New York John F. Kennedy International Airport Tops the List of Most Expensive Airport Rideshares This Thanksgiving – Travel And Tour World

Obi, the worldwide real-time consolidator for rideshare services, has released exclusive insights on the financial impact of Thanksgiving airport rideshares.

Travelers should brace for a significant hit to their budgets from rideshares during Thanksgiving. Obi’s comprehensive dataset reveals that for Thanksgiving 2023, the priciest airport ride was to New York’s JFK airport, averaging $75, overtaking Newark airport which led in 2022 with $79 but dropped to $63 in 2023. This marks another year where New York airports lead as the two most costly locations for Thanksgiving airport rides.

Here’s the breakdown of the most expensive airport rides for Thanksgiving 2023:

1st – New York JFK, where the average cost for Uber and Lyft is $75
2nd – Newark, with rides averaging $64
3rd – Denver, at an average of $62
4th – Chicago O’Hare, with costs around $51
5th – Los Angeles, averaging $50
6th – Atlanta, at $49
7th – Dallas Fort Worth, costing $44
8th – San Francisco, also at $44
9th – Las Vegas, with an average of $29

Between 2022 and 2023, price fluctuations were observed at five airports according to Obi’s analysis, with three airports experiencing increases in ride costs. JFK’s rates remained the highest and unchanged at $75. Meanwhile, Las Vegas experienced the most significant rate jump of 32%, though it remains the least expensive option due to its closer proximity to the casinos. Conversely, Newark saw the steepest reduction in cost, decreasing by 20%.

“As millions of travelers prepare to head home for Thanksgiving, our rideshare data reveals a sobering reality: the cost of a taxi or rideshare to the airport can rival the price of a plane ticket in some cities,” said Ashwini Anburajan, Obi Chief Revenue Officer. “With New York leading the nation as the most expensive city for airport rides, travelers should plan ahead to avoid unexpected holiday travel costs.”

New York City holds the title for the world’s largest rideshare market, where approximately 637,075 rides are taken daily through Uber and Lyft. New Yorkers face the steepest prices, paying more per kilometer and per minute than riders in any other major city worldwide. In New York, a ride covering just 1.8 km (1.1 miles) costs about $10, with average fares now exceeding $34.

This airport price evaluation is part of a series of analyses by Obi, which also includes the Global Rideshare Report 2024. This recent report examines over 75 million trips and a billion data points to illustrate the global trends in surge pricing and rideshare costs.