Wait time and flight delays
How long the car waits, what the clock is measured from, and what happens when a flight is delayed, diverted or canceled.
Free wait is 30 minutes on domestic arrivals and 1 hour on international — measured from the flight’s arrival at the gate.
After that, at the hourly rate for your vehicle class, in one-minute increments, with charges typically rounded to the nearest 15 minutes. We track the flight and the pickup moves with it. A diversion or a change of flight number does need telling us — the table below says which is which.
Cancellation policy
The numbers
1 hour international
Free wait is a maximum, not a minimum. If you clear customs in twenty minutes you leave in twenty minutes, and there is no charge for the time you did not use.
Arrival, not landing
The clock starts when the aircraft is at the gate and the doors open — the arrival — not when the wheels touch the runway. Taxiing to the gate is not counted against you.
If the flight cannot be tracked
Tracking needs the airline and flight number on the booking. Where we do not have them, or where the aircraft is blocked from public tracking — common with private jets — the free wait is measured from the pickup time on your booking instead. If the flight is running late and you tell us in good time, the pickup is moved.
What happens to the flight
Where the chauffeur waits
On a curbside pickup, call the chauffeur once you have your bags and are at the curb or a few minutes from it. Airport rules do not allow a car to wait at the curb, so the car comes to you when you are there. Free wait runs the same either way.
Non-airport waiting
If you know you are going to need the car to sit for a while, an hourly booking is usually cheaper than a one-way trip plus waiting time, and it is a better fit for the trip.
Common questions
Does free wait start when I land, or when I was booked?
Neither. It starts at the flight’s arrival at the gate — when the doors open, not when the wheels touch down. If the flight cannot be tracked, it starts at the pickup time on your booking.
Am I charged if I get out quicker than the free allowance?
No. The allowance is a ceiling. There is no minimum waiting charge and nothing accrues for time you did not use.
How is overrun billed — by the minute or in blocks?
at the hourly rate for your vehicle class, in one-minute increments, with charges typically rounded to the nearest 15 minutes.
What if immigration takes two hours?
The car stays. Beyond the free allowance, waiting is billed at the hourly rate for your vehicle class.
What happens if my aircraft is diverted to Newark instead of JFK?
we rebook against the new flight and quote any difference before the car moves. Call (646) 222-4444 as soon as you know. A diversion often lands you at a field where the original chauffeur is an hour away, and it may be a different licensing jurisdiction — see safety & licensing.
Does the same policy apply to a private jet?
Yes. Free wait is 30 minutes domestic, 1 hour international — the same as a commercial flight. Where the aircraft can be tracked, the clock runs from arrival. Many private flights are blocked from public tracking; then it runs from the pickup time on your booking.
TRI-STATE AREA
