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Next Saturday I have an early morning flight out of JFK that will have me getting on the subway at 4:45-5:00 in the morning. My route has me taking the 7 train to the Jackson Heights station and then transferring to the E which will take me to Jamaica station where I can catch the air-train.
I am a comfortable and experienced subway user and have been in some seedy areas of the city late at night so I wouldn't normally be asking a question like this, but the hours of 4 and 5 in the morning are strange hours. They are late enough to where even the most late-night of people will be sleeping, but early enough that most early-morning people will not be up yet. To me they represent the hours where the people that are out are usually up to no good. If it was during the week I wouldn't have asked this as there would probably be at least a few people getting ready to go to work, but since it's a Saturday it made me think twice.
I have seen the Jamaica station nearly empty on a Friday night at 8 o'clock. I can't imagine how desolate it must seem at 5 in the morning on a Saturday. So, now that I babbled on for a page let me pose the question:
Do I have any reason to be concerned? Would it be worth it to pay the $40 for a cab?
And if it makes any difference I am a male and will more than likely just be carrying a backpack, which I feel makes me slightly less vulnerable than someone trying to haul around multiple suitcases.
You'll be fine as long as you're not picking fights with random skells. This isn't the 1980's. There aren't roving bands of street gangs with matching leather vests and switchblades looking to take the $60 in your wallet....
One thing I would however watch out for is getting a ticket for putting your feet up on the seats. My brother got a ticket for that riding back from JFK on the A train a little while back. Even though the train was completely empty. So just heads up on that.....
I am not worried about "the warriors" style gangs with matching vests and switchblades robbing me at knife point, I was more concerned about those shady characters who sometimes roll in small groups taking all of my important belongings right before I go on vacation.
Like I said, I have seen the Jamaica station pretty empty on a Friday night at 8 pm. I have also seen a lot of homeless/vagrant people hanging around there asking for money and/or old metro card tickets. I was just wondering if I should expect some trouble traveling solo at 5 in the morning on a saturday.
At that hour on a Saturday you might still catch the coming home from the bars crowd especially on the 7 train. I have been onthe 7 train lots of times at that hour coming and going from a friends and I have never felt uncomfortable and I am a female.
I suggest you check the MTA website to see the frequency of the trains at that hour so you won't be waiting around too long at each station for a train.
Honestly, don't worry about it at all man. Things can happen regardless but for the most part, if you've survived those other times, you'll be okay now. I think anyway.
You should be fine at that hour. Although I do believe you're going to have a slight bit of difficulty transferring from the #7 to the E at Jackson Heights (mostly because the transfer station is 74th Street, not 82nd, which is officially the Jackson Heights station).
You also didn't say where your trip is originating from. If it's Manhattan and not Queens, then you should take the A train and fuhgeddabout both Jamaica Station AND the Air-Train! (It's not usually publicized very well, but it's not necessary to take the Rockaway-bound A train; you can take the Lefferts Boulevard branch, and right downstairs use your MetroCard for a free transfer to the Q10 bus, which does exactly the same airport loop as the Air Train. Port Authority, which owns and operates Air Train, isn't interested in having you avoid their fare, which is why the Q10 option is rarely mentioned anywhere).
Shouldn't be any problem at all, especially this time of year you won't be alone making the transfer from the E to the AirTrain; it'll be a busy travel weekend. Just a couple of things to watch for; as Fred314X said the transfer from the 7 is at the 74 Street-Broadway station, not 82 Street-Jackson Heights. That may be what you meant, but just don't off when you see "Jackson Heights" on the signs at the stop.
Similarly, I see a lot of people heading to JFK who are confused as to which stop they should get off from the E. That's not as bad as it used to be, since they put "JFK" on the signs at the station several months ago and also now announce it on the train (and you can usually hear the announcements now on the new cars). But anyway, it's the Sutphin Boulevard/Archer Avenue/JFK Airport station (used to just have the first two, which was more confusing), not Jamaica-Van Wyck (the one right before it) or Jamaica Center (the next one, end of the line).
Usually it's easy to tell just by watching people. It's the station where everyone with luggage gets off.
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