JFK vs LaGuardia vs Newark: Fares, Fees & Rules Compared

In short: All three airports are run by the Port Authority, but the rules change with the airport. JFK has the $70 flat fare to Manhattan. LaGuardia is metered plus a $5 surcharge. Newark is metered plus a $20 surcharge and tolls both ways. NYC yellow taxis can work the taxi line at JFK and LaGuardia, but not at Newark, which is in New Jersey. App drivers pick up pre-arranged trips only at all three, and app trips carry the Port Authority access fee on both pickups and drop-offs.

Everything below was checked on October 12, 2026. Fees and pickup spots change, so the "as of" date matters. This page is general information, not legal advice.

The whole picture in one table

Fares: three different rules

JFK. Rule 58-26(b) sets a $70 flat rate between Kennedy Airport and Manhattan, plus tolls and surcharges. The rush surcharge on this fare is $5.00 (weekdays 4–8 p.m., not holidays). Trips between JFK and any other borough use the meter. All the add-ons are listed in JFK flat fare: what drivers add.

LaGuardia. Rule 58-26(a)(2)(iii) adds "a surcharge of $5.00 for all trips to and from LaGuardia Airport" on top of the meter and the normal surcharges. The LaGuardia website lists older surcharge amounts. See the LaGuardia taxi line for that conflict.

Newark. Rule 58-26(c)(3) makes the fare "the amount shown on the Taximeter, plus a surcharge of $20.00, plus all necessary tolls to and from the destination". TLC's fare page says it plainly: "passengers are charged for the drivers' return tolls". The meter should show Rate #3 – Newark Airport.

Access fees: the 2026 increase

The Port Authority's approved fee schedule raised its airport ground transportation access fee on March 15, 2026 and schedules two more increases:

TLC's trip records match this. In our count of app trip files, the most common airport_fee on trips to Newark, JFK and LaGuardia was $2.50 through February 2026 and $3.50 from March 2026. On yellow taxi pickups at JFK and LaGuardia it went from $1.75 to $2.00 (TLC Trip Record Data). The Port Authority document doesn't say who pays the FHV fee inside the app price. More on the access fee page.

Who may pick up where

The key rule is Port Authority rule V.D in its Airport Rules and Regulations. Rides at an airport must be pre-arranged, with one exception: a vehicle licensed for street hails "by the municipality whose boundaries include the location" may take passengers without pre-arrangement. The rule then says a TLC-licensed taxicab is so licensed "with respect to Air Terminal locations within the City of New York".

• JFK and LaGuardia are in New York City, so yellow taxis can take passengers from the airport taxi line.
• Newark is not in New York City. The Newark taxi page says passengers take "the official line" where "the uniformed dispatcher will direct you to the next available cab", and it sends overcharging complaints to the Newark and Elizabeth taxi commissions. In practice, NYC yellow cabs drop off at EWR.
• App and black car drivers need a pre-arranged trip at all three. At JFK and LaGuardia, TLC Rule 80-19(c)(2) adds enhanced penalties for any pickup that isn't pre-arranged: $500, then $750, then revocation. Whether New Jersey requires anything extra of NYC-licensed app drivers picking up at Newark is something we could not confirm. Check with your app or base.

Green cabs: different again

Green cabs (street hail liveries) can't accept hails at JFK or LaGuardia, because TLC's Chapter 51 lists "The New York City Airports" in the Hail Exclusionary Zone. But Chapter 82 says a green cab driver "can accept a Pre-Arranged Trip beginning at one of the New York City Airports" (Rule 82-13(a)(3)). Green cab fares to the airports also differ. The $5 LaGuardia surcharge is for trips to LGA, and the $70 JFK flat fare applies to hail trips to JFK from the part of Manhattan in the Hail Zone (Rule 82-26). Details: can green cabs pick up at JFK or LaGuardia?

You can't refuse Newark

TLC Rule 80-20(a)(1) says a driver must not refuse to take a passenger "to any destination within the City of New York, the counties of Westchester or Nassau, or Newark Airport". Refusals carry mandatory penalties under Rule 80-02(e). The fare rule, 58-26(c)(3), makes the passenger pay "all necessary tolls to and from the destination", so the return tolls are on the passenger. There is more in do taxis have to go to Newark Airport?

Rules that apply at all three

• No soliciting. Taxi drivers must not solicit or cruise for passengers at "Kennedy, La Guardia or Newark Airports" (Rule 80-19(a)(4)(i), $100/$150). The Port Authority bans soliciting rides at any of its airports (rule V.B).
• Check the car. After any trip to Kennedy, LaGuardia or Newark, inspect the back seat and trunk (Rule 80-18(a), $25).
• No gifts to airport staff (Rule 80-12(a)(2), $10,000 and revocation).

The traffic at each airport

In the last 12 months of TLC trip records, NYC yellow, green and app vehicles ended about 1.98 million trips at Newark but started only about 6,400 there.

The trips are also different in length and pay. The median yellow taxi fare from JFK was $70 (the flat fare) and from LaGuardia $43.60, before tolls, tips and surcharges. The median app driver pay per trip was $54.41 from JFK and $38.65 from LaGuardia, and about $56 on app trips to Newark (TLC trip records, Sep 2025 – Aug 2026; the Newark figure is our own count). None of these numbers include the time you spend waiting in a lot or driving back empty. For pay and trip length at each airport, see airport trip economics. When pickups happen is on airport pickups by hour, and long-run totals are on NYC airport trip statistics. Airport pages: JFK, LaGuardia and Newark. The definition of a taxi holding lot is in our glossary, and everything else is in the airports topic.