every 1-2 hours.
Travel time: 35 min from airport to Embarcadero station
Fare: $10.20 on BART (including AirBART)
San Jose Mineta Airport: Take the VTA route 10 bus 12 min from the airport terminal to Santa Clara rail station; transfer for Caltrain to downtown San Jose, San Francisco or Peninsula points, or for Amtrak Capitol Corridor to East Bay points and Sacramento.
Travel time: 32 min to downtown San Jose Diridon Station via Caltrain; 1 hr 30 min to 1 hr 50 min to S.F. via Caltrain; 1 hr 35 min to Oakland via Capitol Corridor
Fare: $3.75 to downtown San Jose via Caltrain ($2.00 via bus); $9.75 to S.F. via Caltrain; $19.00 to Oakland Jack London Square via Capitol Corridor (VTA bus is $2.00; Amtrak is $17.00)
Seattle/Tacoma
Take the Sound Transit Central Link Light Rail from Sea-Tac Airport station (a lengthy walk across a parking garage from the terminal) into downtown Seattle, or take a Sound Transit route 574 express bus to Tacoma Dome station near downtown Tacoma. Light rail runs every 10 min; buses run roughly half-hourly.
Travel time: 50 min to downtown Seattle on light rail; 1 hour to Tacoma on bus.
Fare: $2.50 on light rail; $2.75 on express bus
Washington, DC and Baltimore
BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport: Take MARC commuter rail from DC or Baltimore to or from BWI Airport station and connect to free shuttle bus, or take Light RailLink from Baltimore to the terminal.
Travel time: 50 min to 1 hour from Washington Union Station; 35 to 45 min from Baltimore Penn Station on MARC or light rail.
Fare: $7.00 from DC or $5.00 from Baltimore on MARC; $1.80 on Light RailLink
Luggage space: Overhead racks & racks at ends of some cars on MARC
Washington Reagan National Airport: Take Metrorail’s Blue or Yellow Lines to National Airport station, which is right at the main terminal, into downtown DC.
Travel time: 20 to 40 min from Metro Center or Gallery Place
Fare: Varies by origin and hour (peak vs. off-peak), from $2.00 to $3.50
Luggage space: Standard subway cars; ample floor space
Washington Dulles Airport: Take Metrorail to Wiehle/Reston East station and change for the Washington Flyer Express bus to the terminal, or take the 5A express Metrobus from L’Enfant Plaza or Rosslyn Metro stations to the terminal.
Travel time: 1 hour 10 min from L’Enfant on the 5A; 1 hour to 1 hour 20 min from Metro Center on Metro plus Washington Flyer.
Fare: $9.00 on the 5A bus or $4.00 to $6.00 on Metrorail plus $5.00 on the Washington Flyer
Luggage space: Overhead racks on 5A; undercarriage on Washington Flyer