OMNY's Delayed Rollout To JFK AirTrain Must Be Sped Up, Lawmakers Say

QUEENS, NY — The new "tap-and-go" payment system now operating in all New York City subway stations must be expanded to fill a glaring gap: the JFK Airport AirTrain, where the planned OMNY rollout has been plagued by delays, according to local lawmakers.

While New Yorkers can now zip around the city's subway system without needing a MetroCard, the MTA remains months behind schedule in completing the rollout, which will eventually cover commuter trains like the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North — but not until 2024.

Also facing that pushed-back timeline is the JFK AirTrain, which last year shuttled 10.3 million passengers from the city's busiest airport into the heart of Queens. Many AirTrain passengers must still go through the cumbersome process of purchasing a new MetroCard — with a $1 fee — and often waiting in a long line before doing so.

Originally slated for 2021, the AirTrain's OMNY rollout will now happen "sometime in 2024," according to a recent tweet from the airport.

That's unacceptable, according to four City Council members, who penned a letter to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey earlier this month calling for an expedited OMNY installation at JFK.

"We urge the Port Authority and the MTA to do their part to ensure 'tap and go' payment is available at AirTrain stations without any more unnecessary delay," reads the letter, which was shared exclusively with Patch. It was written by Councilmember Julie Menin and co-signed by Speaker Adrienne Adams and fellow members Selvena Brooks-Powers and Joann Ariola.

Menin noted that she recently persuaded the MTA to take steps to speed up OMNY's rollout at the Roosevelt Island tram, which is in her Manhattan district.

Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton responded to the four lawmakers in his own letter on Thursday, saying his agency was "in extensive dialogue with the MTA" to get the system up and running.

"In the meantime, our AirTrain JFK team has been working with the MTA to implement interim solutions to relieve crowded conditions at the AirTrain JFK fare zones," Cotton said.

The lack of OMNY at the AirTrain also costs commuters money by blocking access to its fare-capping program, the lawmakers argue. Just 12 percent of passengers who enter and leave JFK Airport use the AirTrain — a figure that would rise if OMNY were installed, they argue.

Menin, in a statement, said that "tourists and commuters should not be impeded from a money- and time-saving payment option."

"If the MTA was able to amend and expedite its installation contract for the Roosevelt Island tram, then the AirTrain should not be left behind," she said.