Airport Trip Helper: Rules, Fees & Where to Wait

In short: Choose the airport, whether you are going to the airport or picking up there, and whether you drive a yellow taxi, a green cab or for Uber/Lyft. The helper lists the fare rule and every charge that applies: the $70 JFK–Manhattan flat fare, the $5 LaGuardia surcharge, the $20 Newark surcharge, airport access fees, congestion charges and tolls. Below it, this page explains where each kind of driver may wait and pick up, and the rules that lead to fines.

How to use it

1. Pick JFK, LaGuardia or Newark (EWR).
2. Pick the direction: to the airport or pickup at the airport.
3. Pick what you drive. For a JFK taxi trip, say whether the other end is in Manhattan (flat fare) or elsewhere (meter).
4. Tick whether the trip touches Manhattan south of 96th Street (state congestion surcharge) or at or below 60th Street (MTA congestion toll).
5. Follow the links under the result to estimate the full fare or add up tolls.

Airport charges in 2026

Where to wait and where to pick up

Yellow taxis at JFK and LaGuardia take passengers from the taxi line run by airport dispatchers. Port Authority rules allow pickups without pre-arrangement only by vehicles licensed for street hails in the city where the airport sits, and an NYC taxi counts at JFK and LaGuardia. TLC rules add: no soliciting or cruising for passengers at JFK, LaGuardia or Newark (rule 80-19(a)(4)(i): $100 if you plead guilty before a hearing, $150 after), and no gifts or tips to dispatchers or other Port Authority staff (rule 80-12(a)(2)). TLC's fare page says the Port Authority does not allow taxis to be e-hailed at the airport. See JFK taxi line and LaGuardia taxi line.

Uber and Lyft drivers wait only where the app and airport direct. TLC rule 80-19(f): an FHV driver "must not accept a dispatch while parked or otherwise located at Kennedy Airport or La Guardia Airport" unless parked somewhere other than the designated passenger pickup locations ($250). Pickup points published by the airports on October 12, 2026:

At all three airports the curbs are for active pickups and drop-offs only, and unattended cars are towed. The airports list free waiting lots for anyone picking up: at JFK the Lefferts Boulevard wait lot and the Cell Phone Lot (East); at LaGuardia the Cell Phone Lot on 94th Street between 23rd Avenue and Ditmars Boulevard (7am–11:59pm); at Newark the Cell Phone Lot next to the P4 garage. App drivers should still follow their app's staging instructions. Details: JFK for app drivers and LaGuardia for app drivers.

Black car and limo meet-and-greet: for a passenger arriving by plane, Port Authority rules define "specific pre-arrangement" as showing an announcement card with your dispatching company, the passenger's name, and the airline and flight number.

Green cabs can't take hails at the airports: TLC's rules put the NYC airports in the Hail Exclusionary Zone. See can green cabs pick up at JFK or LaGuardia.

After every airport trip, check the back seat and trunk for left items (rule 80-18(a), $25).

Worked examples

• Yellow taxi, JFK pickup to Midtown at 5pm on a weekday: $70 flat + $5 rush + $0.50 MTA + $1.00 improvement + $2.00 access fee + $2.50 congestion surcharge + $0.75 MTA congestion toll = $81.75, plus tolls and tip.
• Yellow taxi, Upper West Side to Newark: meter + $20 Newark surcharge + tolls both ways (the passenger pays the return toll) + tip. Newark is a required destination: rule 80-20(a)(1) says a driver must not refuse a trip to Newark Airport.
• Uber driver, Astoria to LaGuardia: the passenger's price is set by the app. Your TLC minimum is $1.283 a mile plus $0.681 a minute with the passenger (non-WAV, from March 1, 2026). Use the minimum pay estimator.

Pickups by airport

Limits: what this tool can't tell you

• Pickup spots move with construction. The airports publish the current locations; check before each shift.
• It doesn't know tonight's hold-lot wait or queue position.
• It does not cover New Jersey rules for NYC app drivers at Newark.
• It is general information, not legal advice.

Compare the three airports in JFK vs LaGuardia vs Newark. For fee data see airport fee trip statistics, and on airport short trips see short haul. Green cab hail rules in Manhattan are in can green cabs pick up in Manhattan.