6 ms·

> For 99$ this is something that doesn't even require you to be some hedge fund brat to use. Not sure what the current cab prices are these days, but i remember

by nfoz 12y ago

> For 99$ this is something that doesn't even require you to be some hedge fund brat to use. Not sure what the current cab prices are these days, but i remember paying about i think 80$ for a cab from JFK to central Manhattan. You can get it a bit cheaper if you book a car service instead of grabbing a cab from the airport but it's still not sums that would break anyone's pocket. You can get to LGA via public transit for $2.50 (subway+bus). For JFK there's an extra $5.00 for the airtrain. Technologists are the new "hedge fund brats". I agree it's not a huge price-tag given how awesome it sounds compared to the similarly-priced alternatives, but let's be careful when we talk about what might "break anyone's pocket."

dogma1138 12y ago
You can also get to Heathrow with a bus or the tube for 10 GBP, still most people either take a much more expensive train or book a car. Getting to JFK in public transport might work for a domestic flight but i won't want to go trough NY's public transport with 2 full suit cases.
- RijilV 12y ago
  Why does international flight mean 2 full suit cases? Seriously I'm 12 days in on a 14 day business trip across 'the pond' with a half sized roller board and that includes both the work laptop and a personal one, juggling props (hey come'on it's Europe) and running gear. For business I figure if the privatized transport from the airport is 1/2 as long and not silly costs I'll expense it without guilt. At supposedly $99 from JFK it sounds legit for a short business trip. Granted they claim PMV, so YMMV.
  - PhantomGremlin 12y ago
    > Why does international flight mean 2 full suit cases? Certainly 1 full suitcase? Shirts, pants, socks, underwear, perhaps a suit or two, and a pair of extra shoes? I can easily fill a suitcase with that stuff. Do you do laundry on your trip? That would certainly significantly reduce the quantity of clothes required. Now that all airlines are charging per bag (previously all airlines allowed two free bags) it probably makes more sense to figure out how to wash clothes abroad than to lug around a lot of extra clothing.
    - ghaff 12y ago
      Take a little jar of soap and wash out the stuff that needs washing out. For a 2 week trip, I'd admittedly typically check luggage though. A lot depends on the details of the trip and the climate.
- lmm 12y ago
  Tube is ~5 I think, and bus even less. But the expensive train (15GBP, still much less than $99) gets a lot of advertising and is in all the guidebooks, so many people assume it's the only way to go (plus it's owned by the airport so they try to guide you that way). I've never known anyone who'd book a car, I once took a taxi when the tube broke down and I was running late and it was GBP30 to go ~3 miles. That seems like the preserve of the super-rich.
  - Nrsolis 12y ago
    FWIW, I've done both trips (tube vs. Heathrow Express) and I much prefer Heathrow Express. When I travel it's usually for business and the time savings of the Express vs. the Tube just makes it a complete no-brainer for me. People often complain that it's a very expensive and very short train ride but they forget that the short travel time is a FEATURE.
    - lmm 12y ago
      It's not a short time because the train's fast, it's short because it's not very far. And the claimed speed advantage is based on a somewhat gerrymandered definition of "central london". The express is sometimes worth it, but it very much depends on where you're going; the express simply dumps you out at Paddington which does not have great onward connections. Whereas the Piccadilly line, being a tube line that goes right through the centre, can often take you directly where you want to go (particularly as a tourist) - Piccadilly itself, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Kings Cross, ...
      - Nrsolis 12y ago
        None of this matters much to me since I'm often staying someplace close to Paddington and/or Mayfair. If I'm not staying there, I'm off to Canary Wharf and it's a taxi ride no matter what. If you're fine with lugging baggage up and down the tube stairwells, then fine by you, but I prefer the Express for any number of reasons and time of travel/distance traveled isn't the sole determinant of my choice.

by nfoz 12y ago

dogma1138 12y ago

You can also get to Heathrow with a bus or the tube for 10 GBP, still most people either take a much more expensive train or book a car. Getting to JFK in public transport might work for a domestic flight but i won't want to go trough NY's public transport with 2 full suit cases.

RijilV 12y ago
Why does international flight mean 2 full suit cases? Seriously I'm 12 days in on a 14 day business trip across 'the pond' with a half sized roller board and that includes both the work laptop and a personal one, juggling props (hey come'on it's Europe) and running gear. For business I figure if the privatized transport from the airport is 1/2 as long and not silly costs I'll expense it without guilt. At supposedly $99 from JFK it sounds legit for a short business trip. Granted they claim PMV, so YMMV.
- PhantomGremlin 12y ago
  > Why does international flight mean 2 full suit cases? Certainly 1 full suitcase? Shirts, pants, socks, underwear, perhaps a suit or two, and a pair of extra shoes? I can easily fill a suitcase with that stuff. Do you do laundry on your trip? That would certainly significantly reduce the quantity of clothes required. Now that all airlines are charging per bag (previously all airlines allowed two free bags) it probably makes more sense to figure out how to wash clothes abroad than to lug around a lot of extra clothing.
  - ghaff 12y ago
    Take a little jar of soap and wash out the stuff that needs washing out. For a 2 week trip, I'd admittedly typically check luggage though. A lot depends on the details of the trip and the climate.
lmm 12y ago
Tube is ~5 I think, and bus even less. But the expensive train (15GBP, still much less than $99) gets a lot of advertising and is in all the guidebooks, so many people assume it's the only way to go (plus it's owned by the airport so they try to guide you that way). I've never known anyone who'd book a car, I once took a taxi when the tube broke down and I was running late and it was GBP30 to go ~3 miles. That seems like the preserve of the super-rich.
- Nrsolis 12y ago
  FWIW, I've done both trips (tube vs. Heathrow Express) and I much prefer Heathrow Express. When I travel it's usually for business and the time savings of the Express vs. the Tube just makes it a complete no-brainer for me. People often complain that it's a very expensive and very short train ride but they forget that the short travel time is a FEATURE.
  - lmm 12y ago
    It's not a short time because the train's fast, it's short because it's not very far. And the claimed speed advantage is based on a somewhat gerrymandered definition of "central london". The express is sometimes worth it, but it very much depends on where you're going; the express simply dumps you out at Paddington which does not have great onward connections. Whereas the Piccadilly line, being a tube line that goes right through the centre, can often take you directly where you want to go (particularly as a tourist) - Piccadilly itself, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Kings Cross, ...
    - Nrsolis 12y ago
      None of this matters much to me since I'm often staying someplace close to Paddington and/or Mayfair. If I'm not staying there, I'm off to Canary Wharf and it's a taxi ride no matter what. If you're fine with lugging baggage up and down the tube stairwells, then fine by you, but I prefer the Express for any number of reasons and time of travel/distance traveled isn't the sole determinant of my choice.