Grand Central Station is the departure point for much of the traffic leaving the city for the airport. From there the Fulton Street Station is a straight shot on the East Side green subway lines, the 4, 5 and 6 trains. The A-train at Fulton Streer goes to JFK.

EW YORK's Underground Railroad, the subway, offers freedom to the weary traveler. Freedom that might culminate in flight to some faraway tropical island.

Then, of course, there's the matter of the plane ticket.

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In fact, most of those who can afford vacations on faraway islands don't take the subway. They take taxis, or private cars, or limos, or even helicopters. Less than three percent of passengers traveling to John F. Kennedy Airport take the subway. Those who do have had to deal with inaccurate directions, poorly lit subway stations, multiple transfers, and a travel time approaching 2.5 hours. On the up side, the ride is cheap--$1.50.

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For that price, even some of those who can afford private cars might want to consider a subway ride.

"I take the subway and then transfer," says Rich Stewart, an American Airlines pilot on his way to work. "Unless it's very late at night. Then I might take a taxi or a car service."

The subway serving JFK is the A-train, which stops at the Howard Beach station. From there, passengers take a free bus to the airport. According to Dierdre Parker of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, 500,000 people travel the A-line each day. Of those, only a tiny fraction, 2,500, manage to fight their way upstream to the Howard Beach turnstile serving the airport.

Buses to the airport proper from the Howard Beach Subway terminal run frequently but are often crowded. Of the 2,500 people who pass through the station turnstile one way each day, many are workers at the airport, not passengers. PHOTO: Mike Axley

When they arrive, they are often irritable. "Service could be better," says Crystal DePalma, who travels the route regularly. "At night the last express train is at 9:30 p.m., so it takes a long time to get to Manhattan. On weekends especially, there's always construction…It's never direct. There's always some problem."

Wayne Thompson, a subway operator on the A-train, disagrees. In his opinion, the service is pretty good. Particularly when one considers the hassles and expense of parking, or of sitting in a cab during rush hour traffic. "If I lived in Manhattan I'd take the train," says Thompson. "Without a doubt. It's cheaper and it's more convenient." Despite it all, those who do take the subway to the airport might also enjoy some of the strange beauty and personality that make New York, well, New York. All for the price of a token.