JFK AirTrain effectively free to ride as Port Authority bungles OMNY rollout

The JFK AirTrain is free to ride — at least some of the time — a top Port Authority official said on Tuesday.

But savvy transit riders said they’ve been able skirt the fare for the pricey people mover since October, when the agency installed OMNY tap-to-pay readers at a select number of the line's turnstiles in Jamaica and Howard Beach. The agency bungled the installation of the tech, enabling people to stroll through those entry points without paying the $8.50 fare.

During a news conference, Port Authority Chief Operating Officer Jim Heitmann claimed the gates are actually left open on purpose during busy hours to prevent crowding.

“If we experience high volumes, we open the gates to keep people moving … We want to make sure we keep people moving through the station as efficiently as possible,” Heitmann said. “When we open the gates, it’s free, basically to just manage the traffic and provide a good level of customer service.”

That’s a shift from comments made in May by a Port Authority spokesperson, who at the time claimed the fare gates at the AirTrain’s OMNY turnstiles were left open as a “temporary” solution while the agency worked to make the technology work with its turnstiles.

Heitmann did not specify how frequently the gates are left open, and a Port Authority spokesperson was unable to provide an example of when the OMNY gates at the JFK AirTrain functioned as intended

Jason Rabinowitz, an airline industry analyst who uses the AirTrain at least once a month, said he’s never seen the OMNY gates closed.

“I think they just didn’t bother fully integrating OMNY into the old turnstiles,” said Rabinowitz. “Either they’re just too old or they’re going to be replaced soon and they didn’t bother.”

The comments by Port Authority officials about the problems with the AirTrain’s fare gates come days before the agency plans to end a program that has halved the cost to ride the line since July 1. That discount — which brings the official AirTrain fare down to $4.25 — runs through Labor Day.

“I wish it was free,” griped Rabinowitz. “I don't like paying for the AirTrain. I do appreciate the half-price fare this summer because the traffic in JFK is truly apocalyptic right now.”