Philadelphia vs New York for Business Travel
Which is the easier business trip — Philadelphia or New York? Airports, getting around, and what’s actually there, compared.
Two very different business-travel cities. Here is the honest side-by-side, the airports, whether you can skip the rental, and how much is actually headquartered there.
| Philadelphia | New York |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia International (PHL) airport rail available · 12 HQ guides | JFK, LaGuardia (LGA), and Newark (EWR) airport rail available · 51 HQ guides · NRF |
Which is easier to get around?
Philadelphia. SEPTA’s Airport Line stops at four stations across the terminals and runs every 30 minutes from 5 a.m. to midnight, every day. It is $8.75 bought in advance and $11.00 on board, so buy before you board. The local trap is that the airport has two roadways: SEPTA buses are on the arrivals curb while ride apps are on S. Commercial Road, behind the baggage claims.
New York. The $8.75 AirTrain is only the first ticket. Then LIRR at $14.00 to $16.00 for about 30 minutes or the subway at $11.75 for about 50. And at Terminals 5 and 7 the rideshare pickup is not at the terminal at all.
So which is the better business trip?
Philadelphia, for the airport-to-downtown run, comfortably. One ticket, one train, four station stops across the terminals, and a fare that is less than New York’s AirTrain plus anything.
New York, if the trip is New York. That is not a dodge: Philadelphia’s advantage is confined to the arrival, and once you are working, Manhattan’s density does things Center City cannot. Book Philadelphia expecting an easy landing; book New York expecting an expensive one and a productive week.
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