Q70 runs every 7–10 minutes, but it’s the wrong bus
This combo even in the name — Subway N/W to Astoria plus Q70 SBS — is a bit of a trap. The Q70 SBS is built to feed the 7/E/F/M/R and LIRR from LaGuardia’s Terminals B and C, not the N/W in Astoria. Transit nerds on r/nyc flat-out say: “You don’t take Q70 to the N/W – that’s M60 territory.”
Cost first: each MTA leg is $2.90 on OMNY or MetroCard, but bus–subway transfers are free within 2 hours, so most trips still price out as a single fare. You’d only pay another $2.90 if you foolishly rode, say, Q70 to Jackson Heights and then backtracked on separate buses or subways toward Astoria.
On frequency, Q70 SBS runs about every 7–10 minutes most of the day from Terminals B and C, and the Astoria N/W line runs every few minutes in daytime from stops like Astoria Blvd. The snag: there’s no direct Q70 connection to any N/W station, so you’d be forcing at least one extra transfer and some walking versus just using the M60 straight to Astoria.
Typical blogs still say “take the subway to Astoria and then a bus to LGA” without naming the route, which sends people toward this N/W + Q70 mashup. Regulars instead ride the M60 SBS between LaGuardia and the N/W at Astoria Blvd or 31 St, then use Q70 only when they actually want Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Ave or Woodside–61 St for the 7/E/F/M/R or LIRR.
There’s no standard journey time here; riders don’t report a consistent door-to-door figure for Q70 plus N/W because almost nobody uses that pair on purpose. Transit forums basically treat this as a routing error, not a niche local hack, especially if your hotel is near Broadway or 30th Ave on the N/W.
How to (theoretically) ride N/W plus Q70
- 1. From your Astoria stay near the N/W, take a Manhattan-bound N or W to Queensboro Plaza (about 5–10 minutes).
- 2. Transfer upstairs/downstairs to a 7 train toward Flushing; ride 2 stops to 74 St–Broadway / Roosevelt Ave.
- 3. Exit at 74 St and follow signs on Broadway for the Q70 SBS LaGuardia Link stop; the walk is roughly 2–4 minutes.
- 4. Tap OMNY or dip MetroCard at the Q70 SBS stop; the ride to Terminals B and C usually takes about 10–15 minutes, then extends to Terminal A if you need it.
- 5. At LaGuardia, double-check on the bus screens that you’re getting off at the right terminal letter (A/B/C) before the doors open.
Bottom line tip: if your destination is on the N/W in Astoria, use the M60 SBS instead; save the Q70 for trips tied to the 7/E/F/M/R or LIRR at Jackson Heights or Woodside.