r/JFKAirport

For context, this is my first visit to the states ever! But I see tons of negative comments and videos of ICE flooding NYC; is this true and will they detain tourists at the airport? Do they attack those with stronger passports? Can someone tell me how the situation is like?

I recently went through a bad towing experience at JFK Terminal 4 Departures and wanted to share the full story + what actually worked so others can avoid the same headache or know how to fight back. Posting this because I found almost nothing helpful when I was going through it.

THE INCIDENT :

Car was towed from Terminal 4 departure on 31st March 2026 when I helped my mother with a heavy suitcase. The company came and got hold of the car within literal 50 seconds. They used a wheel-lift method (front wheels up, rear wheels dragging on the ground) on an AWD vehicle which is explicitly prohibited by the car's manual (THEIR LIABILITY AS THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO KNOW HOW TO TOW AWD VEHICLES). I arrived on scene as it was about to be towed and told the driver to stop, but he refused. I thought he did not see me and climbed the tow trucks sidestep so that the driver could see me. He saw me and proceeded to start driving anyways cause who the hell cares about human life, am I right? I had to jump off the truck as I was hanging on the mirror outside the truck since the driver refused to stop. (Do I need to put a illegal in brackets here?) I had also asked him to let me at least put it in neutral to not fry the drivetrain components but hey, who cares? Gotta get the car to their lot ASAP to get their "earned" money out. At Building 180 at JFK, their impound lot, they forced cash only payment (ILLEGAL), had a conveniently placed ATM on site with extra fees to get cash out (ILLEGAL), and the cherry on top was that they gave no receipt (ILLEGAL). We breaking all the possible laws with this one! 🤝

THE CONSEQUENCE:

My car started making noises at sharp slow turns and after getting it diagnosed, it showed damaged rear differential. I got two independent mechanics' diagnosis and asked them to write, if true, that the damages were consistent with improperly towed awd car in the diagnosis. Which they did write as it was true. While my car was getting towed, I also had taken a short video of them towing it incorrectly, which added to my evidence.

BEN AND NINO'S 'CONSUMER FRIENDLY' RESPONSE:

I called ben and nino and asked them about the next steps in this scenario. They gave me a number to contact. The guy on the number claimed his name was 'Joey' and that he was the 'manager'. I sent him the reports and video evidence of them improperly towing my car. But him helping me would not keep up with the predatory nature of the company, so poor guy, out of force of habit kept declining my every point with 'Oh you contacted me 3 days late, so you are wrong' without acknowledging the improper tow video or the mechanic's report. Also, I contacted him within 48 hours of the incident. So, apparently he is mentally challenged as well. Within 2 to 3 days, I write them a formal demand letter with intent to sue within 5 days. 5 days later, I call them and ask them if they had read the letter politely, but talking politely to a customer and addressing their issues without being rude and harsh would be too off brand for Ben and Nino Towing so they kept hanging up my phone mid conversation and had the audacity to ask me 'Why do you keep calling us? Are you bored?' This tone would soon change 180 degree after the complaints I put.

THE PLAYBOOK. HOW TO GET THEM APOLOGIZING ON THEIR KNEES AND BEGGING FOR A RESOLUTION:

1. Diagnosis from a Somewhat reputable mechanic shop

This is the Meat of the entire dilemma. You need to have an expert opinion on if the damage is consistent with improper towing of the car. All other arguments come from here. This also helps you in the worst case of if you have to sue the company in small claims court. I had my diagnosis from 2 independent and reputable shops near my place with formal reports saying the damage was consistent with improper awd car towing. Costed me, but got that cost reimbursed. Also, had some free non report diagnosis to get a better idea of the issue.

2. Document EVERYTHING.

Make a google / onedrive / icloud evidence folder. Upload everything here and make it public (read only ofc! duh) NY and NJ are one party consent states for phone calls. Document every phone call. Every email. Every car report. Every conversation with the predators. Videos and photos of your car being towed improperly. EVERY LITTLE THING. And upload it all to the evidence folder. And keep the link handy to forward in all your complaints in Step 3.

3. Complaints, Emails and Follow ups

This is what takes the most time. I had this happen to me on 31st March, put complaints everywhere I could and got a call from the jfk contract administrator on 27th April. On the call, I was told they have emailed the Towing company for a reply and that they had seen my cctv footage and believed that just a drop fee should have been charged. A day later, Ben and Nino Towing called me telling they care about me and that is the reason they are calling me for a full reimbursement. (Took them a contract administrator to threaten their contract to start caring about me smh 😆😆) So, call and email and put complaints to JFK Customer Care, DCWP and most importantly, make a FOIL request to Port Authority about their insurance info to Port Authority (This is in case you can not get them to reimburse you themselves and need to get to their insurance. Ben & Nino is a Port Authority contractor at JFK T4. Meaning they are supposed to have high liability coverage insurance as well.), JFK Contract administrator for towing (this is what worked for me. They were afraid of losing their contract). PAPD declined to write me a report since it was a civil issue.

Personally, These are the departments I put my complaint to:

Port Authority Customer Care, DCWP, NY State Attorney General, Port Authority OIG, Better Business Bureau, Port Authority JFK Contract Team via email. I also emailed all of them with the complaint number reference numbers of each department's complaint so any co-ordination between them would be slightly easy. I then emailed JFK authorities about preservation of cctv footage and gave them a way to identify me and my car and the time and departure terminal where this happened at. This also helped me later as I was told by the contract administrator that they saw the footage and I should have been charged a drop fee and given my car since I arrived there on time, not to mention life endangerment by them.

4. Reject the repair at their location:

In the case of Ben and Nino Towing, they also own a repair shop Ben and Nino Auto. Before we reached the final agreement of full reimbursement to me, they pitched me a low ball resolution by saying they would take care of it at their place and tow my car from address to theirs in Brooklyn. Reject this as this is a MASSIVE Conflict of Interest for them and get it done by yourself at a trusted mechanic you can independently verify and get the proper reimbursement in cash from Ben and Nino. It is possible they get your car and start protesting that this car was already damaged OR it was already wore down OR damage it again during transport OR use cheapest part to repair and get it over with.

THE FINAL RESULT:

Everything was FAST TRACKED when I received a call from the jfk contract administrator telling me she had just emailed ben and nino towing about this and is waiting for their response on this. Next day, ben and nino customer care calls and apologizes and tells me that they will take full care of it and then proceed to low ball me with them repairing the car at their place. I reject in email and let them know I wish to get the repair done at my trusted auto shop. I then receive a call from the owner and she apologizes for this (Ofc she means it and was not forced by the contract administrator to act on the case & ofc she does not know what's going on at her own company) along with ensuring me that they will reimburse it. We then negotiate on email and finalize the deal.

After escalation and documentation, the towing company contacted me and agreed to reimburse:

• All Repair and Diagnostic costs
• Towing fee
• Related expenses

I got the car repaired at an independent shop, and the issue is now resolved.

The Conclusion

They count on you being too busy or too intimidated to fight back.

• If you drive AWD: Wheel-lift towing without dollies/flatbed = potential damage
• Don’t rely on arguing at the lot Document everything and escalate instead
• Get multiple mechanic opinions This is what gives you leverage
• File complaints + FOIL request This forces accountability and gets you the info you need
• Keep everything in writing Email > phone calls
• Evidence Folder

Key Contacts to use if this happens at JFK:

• **JFK Contract Management (**Special thanks to Mr. Driscoll and Ms. Ruddock from the Port Authority JFK Contracts team for Towing. They were extremely helpful and were the ones who actually got Ben & Nino to respond and resolve the issue.)
• DCWP for illegal "Cash-Only" fees and no tow receipt.
• JFK Customer Care for internal routing of Complaint.

Happy to answer questions in the comments. If this helps even one person avoid getting stuck with a big repair bill, it’s worth posting.

EDIT: I get y'all. I should have taken better care so that the car didn't get towed. But if you read it slowly, the problem wasn't that they towed the car. It was:

1. I wasn't charged a drop fee when I arrived there.
2. Them towing my car in a way that they knew would damage it.
3. Cash only shakedown.
4. No receipt.
5. Rudest staff ever and 0 effort for resolution. I've put this post to help other such victims.

Hi everyone, this was asked in the past but given recent times with TSA precheck lines (which look great in the last few weeks):

We have a flight out of Terminal 8. But the Sapphire Lounge is in Terminal 4. Does anyone know if it’s possible/easy to go from terminal 4 to terminal 8? How does checking bags work, can I check my bag at T4 for an AA/JL flight that flies out of T8?

We go to Massachusetts every summer but flights and rental cars into JFK are so much cheaper. How hard is it to get out of New York with getting a rental car? I want to account for how much time we need to get into our returning flight home.

With a freaking 30 minute train ride and waiting 30 minutes for said train, I feel like uber is now just impossible

Any thoughts ?

I have booked flights with JetBlue I fly over for the World Cup in June , I am flying from Edinburgh to JFK airport and then JFK to Fort Lauderdale but I have noticed my layover time is 1 hour 39 mins will this be enough time they have said I won’t be changing terminals and it’s booked with the same airline I have never flew to JFK before so am not sure how busy the airport will be and how long will it take , will this be enough time? And if I miss it what would Happen?

I have an international flight landing at EWR at 5:30am on a Wednesday. My following flight leaves JFK at 10am (also international). I will have one checked bag with me.

How likely is this looking via trains to make this? I feel like I could do it as I am by myself and can just sprint between trains.

I know I could uber but I don't want to spend that much, just wondering on the feasability.

Just don't want to miss the bag drop for my next flight, has anyone managed to do it before?
Thanks 😄

EDIT: okay guys i get it hahah, was just wondering as the flight to EWR is half the price of the flight to JFK that I could get. Looks like ill just have to spend the extra and land in JFK

Driving to JFK for the first time to pick someone up around noon at T5. Plan is to wait in the cell phone lot and then drive over, but my concern is getting lost and things going to chaos as I can't find my way again. Am looking for some insight on a couple things.

1. I'm studying the routes and street views on Google Maps, but I hear that the construction makes the street view outdated and everything just a mess. Anyone know if the route to T5 differs from what's shown in street view/online driving tours?

2. If I happen to get kicked out of T5 arrivals while waiting and have to loop back around, is the JFK Exwy the only/best way? 10 mins just to loop back around?

3. Any advice on reading signs? Are there any specific ones to look out for, and are they reliable? Is Google Maps reliable given the construction? Will I be okay if I just do my best to stay attentive?

4. Any general advice for picking someone up? Where to go, where not to go, what to do, what not to do, airport rules, airport driving etiquette, etc.? Is part of it is also just

I know these are a lot of questions, but any input would be appreciated. While I anticipate still having to be attentive the day of, I would still like to be at least somewhat prepared. I've also read a lot of advice avoiding direct pickup at departure, got to T7, etc., but no suggestions for alternative plans please lol, I'm looking to try this and learn from it first. Thank you!

My partner and I were returning to the US from Europe. We breezed through Customs as that is now automated. There were hardly any TSA agents, which is not too surprising because … well you know. We both have TSA Pre but were put on the wrong line by a TSA agent. I was observing the agents and none of them seemed the least bit interested in their job. They were chatting with each other, leaving bags on parts of the conveyor that were not moving, left the trays to pile up, etc. My partner’s bag was just sitting on a part of the conveyor belt and I asked one of the agents to get it for us. She proceeds to tell me she is busy and that the bag should not be there. She was literally doing nothing and the location of the bag was not at all my partner’s fault. I replied, look we don’t control where the bag was put by you guys. Just grab it for us. That pissed her off and she takes the bag and walks it back outside of security, which forced my partner to get on the back of the line and do the whole security process again. In the meantime, the TSA agent was staring at her phone and not working at all!

Anyone from DL JFK ramp here? How’s the work load and what’s the lines like, Any three day off ? Thinking about transferring from LGA.

Hi Everyone,
Can someone confirm if we can take shipping cardboard boxes wrapped in bubble wrap through JFK for international flights?
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

We were recently at Gate 5 and could not find any boxed milks anywhere, although we found one shelf stable protein drink. Does anyone know if any of the stores past security sell box milk that one could take on a long flight? Needs to be shelf stable/in a box so could use it after like five hours. Thanks so much in advance for any tips!

What the title says. I went through T4 arrivals screening this afternoon and there were only 4 working Global Entry machines, and a further ~3 out of service. What happened to all of them? Used to be a whole section full of them.