Never been to the Howard Beach station, but at the Jamaica station they have employees stationed by the machines to help people figure out how to work the machines - which is complicated because you have to buy a Metro Card to get out, and may or may not need a LIRR ticket.
Originally Posted by
allset2travel
One time when I was at the SFO BART station, somehow the reader refused to read my clipper card (which has more than sufficient fund). I approached the booth and nicely asked for help. One guy came out and helped me.
They usually won't come out of the booth and proactively assisting those who might need help. Contrast to my experience at the Howard Beach station (where AirTrain meets New York subway A train), workers there were extremely helpful.