A cab will cost $33+ one way, to many parts of the city. If you’re staying at the Lion’s Inn or Sweet Olive, it’ll be a little more because it's $33 to a street called Elysian Fields, and then for the few blocks beyond that, they'll turn on the meter.
More information about cabs can be found here: http://www.tripsmarter.com/neworleans/info/info7.htm
There is a shuttle bus, but it has limited service. It goes to the French Quarter hotels. Round trip is $38; one way is $20. If you’re staying in the Marigny, you can easily catch a much cheaper cab to your final destination from one of the hotels.
Here's the link:
http://www.airportshuttleneworleans.com/services-rates.html
Sadly, public transportation from the airport isn’t the greatest. There is a bus – the E2 – which will take you to downtown New Orleans, to the corner of Loyola and Tulane. From there, you can walk to the French Quarter, or take another bus or catch a cab to your final destination.The bus claims to take about 40 minutes, costs $2, and claims to run rather regularly. You catch it on the airport’s upper (Departure) level, at the end of the median, nearish Jet Blue. There’s no bus stop posted.
All the information you need is here:
http://www.jeffersontransit.org/schedules/E2Airport-Map.htm
If you’re staying in the Marigny (at Sweet Olive or Lion’s Inn or Elysian Inn or elsewhere)… from Tulane and Loyola, walk to another bus, the #88, which claims to run every 20 minutes. It leaves from Rampart and Canal (2 blocks away). Go to this link and click on the #88 bus, to see schedule and route information:
http://www.norta.com/error.php?page=maps_schedules
If you’re staying at the Elysian Inn, get off at Elysian Fields. If you’re staying at Sweet Olive or the Lion’s Inn, get off at Spain or St. Roch. Walk away from St. Claude (don’t cross St. Claude) toward the river.
For help with the buses:
The RTA Rideline, 504-248-3900, is available weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for live assistance with routes and schedules. In addition, the Rideline can also now be reached via e-mail at rideline@norta.com.
