Airport Virtual Queue (FIFO) for App Drivers

On this page (6)

How it works
Only the designated lots count
What removes you
Where you will see this term
FAQ
Sources

The airport virtual queue is the line an app like Uber keeps inside the app for drivers waiting at an airport. It works first in, first out (FIFO): when you enter a designated waiting lot with the app on, you get a place in line, and requests go to the driver at the front. Unlike a taxi line, the line is not physical. Uber's JFK driver page says: "Your location within the waiting lot does not affect your position in the virtual queue."

It is a company policy, read here from Uber's pages on October 12, 2026. We did not review Lyft's airport pages for this entry.

How it works

Only the designated lots count

Uber says drivers "should only wait in the designated staging lots." On October 12, 2026 its pages named:

JFK: the Cell Phone Lot and the Limo Lot; for Terminal 5 and 7 pickups, FHV Hold Lot 3 at the Howard Beach AirTrain station.
LaGuardia: the FHV Hold Lot at 46-10 Berrian Blvd (UberX, XL and most products) and the Cell Phone Lot on 94th Street (Uber Black). Uber says both are open 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Newark: the Rideshare Hold Lot.

Uber also says there is "a limit on the number of for-hire vehicles allowed in airport waiting queues," which varies with the time of day and demand.

What removes you

Uber lists four things: going offline, driving outside the queue zone, not accepting several requests in a row, and cancelling several rides. A rider cancellation keeps your place. The details and what to do about them: why did I lose my place in the airport queue?

Where you will see this term

In the driver app, as your queue position at the airport.
In Uber's airport driver pages for JFK and LaGuardia.
At Newark, where Uber says New York City drivers get the next request going to New York City: see can NYC Uber drivers pick up at Newark?

Not the same as: the yellow taxi feed line, which is a real line of cabs run by airport dispatchers. Fees on app airport trips: the airport fee on your Uber trip and airport fee trip statistics.

Frequently asked questions

What does FIFO mean at the airport?

First in, first out. The first driver to enter the designated waiting lot is the first to get an airport pickup request. Uber says your parking spot inside the lot doesn't matter.

Where do I have to be to join the queue?

In a designated FHV waiting lot with the app online. Uber names the Cell Phone Lot and Limo Lot at JFK, the FHV Hold Lot at 46-10 Berrian Blvd at LaGuardia, and the Rideshare Hold Lot at Newark.

Is the virtual queue a TLC rule?

No. It is how the app hands out airport requests. TLC's related rule is 80-19(f): don't accept a dispatch at JFK or LaGuardia while in a designated passenger pickup location.

Sources

Last reviewed against the official sources on Oct 12, 2026.

Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the official source.

TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.