Rideshare & Ground Transport

Uber & Lyft Pickup at John F. Kennedy International Airport

Rideshare pickup at JFK is not always at the arrivals curb — most airports now route Uber and Lyft to a dedicated lot or garage. Here is exactly where to go, how to get there, and how to keep the fare reasonable.

Diagram of an airport rideshare pickup lot with numbered stalls and the walking path from arrivals. — Most airports route Uber and Lyft to a dedicated pickup lot or garage rather than the arrivals curb.

Where to get picked up at JFK

UUber Pickup Zone

T1 & T8: Arrivals-level curbside. T4: Lot 66 Ride App & Car Services Pickup (free shuttle from arrivals, noon–2am). T5 & T7: AirTrain to Howard Beach station pickup lot.

LLyft Pickup Zone

T1 & T8: Arrivals-level curbside. T4: Lot 66 (free shuttle from arrivals). T5 & T7: AirTrain to Howard Beach station pickup lot.

Diagram showing the upper departures curb and the lower arrivals level where rides wait. — Pickup and drop-off often sit on different curb levels — arrivals below, departures above — so follow signs to the right level.

In the app

Enter your specific terminal in the app; T4 riders select 'Lot 66' pickup point; T5/T7 riders select 'Howard Beach AirTrain' as the meeting point

How to find the rideshare zone

T1/T8: exit baggage claim and follow 'Ride App Pick Up' signs to curbside. T4: board free shuttle from arrivals level to Lot 66. T5/T7: take AirTrain from terminal to Howard Beach station.

Cell Phone Lot

JFK uses terminal-specific driver staging lots with no single public cell phone lot; drivers should use their app's staging instructions and wait for passenger text confirmation. Cell phone lot details →

Avoiding surge pricing at JFK

When surge peaks: JFK surge is near-constant during rush hours and NYC events; worst periods are Friday 4–9pm, Sunday evenings, and NYC marathon/New Year's Eve; international arrival waves 7–10am also spike prices.

Wait tip

T4 and T5/T7 relocations add 15–20 minutes of transit time; for T4 build in extra time noon–2am; for T5/T7 the AirTrain ride to Howard Beach takes about 20 minutes.

Compare your options

Rideshare is usually the fastest door-to-door option, but it is not always the cheapest — especially during surge.

Option	Best for	Watch out for
Rideshare Uber / Lyft	Door-to-door convenience, groups with bags, no cash needed	Surge pricing on busy evenings & events; long walk to pickup lot
Taxi Metered cab	Predictable metered fare during surge, no app required	Often more expensive off-peak; cash sometimes required
Transit Train / bus	Lowest cost option, immune to surge pricing and traffic	Not available at every airport; less practical with luggage

For full ground-transport options at JFK including rental cars and public transit, see the JFK Getting Around guide.

Know exactly when to leave for JFK

Add your rideshare pickup time to the Leave-By calculator — it factors in current TSA wait times, so you hit the zone with time to spare.

Calculate leave-by time →