With accelerated airport terminal construction coinciding with the start of the summer travel season, JFK Airport is relocating all rideshare passenger pickups at two of its terminals to an off-site AirTrain stop, making flying JetBlue (among others) much more challenging if you are used to using Uber or Lyft.

JFK Airport Diverts Rideshare Pickups For Terminals 5 + 7 – JetBlue Passengers Will Feel The Impact Most

Starting today, May 6, 2025, passengers departing the airport via Terminals 5 or 7 will need to head to a lot at AirTrain JFK’s Howard Beach Station to get an Uber, Lyft, Revel or car service, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey:

The relocation will significantly reduce traffic congestion on the terminal frontage during the summer travel season as the construction of a whole new JFK reaches its peak. Passengers flying into terminals 5 or 7 who wish to take a for-hire vehicle or car service to leave the airport can access the Howard Beach Ride App and Car Services pickup lot by taking AirTrain JFK to the Howard Beach station. AirTrain JFK is free within the airport, including for passengers exiting at the Howard Beach station to access the Howard Beach Ride App and Car Services pickup lot. 

The Port Authority adds that customer service representatives and baggage handlers will be stationed at the Ride App Pickup Lot to assist passengers. Free Wi-Fi service will be also available at the AirTrain JFK’s Howard Beach station.

This change in policy does not impact drop-offs.

JetBlue operates out of Terminal 5 while Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, ANA, Condor, Ethiopian Airlines, Frontier Airlines, HiSky Europe, Icelandair, Kuwait Airways, LOT Polish, Norse Atlantic Airways, and Sun Country Airways operate from Terminal 7.

I may have loved Daddio, but I don’t love yellow cabbies in New York City and so the response that people should just use “regular” cabs is not persuasive to me.

Instead, if you’re flying JetBlue into JFK, I recommend taking the red-carpeted bridge from the terminal 5 baggage claim to the TWA Hotel and then picking up an Uber or Lyft there…that seems easier to me than trying to trudge to Howard Beach.

CONCLUSION

Through the upcoming summer travel season, JFK will face the “dual challenge of higher volumes of air travelers combined with the peak of construction activities” for the $19 billion redevelopment of the airport (a reimagined Terminal 1 and new Terminal 6).

Be warned that using ridesharing out of Terminals 5 and 7 is now much more difficult, effective today. While the TWA Hotel may be a solution, prepare for delays and extra time when leaving JFK.

Hat Tip: View From The Wing