Can Uber and Lyft Drivers Wait at JFK or LaGuardia?

Yes — but only in the right place. You may wait at JFK or LaGuardia for an app request, but not in the airport's designated passenger pickup locations. TLC rule §80-19(f) says an FHV driver must not accept a dispatch while parked or located at JFK or LaGuardia unless parked in an area other than the designated pickup locations. The fine is $250. And you may never take a passenger who walks up to you: at the airports that is a street pickup with a $500 first-offense fine and a path to revocation.

Airport rules for FHV drivers in one view

Where to wait

The rule does not name the lots; the airports do, and they change them. Here is what the official sources said when we checked on October 12, 2026. Two kinds of places exist: public cell phone lots that the Port Authority runs for anyone picking someone up, and FHV staging lots that the apps send their drivers to.

The Port Authority also says the curb is for active pickups only. At LaGuardia you may not wait at the curb unless the passenger and bags are already there, and at JFK unattended cars are towed (JFK, LGA).

The app queue

Uber's JFK and LGA driver pages describe a virtual first-in, first-out queue: where you park in the lot doesn't change your place. They say you can lose your place if you go offline, leave the queue zone, skip several requests or cancel again and again; a rider cancelling does not cost you your spot. They also warn that idling or waiting outside the lots "may result in a citation" and that Uber doesn't pay citations. These are company policies, not TLC rules. See the airport virtual queue and why you lose your place in the queue.

Before each airport run: check the airport's current notices, follow your app's instructions for the terminal, and obey signs and Port Authority staff. Terminal-by-terminal details are in our guides for JFK app drivers and LaGuardia app drivers.

Port Authority Police patrol the airports and write TLC summonses there. See can Port Authority police give TLC summonses.

Why airport pickups are high-stakes

App-based FHVs now make most TLC pickups at both airports, which is why enforcement is heavy:

In 2025, high-volume FHVs recorded about 4.1 million pickups at JFK and 4.9 million at LaGuardia, compared with about 2.1 million and 1.3 million for yellow taxis.

The airports are also part of the zone where unarranged FHV pickups carry the enhanced penalty. Rule 80-19(c)(2) applies the $500 / $750 / revocation scale to pickups in Manhattan south of East 96th and West 110th Streets or at the New York City airports. The 120-month (ten-year) look-back for revocation is unusually long. For the standard version of the rule, see 80-19(c)(1); the waiting rule itself has its own page, 80-19(f).

If you drive a yellow taxi

Taxi drivers have their own airport rules. You must not solicit or cruise for passengers at JFK, LaGuardia or Newark (80-19(a)(4)(i)); airport pickups happen through the official taxi stands and feed lines, which follow the same rules as other taxi stands (80-19(e)(1)). Where a holding area exists, park there before going on relief time, rejoin the end of the feed line when you return, and never bring passengers into the holding area (80-19(e)(2), $50). If the stand gives out short-haul and long-haul tickets, a short-haul ticket means you may not take a long-haul passenger, and the reverse (80-19(e)(3), $100).

After the drop-off

Rule 80-18(a) requires you to check the passenger area and the trunk right after every trip to or from JFK, LaGuardia or Newark. Travelers leave phones and bags behind; returning them follows the lost property rules.

For airport-specific details, see JFK Airport and LaGuardia Airport. App drivers can find more in rules for Uber and Lyft drivers.