How to avoid $8 Newark Airport Tax

Submitted by DrixxYBoat t3_za5zg8 in Newark

I work near Penn Station. I can theoretically take a train from Newark Penn to Newark Airport, and then take a bus to get home. I only live like 7 minutes away from the airport.

Anyways you can't get into the airport from the airport railway without paying an $8 surcharge on top of your existing rail ticket.

I was just wondering if there are any workarounds or if anyone has any experience with the workings of things.

I'm not trying to dodge tickets altogether, I'll gladly pay $4 for the 5 minute train ride from Penn to the Airport.

I just can't justify spending $12 per trip. It's 3x more.

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NewLoseIt t1_iyl2o21 wrote

Do you commute daily or often enough for a monthly pass?

“The $8 AirTrain access fee is not charged for children 11 and under or for customers using monthly passes with the airport as the origin or destination.”

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DrixxYBoat OP t1_iyl6baz wrote

Bro holy shit

I just checked and there's no monthly pass option for students. My student account gets a 25% discount on monthly passes. Strangley enough I just had to go through the steps to reactivate it since it's per semester and only for monthly passes which I haven't been using. Anyways the monthly pass option disappeared once my discount took into effect again.

Moreover

A monthly pass from Newark Penn to Newark Airport at the regular rate is $82.00

The standard ticket is $11

So technically the monthly pass, for regular people, will pay for itself in only 8 uses, however, this is just from Penn to the Airport, a 5 minute ride.

However again, if you were to increase the distance say, from Newark Airport to Netherwood Station 30 minutes away in Plainfield, the monthly price is $183, the same exact monthly price as it would be from Newark Penn to Netherwood Station.

This info doesn't help me, I don't think? But it's interesting nonetheless and you were right to point out monthly passes

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TrafficSNAFU t1_iys4dfs wrote

I would take the #62 or G028 bus. Bus tickets don't have the surcharge. They also will drop you off right next to each terminal. I personally take the G028 and I really like that service.

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ryanov t1_iyl5ej2 wrote

You’re probably better off taking the bus the whole way from downtown. Even cheaper than the $4-5.

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DrixxYBoat OP t1_iyl75gf wrote

Oh yeah for sure.

I just wanted to explore the train option because

A. Buses don't run from Penn after 12:30

B. Trains are nicer

C. Newark Penn-Airport is a nicer experience than Raymond Boulevard Bus Lanes

D. I'm genuinely curious

E. I like to have options

F. To be able to take a train in a pinch would be great. Technically I still can, but I'd just have to eat the $8 surcharge

G. There's food options in the airport

H. The new Terminal A is about to open up in the airport and it would be really cool to be able to commute through there every day

Overall I'll probably stick to buses. Transportation is transportation at the end of the day, whether you're on a bus with drug fiends or on a crowded train with asshole nyc commuters.

Not to equate the two but yk. Grass is greener type stuff.

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allyouneedissleep t1_iyllge1 wrote

The 62 only doesn't run from 0200-0400 otherwise it's available for airport employees. It's 1.60, one way.

Food options in airports are more expensive and generally limited, especially outside of security. I really wouldn't "commute through it", not worth it. The bus really fills up at shift change times.

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ryanov t1_iyo5tld wrote

No, that's not true. It runs at 1, 2, 3, and 4, as well as 1:30 and 3:30 at least (the schedule is a little weird, as they don't seem to know what to do with a 24/7 schedule, and they typically list after-midnight buses at the end.

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thebruns t1_iyn73ie wrote

> A. Buses don't run from Penn after 12:30

The 62 runs 24/7

>Newark Penn-Airport is a nicer experience than Raymond Boulevard Bus Lanes

There are no buses at the airport train station, you cannot access the street

>The new Terminal A is about to open up in the airport and it would be really cool to be able to commute through there every day

The new terminal will be a 15 minute walk from the airtrain, which in turn is 12 minutes for the airport train station

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DrixxYBoat OP t1_iyngv7m wrote

>There are no buses at the airport train station, you cannot access the street

I would be entering the airport via air train and would then find a bus at a terminal.

>The new terminal will be a 15 minute walk from the airtrain, which in turn is 12 minutes for the airport train station

This is a really big issue. I assumed they would have transportation lined up // connected

>The 62 runs 24/7

The 62 goes to the Airport right? So I could technically take the 62 to Terminal C, and then catch a 107 or 37 to my house

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thebruns t1_iynjanx wrote

> I would be entering the airport via air train and would then find a bus at a terminal.

Airtrain is really shit after 10pm. Single tracking, every 15 minutes.

>This is a really big issue. I assumed they would have transportation lined up // connected

Your port authority dollars in action

>The 62 goes to the Airport right? So I could technically take the 62 to Terminal C, and then catch a 107 or 37 to my house

Yes. I would double check that the 1 (Ivy Hill) or the 25 (Irvington) work for you, as they also run late and run from Penn.

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DrixxYBoat OP t1_iyo0zmr wrote

Oh wow I wasn't even thinking about those since I'm pretty sure they depart from the market street side of Penn Station

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ryanov t1_iyo5aow wrote

You might wanna try https://transitapp.com. If you're still looking at individual buses or trains or whatever, you're probably trying too hard at this point.

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ryanov t1_iyo7ssn wrote

>The 62 goes to the Airport right? So I could technically take the 62 to Terminal C, and then catch a 107 or 37 to my house

I think someone later brought up better fits for you, but honestly, I never take the train to the airport. It's expensive, and counting the AirTrain, it's slower/more work. Someone either here or on Facebook disagreed with me, and I'm coming from Broad/Raymond and not Penn Station, but given the AirTrain time vs. getting off right at the terminal, plus how often it runs... I think it's a wash. I've only ever hit serious traffic on Saturday afternoon, but obviously one car crash can change that.

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ryanov t1_iyo5e1b wrote

>The new terminal will be a 15 minute walk from the airtrain, which in turn is 12 minutes for the airport train station

I'm pretty sure that's temporary, no? Or is it temporary but not solved until the AirTrain is replaced?

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thebruns t1_iyo5poz wrote

Temporary for 5-10 years. The new airtrain was supposed to open in 2021, they havent even started prelim construction.

And once its built, it will be convenient to Terminal A...but completely miss Terminal B.

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ryanov t1_iyohslz wrote

I'm glad I won't miss it at all (that's presuming I'm flying by 5 years from now, which doesn't seem to be a given with how much we're still in the "fuck around" phase with COVID). Not great for people who want to use Newark Airport from other than Newark, though.

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Atuk-77 t1_iymurqq wrote

Nice things cost money and I don’t think the train can support itself without this charge, the monthly pass seems reasonable.

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thebruns t1_iyn788q wrote

Except only 3 airports in the country - Newark, JFK, Oakland, charge for their train. The other 15+ are free. Stop excusing corruption.

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