World cities across the globe are physically connected to each other by their airports. To remain economically competitive and support continued economic growth, they need to sustain and improve these connections. Nowhere is this as true as it is in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region, where the leading economic sectors—financial and business services, tourism, media and communications, higher education, pharmaceuticals, research and development—all rely on frequent air travel to multiple destinations. In the global competition for these high-value economic activities, the experience of business travelers, tourists and other frequent fliers makes a difference in where firms choose to concentrate employees and how much business they attract.

A key part of the air travel experience is how fast and easy it is to get to and from the airport. Ironically, the transit-rich New York metropolitan region lags behind many of its global competitors in offering convenient transit connections to its airports. This is particularly true relative to European and Asian cities. The share of air passengers using transit to get to the airport ranged from 22 to 64 percent in 19 international regions studied for this report, compared with just 15 percent for the New York region and only 12 percent at Newark. While Europe and Asia benefit from a greater tendency to use transit of all kinds, the higher quality of the air transit services is also a contributing factor. In New York, existing transit systems offer a two-seat ride from Midtown Manhattan to Newark Liberty (EWR) and John F. Kennedy ( JFK) airports, while getting to EWR from Lower Manhattan or Jersey City by rail requires a three-seat ride.

Meanwhile, demand for air travel in this region continues to grow. RPA estimates that the number of passengers traveling through EWR will grow from 34 million annual passengers in 2012 to a projected 37 million in 2018; 41 million in 2026; and 48 million in 2037.

The best way to address this service gap is to extend the PATH transit system from its current terminus at Newark Penn Station to the Northeast Corridor station and AirTrain link at EWR, a distance of less than two miles. This will create a direct link for Lower Manhattan and Jersey City and provide the most frequent and lowest-cost service to the airport from any part of the region. It would create the potential for improved service from Midtown and Newark; provide better transit options across the congested Hudson River getting people out of cars and reducing congestion; and support economic growth and job creation in North Jersey and the entire New York metropolitan region. And very importantly, the project will cost less to build than comparable transit links at other airports and can be paid for by a broad range of revenues and financing arrangements.