Landing at Teterboro or East Hampton, a pre-booked chauffeured car is really the way to go. Ideally the car comes with a named chauffeur and a confirmed pickup plan. They’ll know which FBO you’re in and will have tracked your flight. They should give you an all-in price estimate before the car is dispatched.
Why are there no commercial airlines at Teterboro? Teterboro bars aircraft over 100,000 pounds. That means no widebodies, and no airliners at all. So it’s private and charter traffic, and Teterboro is twelve miles north-northwest of midtown. Having an FBO and a pre-arranged pickup is pretty much a must.
Uber and taxis vary in availability with supply, traffic, and weather. In New York City, black cars are dispatched only by pre-arrangement, and that’s a bit of a surprise for the less experienced traveler. If you’re traveling light and don’t mind other passengers, you can always look into rail and transit options. If your trip has extra stops, the rail won’t cover them. If you need a car seat or privacy, the rail won’t handle them. For anything with multiple pieces of luggage or many stops, a private car is almost always a better fit.
Five FBOs
The chauffeur meets you at the FBO. At Teterboro, there are five FBOs. Depending on where you’ve landed, you might be at Atlantic Aviation or Jet Aviation, or one of Signature’s three FBOs. The FBOs at Teterboro don’t have central parking; they’re separate facilities.
For international flights, there are two options at Teterboro. International arrivals either clear customs at Hangar 1 on the north side, and then taxi back to the FBO. Or Jet Aviation has its own customs post on the south side, and you leave straight from there. A chauffeur meeting you at the FBO won’t go to the ramp for pickup unless the FBO and airport approve. Otherwise the chauffeur may wait in the FBO lobby, under the canopy.
The chauffeur can meet you at the FBO holding a name placard. That’s useful if a colleague or client doesn’t know what to expect. Beyond that, the chauffeur can help you with your luggage, coordinate with a flight dispatcher or an assistant, and generally make the trip run smoothly and discreetly.
A Pickup for an Executive Flight
If you’re booking a pickup for an executive flight, you want to get it right the first time. Send the name of the lead passenger, the tail number of the aircraft, the ETA or the wheels down time, the number of passengers and bags, and most of all the FBO and destination. That way the dispatch can plan it out and get it right the first time, instead of having to sort it out on the go. Having the tail number makes the dispatcher’s job easier, because they can track your flight. Not every tail number shows up in flight tracking systems. If you can, it’s good to send a wheels down time.
Flying, whether it’s long-distance or a short hop into Teterboro, always has a measure of uncertainty. Chauffeurs use flight tracking to monitor flights, and either reach out to the passenger or just adjust the dispatch. Flight tracking can show you whether a flight is late, early or diverted. That way your pickup doesn’t get staged too soon.
Book as soon as you know, but at the least, 24 hours prior to landing is the standard. Same-day bookings are possible, though it’s good to give them time to make sure you don’t get stuck.
Booking a sprinter van for a multi-stop group move is not a big ask, and you’re not the first to ask. But the longer you can give a company to put it together, the better the odds that they can find the exact sprinter van you’re looking for, with enough seats to fill out the group, with a driver who’ll take the NDA, with the right child seats. Book 48 to 72 hours ahead of time.
Every big city has its high demand days, but it’s not always easy to guess when and where the crunch will come. In New York, the biggest ones are the UN General Assembly and the US Open; the Met Gala and New Year’s Eve; major storms; and the summer Friday afternoons when everybody decides at the same time to leave the city for the Hamptons. Any of these, and you’re better off booking one to four weeks ahead.
The Town of East Hampton
East Hampton Airport is in Wainscott, and owned by the Town of East Hampton. It has the FAA code JPX, which it got in May 2022. Before that it was HTO.
East Hampton has a town code requiring any for-hire vehicle carrying you from one point inside the town to another point inside the town to have a town license. So a car taking you from East Hampton airport to another address in town must be licensed by the Town. Trips into or out of town are exempt. Your airport pickup may be exempt, depending on your destination, so don’t assume your driver is breaking the rules.
Note that the East Hampton town code isn’t limited to limos. The town rules apply to taxis and other ground transportation as well, so you’re still better off making sure your car has a license. One stated aim of the rule is to prevent unlicensed taxis from picking up people in town.
Back at Teterboro, if your route crosses the George Washington Bridge into New York, in 2026, the toll with an E-ZPass is $16.79 in peak hours, and $23.30 if you pay by mail. It is charged only eastbound.
If your ride is within East Hampton, it’s especially important to get the destination on the original booking.
