When we travel internationally — whether it’s to Europe, Central or South America, Asia, or elsewhere — we often find and book the cheapest flights from bigger cities to our destination. From Kansas City, where we live, there just aren’t as many cost-effective options. Typically, we use Southwest points we accrued in our former lives as corporate consultants to help us get from KC to our destination city.
Our favorite place to transfer is Boston (like we did for this Europe trip we’re on right now) because Boston only has one airport and we only have to change terminals, but a lot of big hub cities have multiple airports. And Southwest typically flies into the smaller airport of the two. Which means we have to plan the transfer into our travel day. Depending on the airports and cities, this can range from a minor pain to a major one.
The four cities we’ve transferred airports on a travel day are Chicago, Fort Lauderdale/Miami, New York City, and Houston. Here’s a review of what it’s like to change airports using public transportation in those four cities, ranked from best to worst, with ratings based on a few factors.
1. Best: Chicago-Midway and Chicago-O’Hare
Ease: 9/10
Time: 90 minutes
Cost: $5 USD
Overall rating: 8/10
Changing airports between Chicago-Midway and Chicago-O’Hare isn’t the fastest experience in the world, but it is the most straightforward and definitely a cost-effective option compared to taking a taxi or Uber. All you have to do is take the CTA (Chicago’s public train) between the two airports, transferring lines once between the Blue line and the Orange line in the downtown Loop.
Around the area where you transfer, either Clark/Lake or Harold Washington Library + Jackson, you can even exit the station and grab a bite to eat at one of the Loop’s many restaurants if you’d like. (Though you may need to buy another Ventra ticket, not 100% sure. In the past, I haven’t had to, but it may have changed.)
While it takes about 90 minutes, there shouldn’t be much variation in this timeframe considering you’re taking the CTA all the way and trains run regularly. Signage at both airports makes it pretty easy to find where you’re going. I recommend at least 4 hours scheduled between flights if you’re going to change airports in Chicago, though you can get away with less if you have TSA Pre-Check and/or Global Entry.
2. Second-best: Fort Lauderdale and Miami
Ease: 8/10
Time: 90-180 minutes
Cost: $3.75-$5 USD
Overall rating: 6/10
We’ve transferred between Fort Lauderdale and Miami several times before, but our trip to Costa Rica was the first time we changed airports in one day, rather than flying into one airport, staying overnight, and flying out of the other airport. I was pleasantly surprised by both the overall experience and the cost of the southern Florida transfer. However, it requires more steps than in Chicago, the signage/directions are less clear, and the amount of time it takes to change airports can be wildly variable.
In order to change airports between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, you’ll need to take three methods of transportation: a shuttle to/from Fort Lauderdale’s airport, the Tri-Rail train, and the MIA Mover to/from Miami Airport. The only one you have to pay for is the Tri-Rail train, which costs $3.75 on weekdays or $5 on weekends/holidays.
The fact that the Tri-Rail and the airport shuttle only run every 20-30 minutes or so means that you could get wildly unlucky and have maximum wait times for both. Again, I suggest at least 4-5 hours between flights.
3. Second-worst: New York City-LaGuardia and New York City-JFK
Ease: 4/10
Time: 60-90 minutes
Cost: ~$20 USD
Overall rating: 4/10
Maybe if I hadn’t done this transfer in the summer, things could have been different. As someone who is extremely sensitive to heat, maybe I could have looked at this experience a little more objectively if I hadn’t had to experience the inferno of the NYC subway system in August. Despite having potential to move further up the list due to the low transfer time, the relative difficulty and the high cost bring its rating back down.
Between the two airports, you have to take a shuttle bus (Q70-SBS bus, or the LaGuardia Link), then the subway between Jackson Hts–Roosevelt Ave and Sutphin Blvd–Archer Av–JFK Airport, and also the AirTram between Jamaica Station and JFK. (As of summer 2023, a shuttle is operating in lieu of a closed subway line.)
Again, there are a lot of transfers to handle, not a lot of clear directions, the subway can be unreliable, and it’s quite expensive for the amount of time you’re spending to change airports. In fact, as I write this, Citymapper is telling me it would cost $45 for a Lyft and only take 30 minutes, and if you’ve got at least two people in your party, it pays for itself.
4. Worst: Houston-Hobby and Houston-George Bush
Ease: 6/10
Time: 150-180 minutes
Cost: ~$5 USD
Overall rating: 2/10
Of the four places I’ve changed airports, none has made me question whether it’s really worth it more than going between Houston-Hobby and Houston-George Bush (IAH). It’s not that the transfer is difficult — in fact, it’s quite a bit easier than the NYC transfer. It just takes a really long time, and it was also summer, which meant the whole thing was more uncomfortable.
The two main components of the transfer between Hobby and IAH are two bus rides, with a transfer in the heart of Houston at Lamar St @ Main St. However, each bus ride on its own is about 55 minutes, and that’s with no traffic, so it’s easy to see how the time really adds up. Also, finding the bus stops and the bus you need at each airport isn’t super clear, so always be sure to ask plenty of questions.
With this transfer taking sooooooo long, you need to make sure you have like 6 hours between your flights. And that means it’s not an option for most people, putting it squarely in last place.
Okay… there you have it, what you need to know about transferring airports in Chicago, Houston, NYC, and FLL/Miami! Do you agree with my ratings? Do you have any questions as you plan to change airports? Let me know in the comments!
-Cathy
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