John F. Kennedy International Airport is the closest airport to Brooklyn, and the most convenient if you're headed to any part of Brooklyn. JFK is about 12 miles from downtown Brooklyn and connects to major cities around the world. JFK is also served by most major airlines, including Delta, Jet Blue and British Airways. To get from JFK to Brooklyn, you can take the AirTrain, which runs to the West Hempstead station in northern Brooklyn. The AirTrain connects with MTA New York City Transit subways and buses here, so it's then easy to transfer and access other areas of Brooklyn. AirTrain operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Taxis and car services are also available from JFK to downtown Brooklyn and run about $59 to $64 as of 2013.
The next closest airport to Brooklyn is LaGuardia Airport, which is about 16 miles north of Brooklyn, in Queens. LGA serves only domestic flights on many airlines, including Delta and US Airways. However, LGA is not serviced by Continental Airlines. LGA does not have a light rail service, so if you're traveling here, you'll need to hail a cab, call a car service, or take public transportation. As of 2013, fares for taxis and cars run around $28 to $33 from LGA to downtown Brooklyn. From several stops in central Brooklyn, you can board the 5 subway train on the Uptown platform for Eastchester - Dyre Ave. There you can connect to the M60 bus for LaGuardia Airport.
Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, is about 20 miles west of central Brooklyn. It's the farthest major airport from Brooklyn and generally isn't convenient if you have the option of flying into JFK or LGA. It is, however, usually less crowded and is more modern than the other New York City airports. EWR carries both domestic and international flights and is the hub for Continental Airlines. For public transportation options, your best choice is the Newark AirTrain, which runs to and from Manhattan. From central Brooklyn, you can reach Penn Station, where the AirTrain picks up passengers, via the 2 subway (on the Uptown platform) towards Wakefield.
Smaller Westchester Airport is gaining popularity as a much less congested airport. Westchester is serviced by Air Tran, American Airlines, Cape Air, Delta, Jet Blue, United and US Airways. This airport is situated outside White Plains, New York, and has limited public transportation options from Brooklyn. It's best to hail a cab or hire private ground transportation if you are using Westchester Airport, though you'll spend around $110 to $115 for the trip to downtown Brooklyn.
Long Island Airport, officially known as MacArthur Airport, is about 25 miles east of central Brooklyn. It is also gaining popularity as an alternative to the area's three major airports, though it can be difficult to reach via public transportation. You can take a combination of buses and subways to MacArthur, though the trip will likely last at least an hour and a half. Ground transportation services and taxis are preferable, though they run about $145, as of publication, for a trip to downtown Brooklyn.
