During the Port Authority’s $19 billion dollar renovation of JFK International Airport, for-hire vehicle (FHV) parking has been moved from a convenient pick-up spot outside of Terminal 5 to Terminal 7’s orange garage, which requires a short walk and an AirTrain ride that, together, take an additional 15 minutes. Visitors have complained about the distance to the new location and “a lack of clear signage” but the Port Authority claims dozens of signs are posted and staff members in red direct travelers. Officials say they recognize the inconvenience but are trying to prevent traffic chaos and gridlock – like they did during LaGuardia’s construction.
Matthew W. Daus, Esq., a former TLC chairman, industry attorney and author of a recent report on ground transportation at airports, said private motorists, not professional drivers, should be directed away from the Terminal 5 curb: “They are in, they’re out, they don’t waste time, they don’t park on a diagonal, they don’t obstruct traffic kissing their loved one’s goodbye for 10 minutes,” he explained.
The changes at JFK began taking place at the start of a busy summer travel season and a year when passenger volumes are rebounding from the pandemic. New York area airports this past April broke a record set in April 2019. The first new gates at the redeveloped JFK will open in 2026, but the Port Authority says FHV drivers will move into a permanent spot between Terminal 5 and 6 in the middle of 2025.
Source: Spectrum 1 News
