# Where rideshare pickup actually is at the big airports

> Sorted by the extra minutes: same level, wrong level, garage or remote lot. Read from each airport's own page in November 2026.

By Derek Johnson. Updated Nov 7, 2026. Source: https://skycapapp.com/articles/landing/where-rideshare-pickup-is/

At most big US airports, the ride app pickup isn't outside baggage claim. Of the 16 airports below, 3 have it on the same level at every terminal. The rest send you upstairs, across a road, into a garage, or at LAX and part of JFK, onto a bus or a train. Your app shows the exact zone. This page tells you what kind of walk to expect before you get there.

I read these from each airport's own pages on Nov 6 and 7 2026, and nothing here comes from a ride company. Pickup zones move, so go by the signs and your app if they differ from this.

## Same level as baggage claim

| Airport | Where |
|---|---|
| Orlando | Terminals A and B: arrivals curb, Level 2. Terminal C: arrivals curb, Level 6 |
| Miami | Arrival level, outside baggage claim |
| Dulles | Ground level outside baggage claim, on the third curb |

Add about 0 to 2 minutes. Orlando also allows the departures curb, Level 3, from 9 PM to 2 AM.

## Across the road

| Airport | Where |
|---|---|
| Denver | Level 5, Island 5, East or West side. Book after you have your bags |
| Phoenix | Terminal 3: south outer curb. Terminal 4: Level 1 outer curbs, by door 1, 2, 6 or 8 |

Add about 1 to 3 minutes. Denver's page says to wait until you've collected your luggage or reached Level 5 before you request, and I'd follow that everywhere.

## Upstairs, on departures

| Airport | Where |
|---|---|
| Dallas/Fort Worth | Upper level curb at each terminal |
| Charlotte | Departures level, inner lanes, zones 1 to 3 |
| O'Hare | Terminals 2 and 3: upper level, at poles 2A to 2G and 3G to 3K |

Add about 1 to 4 minutes. People look for the ride beside the taxis, and it isn't there. O'Hare's page names poles only at Terminals 2 and 3, so from Terminal 1 or 5, let your app guide you.

## In a garage

| Airport | Where |
|---|---|
| Seattle | Garage, 3rd floor, stalls 1 to 34. Cross a skybridge, then go down one level |
| Las Vegas | Terminal 1: garage Level 2. Terminal 3: garage Valet Level |
| Boston | Terminals A, C and E: Central Parking Garage. Terminal B: its garage, Level 2 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | Terminal 1: Level 1 of the Green/Gold ramps. Terminal 2: Purple ramp, second level |

Add about 3 to 7 minutes, with a checked bag on a lift or two. Seattle says riders should wait for the car to park in a marked stall and shouldn't accept rides from strangers offering help.

## Depends which terminal

| Airport | Terminal A | Terminal B | Terminal C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newark | Across the street | Terminal frontage | Garage, floor 3 |
| LaGuardia | Across the street | Garage, Level 2 | Arrivals inner lane |

Add 0 to 7 minutes depending on the terminal. Both airports say to check your app.

## A bus or a train away

| Airport | Where |
|---|---|
| LAX | LAX-it lot, east of Terminal 1, by shuttle |
| JFK Terminals 5 and 7 | Howard Beach AirTrain station, temporarily, because of construction |

Add about 10 to 22 minutes at LAX and 20 to 35 from JFK's Terminals 5 and 7. If you're at those two JFK terminals, compare a taxi. JFK's page says other terminals generally load in front of the building, though that varies by hour.

LAX's automated people mover has been reported as opening in January 2027, after several delays. I found no statement from the airport on what happens to LAX-it after that, so this entry may change.

The extra minutes on this page are my estimates by class, from walks and waits and not from timed trips. They run from the arrivals curb.

## What to do at the airport

Book when you can see where you're going, not when you land. A driver sent early circles, and a ride you've booked from the aisle gets cancelled. [Your bag and your walk](/articles/landing/how-long-from-landing-to-curb) will take longer than the driver will.

Atlanta and San Francisco aren't listed because their sites wouldn't load for me to read, and I don't list what I can't read. At an airport I've left out, go by your app and the signs.

If someone's collecting you instead, [here's when they should leave](/articles/landing/when-to-leave-to-pick-someone-up). If your phone says the plane has landed before the crew does, [that's normal](/articles/overhead/why-tracker-and-airline-disagree).

> Tell Skycap how you're leaving and it names the place to walk to at your airport and adds that walk to your curb time. It can also open your ride app with your destination filled in. [How at the curb works](/app/features#after)

## Sources

- [Orlando International Airport, ride share](https://flymco.com/ground-transportation/ride-share/)
- [Miami International Airport, ground transportation](https://www.miami-airport.com/ground-transportation.asp)
- [Newark Liberty, ride share services](https://www.newarkairport.com/transportation/ride-share-services)
- [LaGuardia, ride share services](https://www.laguardiaairport.com/transportation/ride-share-services)
- [JFK Airport, ride share services](https://www.jfkairport.com/transportation/ride-share-services)
- [Phoenix Sky Harbor, ride share](https://www.skyharbor.com/ground-transportation/ride-share/)
- [Denver International Airport, ride share](https://www.flydenver.com/parking-and-transportation/to-and-from/ride-share/)
- [DFW Airport, airport access and directions](https://www.dfwairport.com/explore/transportation/directions/)
- [Charlotte Douglas, ride app pickup](https://www.cltairport.com/to-and-from/courtesy-vehicles-and-ride-app-pickup/)
- [O'Hare, taxi, limo and ride apps](https://www.flychicago.com/ohare/tofrom/taxi/pages/default.aspx)
- [Port of Seattle, app-based rideshare](https://www.portseattle.org/sea/ground-transportation/app-based-rideshare)
- [Harry Reid International, ride share](https://www.harryreidairport.com/taxi-and-ride-share/ride-share)
- [Massport, ride apps at Logan](https://www.massport.com/logan-airport/getting-to-logan/ride-apps-uber-lyft)
- [Minneapolis-St. Paul, app-based ride services](https://www.mspairport.com/directions/ground-transportation/app-based-ride-services)
- [Washington Dulles, ground transportation](https://www.flydulles.com/parking-transportation/ground-transportation)
- [LAX, traffic and ground transportation](https://www.flylax.com/lax-traffic-and-ground-transportation)