Originally Posted by themicah

I assume the "shorty" system is still in place for taxis. That link is super old, and it's been a long time since I've seen it in action, but the idea is to prevent taxi drivers from getting screwed out of a good fare when they get a short-haul trip. So I would suggest just grabbing a yellow cab and making sure the dispatcher gives the driver a "shorty" (or "JFK Quick Return") ticket. You might talk to the dispatcher to confirm the concept still exists before getting in the queue. Blumie's idea of trying to grab a taxi that's dropping people off is also a good one, but I think the drivers can get in trouble for picking people up without going through the central holding queue, so it's likely to be hit or miss whether you'll find a driver who will accept.