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HolyShonks t1_iu5mzcj wrote

The tip is to pick them up on the departure level instead of the arrivals level, which tends to have more cars idling and taking longer to pack up and go. That said, its still going to be a huge pain in the ass.

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FallenTofu t1_iu5nlab wrote

Second this. Note that there are 2 departure levels, so make sure you meet them at the right one (Level 2 for the typically domestic airlines or Level 3 for international). Also there are numbered doors so when they arrive on the departure level, meet them at the corresponding door to make your life easier (ascending from Door 01 to however many there are as you arrive into the terminal from right to left).

If you want to, you can wait nearby in Elizabeth or the nearby areas so you're not hovering at the terminals / having to drive in circles. There are fast food places / restaurants if you want to grab a coffee or a snack and then head over in under 10-15 minutes.

As the poster below noted, if they have checked luggage, it's still easier for them to travel up via the escalators/elevators and exit instead of having you meet at Arrivals (Level 1).

Lastly, when you exit, be mindful of cars drifting in and out of lanes since the markings for the highways are very cluttered and your time to merge/change lanes is very short. Have an idea of what highways/roads you want to take and make sure you look for those signs quickly since the exits come up fast. Safe driving and best of luck.

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NJneer12 t1_iu5ra30 wrote

Well you just said the quiet part out loud.....

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Tooch10 t1_iu67aru wrote

Or if you go to arrivals, stay in the outer lane of parked cars and have the person come out to you.

Port Authority does this fun thing were they harass people literally mid-pickup to move along but don't say anything to the people with engines off and no passenger in sight

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ChippySay t1_iu5phon wrote

Definitely, but still doesnt change the surrounding traffic or gridlock on a Friday.

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wolekmatolek t1_iu5vqo5 wrote

This for sure. During insane traffic I’ve even seen police directing people to go to departure to pick someone up. There’s no rules against it, just names for different levels

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