Sharing the love...

I'm also appreciating SuperShuttle this morning!

I called up the shared-ride van service SuperShuttle--love them!-- because who wants to try to catch a subway train to JFK at 3:00 in the morning while toting two large bags and one suitcase? I definitely didn't. And taxis are pretty scarce around my section of Queens at any time of day, let alone at 3 in the morning!

Besides the convenience of having someone pick you up at your door at any hour to take you to the airport, cost was another factor on my mind-- since I moved out of Manhattan, my rides to my usual airport, Newark, have skyrocketed from their usual $17 to nearly $50-- for that price, I might as well pay a bit more for a cab and not have to share it with anyone! 

[For the record, a cab ride from Newark to Manhattan costs about $60, which includes the tip and the toll fees between NJ and NY. I don't know how much it would cost to get there from Queens--I've never tried.]

But I've never flown out of JFK before, so that, combined with the early flight time, extra bags, and unpredictability of catching a subway train or cab at that hour, convinced me to call up SuperShuttle. It wasn't a bad price (only about $30 plus tip), the driver arrived at 4:30 on the dot (when do rides ever arrive entirely on time?) and he took me straight to JFK.

Normally the shared rides pick up several passengers in the area before heading to the airport, in order to make an efficient trip. But apparently, I was the only Astoria-to-JFK customer at that hour. Hey, no problem-- I don't mind being the only passenger!

I've had the occasional problem with SuperShuttle, usually involving the length of time it takes to get a ride from the airport, but for the most part I really like them. I switch back and forth between them and AirlinkNY, the other shared-ride van service. For anyone visiting NYC, that's one of the best ways to get from the airport, in my opinion. Yeah, you can take a cab, but the cost can add up quickly unless your hotel is nearby.

Even better, I found out after my flight landed in Tampa that SuperShuttle operates in Florida, too, so I had an easy ride to the hotel in Clearwater. One much-needed vacation and family reunion, coming up!