Dear Valued Customer,
As your trusted chauffeured ground transportation partner, we feel that it’s important to keep you apprised of any significant occurrences that may impact your travel. We were recently notified by the Port Authority Of New York & New Jersey, the government agency that oversees operations at JFK International Airport, of a four-billion-dollar project to overhaul some of the older terminals that serve as the service hubs of some of the busiest airlines operating in the NYC metropolitan area.
The construction project is set to commence on Tuesday June 6th, 2023 and will last for a minimum of two years. Terminal 1 & 5 will initially be most affected.
Due to the large scale of the project, roadway access will be extremely limited. As a result, the Port Authority has advised us that all for-hire vehicles, including luxury chauffeured vehicles, black car, and ride share, will no longer be able to pull up to the arrivals curb. This unfortunately eliminates the convenience of curbside pick-up at either terminals 1 or 5. The solution that has been arranged by the Port Authority requires arriving passengers to board a shuttle which will transport them to a holding lot. It is in this holding lot that our vehicles will be allowed to wait. The Port Authority estimates this process to take approximately 15 minutes from the time the passenger boards the shuttle.
Terminal 1:
Currently, there is no option for a chauffeur to park their vehicle and meet anyone inside. The traveler will have to collect their baggage and board the shuttle to the holding lot to meet their chauffeur. This is the only way we are able to pick someone up once they are ready to depart the airport grounds.
Terminal 5:
Our chauffeurs will be allowed to park at the terminal’s designated parking structure. They can then meet passengers in the arrivals area, assist with collecting luggage, and make the 15-to-20-minute journey on foot back to our parked vehicle. From there, we can begin the process of exiting the parking structure and eventually the airport grounds.
Unfortunately, none of these scenarios align with the luxury experience we aim to provide to our guests. We therefore encourage anyone planning travel to research all arrival options when flying into the New York City Metropolitan area. Rest assured, EmpireCLS will do everything in its power to make this experience as seamless as possible considering the restrictions put in place by the Port Authority. We will continue to send out chauffeur notifications to our guests and will instruct our chauffeurs to communicate on all Terminal 1 & 5 arrivals.
I, along with a team of the most influential leaders of the ground transportation industry, have attempted to appeal to the Port Authority’s sense of customer service. We have cited the inherent impact this will cause to those travelling in Terminal 1 & 5. While they have been willing to listen to our appeals, as of writing this letter, there has been no change to their plans. I am hopeful that alternate, more passenger friendly solutions will be presented at some point, but until that happens, we must abide by the Port Authority’s guidelines. My commitment to you is to keep you informed as new information becomes available.
Please contact the team at (info@empirecls.com) or (800-451-5466) with any questions or concerns regarding this update.
I am grateful to you for continuing to trust EmpireCLS with your Luxury Chauffeured Ground Transportation needs.
