The JFK Express, advertised as The Train to The Plane, was a limited express service of the New York City Subway, connecting Midtown Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK Airport). It operated between 1978 and 1990. Passengers paid extra, premium fares to ride JFK Express trains. Its route bullet was colored and contained an aircraft symbol. For most of its history, the JFK Express operated along the IND Sixth Avenue Line; IND Fulton Street Line; and IND Rockaway Line between its northern terminal at 57th Street–Sixth Avenue in Manhattan and its southern terminal at Howard Beach–JFK Airport in Queens. At Howard Beach, passengers transferred to shuttle buses to reach the airport itself. During the JFK Express's last six months of operation, it was extended northward along the IND 63rd Street Line to 21st Street–Queensbridge, also in Queens. The service primarily used R46 subway cars. Fares and rolling stock Fares Passengers purchased premium-fare tickets on board, and an onboard transit clerk on each train punched passengers' tickets. In addition, there were transit police officers aboard to provide protection for travelers. The initial fare was $3.50, and the fare for the shuttle bus was $1.00. On January 1, 1979, airline and airport employees were provided a discounted book of twenty tickets, selling for $25. On July 3, 1981, the fare was raised from $4 to $5. When the service was discontinued in 1990, the fare was $6.75. Rolling stock The JFK Express used R46s exclusively for most of its existence, although near its end R44s were used after major service changes took place on December 11, 1988. The trains were initially three cars long or in length. They later were four cars long or long, half the length of a typical B Division train. The cars featured luggage racks for airport-bound passengers. History Introduction In spring 1978, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) reached out to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to join a study evaluating long-term transportation improvements to JFK Airport. In summer 1978, the two agencies worked out the details for a service running to the Howard Beach station on the IND Rockaway Line. The station was renamed Howard Beach—JFK Airport, and a transfer terminal to shuttle buses was built. Since air passengers were perceived to be more sensitive to the quality of service, and less sensitive to fare levels, it was decided to