Travel to New York City

the Airtrain to the Howard Beach Station where you can buy a multiple ride Metro card from the vending machines without leaving the station (free). Then take the Air train back one stop to the Lefferts Boulevard station, where you can cross the street for the Q10 and B15 buses. (The signage here is not as good as in Terminal 5.) Bus to subway/LIRR transfers include:

Q10 to:

Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd (20 min): "A" Train - the subway connection closest to the airport

Jamaica Ave & Lefferts Blvd: "J" & "Z" Trains (walk 3 blocks east to 121st st Jamaica Ave Station)

Kew Gardens (30 minutes): Transfer here to the Long Island Railroad (Austin Street Station) with service to Penn Station ($8.00 peak, $5.75 off-peak, $4.00 weekend with City Ticket), Brooklyn, and Long Island. While this option is cheaper than taking the Air Train to Jamaica and connecting there to the LIRR, LIRR service from here is much less frequent than LIRR service from Jamaica.

Kew Gardens-80 Road-Union Turnpike (Last Stop) (35 minutes): "E" & "F" Trains. During rush hours, from this stop, you can take express buses X63, X64, X68, QM18, and QM21 to Manhattan. While these routes are slower and more expensive than taking the subway, they do offer a ride on cloth seats without the crowding. Ask where the bus stops are located. $6.00, but it is $3.50 if you transfer from the Q10 bus and pay for both with a Metro Card.

Q3 to:

Jamaica-179th Street (45 minutes): "F" Train

B15 to:

Ashford