Is there a regional airport that would make it easier for me to get to Red Bank, New Jersey

October 19, 2009 10:16 AM

Is there a regional airport that would make it easier for me to get to Red Bank, New Jersey as compared to going into the dreaded Newark Airport (EWR)?

I know that Red Bank is only 30 miles south of Newark ... but for obvious reasons (flight delays, traffic, etc) I would like to avoid it. Unfortunately, I can't come up with a better alternative. Any thoughts appreciated, thanks!

And if it matters, this is a flight leaving 11/1 and returning 11/6 out of Jacksonville or Gainesville, FL.

posted by Dave. to travel & transportation (16 comments total)

Are you flying your own plane? I'm really confused.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:18 AM on October 19

Go to Philadelphia. Otherwise, no, unless you're flying a private plane.
posted by bedhead at 10:21 AM on October 19

No.

That was easy.
posted by JaredSeth at 10:21 AM on October 19

I should have clarified that, eh? Definitely not flying my own plane (and don't have my own plane).
posted by Dave. at 10:24 AM on October 19

The NJ Transit train is a nice way to get to/from the airport if you can make that work. The Red Bank train station is on the North Jersey Coast line. But, I grew up in Jersey, I never found EWR to be that bad.
posted by teragram at 10:25 AM on October 19

Newark's not bad, especially compared to La Guardia or JFK. I haven't run into excessive delays or traffic and I've traveled out of there quite a bit. If you're driving, it would help to have a GPS, but that's just because New Jersey has a lot of highways in that area.

Also, the smaller airports in the area (Westchester, Stewart) tend to have other drawbacks that don't make them a good choice even if your destination is closer to them. Expensive flights on limited carriers with more connections, in particular.
posted by smackfu at 10:36 AM on October 19

Not that I know of. I have also taken NJT to/from Newark, which works well enough.

Never thought of it as dreaded Newark Airport, though.
posted by R. Mutt at 10:46 AM on October 19

Teterboro, perhaps? But again, you'd need to be flying in a small small plane, and none of the big airlines go there... something like a corporate jet would work.
posted by Grither at 10:50 AM on October 19

Yes, Newark, possibly, with NJ Transit, is going to be your quickest route if the flight's actually on time. If you are really anti-Newark (and can't say I blame you, having logged many a delayed flight there), you can fly to Philly or JFK and have a longer drive/train. Given some Newark delays I've experienced, that could still wind up being quicker if you're seriously delayed coming into Newark - but no guarantee that'll be the case.
posted by Stacey at 10:56 AM on October 19

I live in the Red Bank area and work in downtown Red Bank. When I fly, I almost always fly through Newark. It's a 40 minute car ride and easily accessible via the NJ Transit train. While I understand the delays that can be run into when flying, going through Philadelphia or JFK isn't an option I'd recommend at all.

Only other thing that I'd say is a remote possibility is Atlantic City. Spirit Air is the airline that serves that airport and I believe they have regular service to/from Florida. Red Bank is about a 90 minute drive north of Atlantic City with no public transportation options linking the two cities. I don't know how often the flights run but do know some people who fly to Florida via AC pretty often.

The other airports in the area are all private, small plane airports. No options there.

If you need to know anything about the town, please let me know! I work right on Broad St in Downtown Red Bank.
posted by tommccabe at 11:19 AM on October 19

If you really want to avoid Newark, you could try Atlantic City (ACY). You're not likely to find any direct flights (a quick search shows that AirTran will get you from Jacksonville to Atlantic City with a 2+ hour layover in Atlanta), and you're looking at about an hour and a half drive (though the Garden State Parkway means it's mostly a straight shot from the airport).
posted by Godbert at 11:23 AM on October 19

I can not recommend PHL, JFK, LGA, or really any other airport for Red Bank. Suck it up and fly into EWR, and hop on the NJT train. It's awesome. Or drive. I don't fly all that often, but I have never really hit significant traffic around the EWR area on a Sunday, unless there is a football game. Which there is on 11/1 -- a Jets game. Either way, the game is at 1PM, and you're going the other way. Not really something to worry about. If you don't catch an express, it's 57 minutes. Figure 70 minutes including the monorail (what's it called? monorail!) and buying a ticket. Schedules here.

There is absolutely no direct way to get from Philly Airport to Red Bank by car. You will need to take 95 across a bridge to 295 or the Turnpike to 195 to the Parkway to 35... Yeah, probably not the best idea.

Anyway, I think that you are trying to avoid a problem when there really isn't one, and the best solution here is to just fly into EWR. If you decide you need a car, stop at Rutt's Hut. Best hot dogs ever.
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 11:27 AM on October 19

People have suggested Atlantic City (ACY). But that's about the same driving distance as Philadelphia (PHL), and you can probably get flights into PHL more easily.

On the other hand, PHL is notorious for losing people's luggage.
posted by madcaptenor at 11:28 AM on October 19

EWR is probably going to be your best and quickest option. Not counting AirTrain, it's a one-seat ride from Red Bank, and the other airports in the area are too far away (at least in terms of ground travel time) to make it worth your while.

In my experience, JFK's delays are worse, and getting to LGA requires either patience or cab fare.
posted by oaf at 11:41 AM on October 19

If you want to see exactly where the New Jersey airports are on Google maps, the links on the left hand side of this page (self link) will show you. The other New York airports are all further away.
posted by Lanark at 11:57 AM on October 19

PHL is a great airport. There's never a crowd or a delay and you zip right through customs. But Atlantic City is more direct to Red Bank.
posted by Zambrano at 2:24 PM on October 19