Passengers using Kennedy Airport in New York have a new ground-transportation choice with the opening of the long-awaited AirTrain JFK. The light-rail link connects the airport’s nine terminals with parking lots, car rental locations and nearby train, bus and subway stations.
The connection to the Long Island Rail Road and the E, J and Z subway lines is at Jamaica Station; the link to the A train is at Howard Beach. Service between airport stops, including parking lots and car rental locations, is free; travel to Howard Beach or Jamaica costs $5 each way.
The trip from Penn Station in New York by Long Island Rail Road and connecting to AirTrain JFK at Jamaica Station in Queens, the fastest route, takes 35 minutes and costs $11.75.
For information, call 877-535-2478.
Travel aid for disabled
There is a growing awareness of the needs of handicapped people who want to travel, and a number of companies specialize in tours for them. Spearheading this growth is the Society for the Advancement of Travel and Hospitality (formerly called the Society for Advancement of Travel for the Handicapped), known by the acronym SATH.
SATH, a non-profit organization, helped bring about the Americans With Disabilities Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1980, which is a sort of Bill of Rights for people with disabilities.
For a list of agencies that handle tours for handicapped persons, call SATH at 212-447-7284 or see the Web site, www.sath.org. You’ll find that some handle only wheelchair-bound travelers, others hearing impaired, and so on. Some require that each handicapped traveler be accompanied by an able-bodied companion.
Saving bucks in Britain
If you’re planning a trip to England, you could save yourself some money by buying a BritRail “Great British Heritage Pass.”
The pass provides admission to more than 600 historic homes, castles, gardens and ruins, including Windsor Castle, Hampton Court and Kensington Palace in London, the Roman Baths in Bath, Edinburgh Castle in Scotland and Bodnant Gardens in Wales.
The pass is valid anytime within six months of the date it is issued, and once you begin using it, it is good for from four days to a month, depending on which pass you buy.
The pass also comes with a free 44-page booklet describing the properties, their hours of admission and maps.
If you buy the pass between Jan. 1 and Jan 31, you’ll get nearly a third off the regular price, and if you visit three or four properties, the pass will pay for itself. The regular price for a pass good for four consecutive days is $35, but the discount price is $25; the price for a one-month pass is being discounted from $102 to $71.
For more information, call 866-BITRAIL or visit www.britrail.net.
