Avoid Touching Down At These 3 JFK Terminals — Catching A Rideshare Is Now A Nightmare

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You’ve just landed and your plane finally touches down on the runway. Luckily, you don’t have any checked bags to wait for at the carousel—all you want is to get home. But instead of heading straight outside to call a rideshare, you’re forced onto a shuttle bus or the AirTrain, just to reach a distant lot where you can finally order your ride. That’s the frustrating reality right now at three JFK terminals.

JFK Airport has been undergoing major construction as part of its $19 billion redevelopment since breaking ground on the New Terminal One in 2022. However, three years later, the inconveniences seem everlasting.

Terminal 4 officially moved rideshare pickups off-site over one year ago. And if that wasn’t a headache in itself, now Terminal 5 and Terminal 7 won’t have curbside rideshare pickups either, according to a new announcement from JFK Airport. The frustrating change intends to reduce roadway congestion outside of terminals during construction.

Where to meet your rideshare at JFK Airport

Passengers arriving in JFK’s Terminal 4, 5, or 7 will need to go off-site to meet their rideshare, with the exception of ADA-accessible rideshares that will continue pickups and dropoffs in front of the terminals.

Terminal 4

Follow these steps after collecting your luggage:

1. Go to the front of the terminal
2. Board the free shuttle bus that will take you to the Ride App Pick Up location at Lot 66
3. Exit the bus and order your ride or meet your driver in the assigned, numbered pick-up space

📍Lot 66

🕐 12pm – 2am daily (any rideshare pickups outside of these hours can be met at the front of the terminal)

🚍 A free shuttle bus will transport travelers from Terminal 4 to Lot 66 for rideshare pickup (service runs every 1-2 minutes)

Terminal 5 & 7

Follow these steps after collecting your luggage:

1. Follow the signs to the AirTrain
2. Board the AirTrain to Howard Beach Station (green line)
3. Get off at the Howard Beach exit
4. Look for the exit to Ride App Pick Up & Long Term Parking
5. Exit for free and order a car or contact your driver to meet in the assigned, numbered pick-up space

📍Howard Beach/Ride App Pick Up Lot

🕐 24/7

🚍 JFK AirTrain (free within the airport)

Does anything change for departing passengers?

Passengers departing from JFK Airport should not be affected. Drivers can still drop off passengers in front of the terminals.