Getting an Uber or Lyft at LaGuardia Will Soon Be Much Easier
Update 5/2/18: Effective Saturday, May 5, all for-hire vehicles will pick up Terminal B passengers at the parking garage location. According to a statement by American Airlines, the new pickup spot will be in use as of 6 am.
Frequent flyers know that meeting a for-hire or ride-hailing vehicle at LaGuardia is a pain. Your Uber or Lyft driver won’t even attempt to pick you up at the main terminal arrivals; they’re subject to ticket and fine for clogging up the limited traffic arteries, except during late-night hours. The situation is better at the Delta terminals C and D, but if you're flying a different airline, there's a dreaded shuttle bus involved.
Most times of the day, passengers must traipse to the shuttle bus pickup on the east side of the main terminal. Passengers board the bus to a for-hire vehicle lot. While buses are frequent, and the trip usually lasts only five minutes even with LGA’s crushing traffic snafu, it is one more transfer to endure. Good news, however. Within weeks, hailing your Uber, Lyft or black car at LGA will be much easier.
Hooray for the new Terminal B parking garage: the pain goes away this spring
LGA and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages the airport, have recently opened the doors to the Terminal B parking garage. There, an entire level of the structure will be dedicated to for-hire vehicles. We’ve never been so excited about the opening of a parking garage.
One-half of the 164,000 square foot space is for cars to queue, and one-half of the space is for cars that have been assigned by the various apps. Cars will move from the queue into the assigned areas once they’ve been paired with a passenger. The Port Authority is working directly with the third-party app providers to manage the process. Your Uber app, for example, will tell you in which area to meet your driver. Those areas are named E to L, which may seem counterintuitive, but the Port Authority helpfully avoided naming the areas A, B, C, or D to avoid confusion with the terminals' names.
Even better news: you’ll leave the main terminal via a covered walkway, and won’t have to brave the elements (or the shuttle bus) to meet your car. The walkway will be fully enclosed when the new main terminal building opens, but that won't be for a few years.
A Port Authority spokesperson was not able to confirm the exact date the new areas will be open for use Uber and Lyft wouldn't put a date on it either, The former says in an emailed statement that it is "working closely with the PANYNJ to ensure riders and drivers arriving into and departing from LaGuardia Airport Terminal B have the best possible experience," and the latter that "we're encouraged by the changes to the pick-up experience at LaGuardia Airport. (...) We're continuing to work closely with the officials at LGA."
However, based on the state of the work as we saw it during the first week of April, we anticipate the news space will be in action this spring.
Better Traffic Circulation
Convenience aside, the most noticeable benefit may be improved traffic circulation around the airport. Traffic around the main terminal was often snarled by for-hire vehicles meeting their riders, very confused New York drivers navigating the construction, closures to key roads, and the many shuttle buses between terminals. By separating the vehicles, and removing some of the shuttle buses, there should be an immediate lift.
It's all part of the planned redevelopment of LGA, and while it may be a small change, it's one with immediate benefits for many of the 30 million people who use LaGuardia every year.
TPG contributor Mike Arnot is the founder of Boarding Pass NYC, a travel brand, and flies out of LaGuardia frequently.
All images by the author.
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
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- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.