Visitors landing in the bustling city of New York are often met with an unexpected sight that leaves a lasting impression. As they make their way from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), groups of homeless individuals camped out near the airport’s public transport facilities become one of the first scenes to greet them.

For JFK, this situation adds to a growing list of challenges that the airport faces. Last year, it was named the sixth-worst airport in the United States by the travel guide Frommer’s, a reputation that stems from more than just the visible homelessness issue.

JFK consistently appears in reports as one of the airports with the longest wait times for security and passport controls. It also struggles with frequent flight delays and high incidents of mishandled luggage, further tarnishing its image among travelers.

When leaving any of JFK’s five terminals, travelers are presented with two main options. They can opt for an expensive taxi or rideshare service, potentially costing over a hundred dollars, or they can choose the more economical route by taking the AirTrain. For $8.50, the AirTrain transports passengers to Jamaica, Queens, where they can easily connect to the Subway and other public transportation systems.

To exit JFK’s five terminals, passengers can either pay up to more than a hundred dollars for a taxi or rideshare service, or they can pay $8.50 for the AirTrain to take them into Jamaica, Queens, where there is easy access to the Subway and other public transportation options.

In and around the AirTrain station, up to dozens of homeless people can be seen loitering. 

A Metropolitan Transit Authority employee at the terminal on Thursday, told the Daily Mail that she has seen the number of homeless people staying in the AirTrain station increase over the past few years.

She attributed that increase to a lack of safe shelter options provided by the city, and she said the people camping out in the station are just trying to stay warm.  

Homeless people are camped out with their belonging in the AirTrain station at Jamaica, Queens

Homeless people are present on both floors of the relatively small station

The issue is at its worst in the winter months, when temperatures in New York City plummet

The homeless issue in JFK’s AirTrain station is yet another problem for the troubled airport, which frequently tops the list of airports in the US with the longest wait times

Indeed, the problem seems to be most pronounced in winter months, when temperatures in NYC can easily drop below freezing levels. 

But even when the Daily Mail went to visit JFK on a relatively warm day in January that was around 50F, homeless people were grouped inside the small AirTrain station, with more loitering outside.

Irving Ruiz, a Queens resident who said he travels through JFK around three times a year, told the Daily Mail that he consistently sees homeless people in the AirTrain terminal, especially in the winter and during the day when there is less security.

He also said the city should pay more attention to the problem and allocate resources to assist and relocate those homeless people.

‘It’s the first sight for tourists,’ Ruiz said. ‘Let’s say they’re coming from… a nice country, and they’ll see them here. It’s not a good look for the city.’

Aishik Deb, a student at Stony Brook University from India, held a similar view.

‘I think they are here because they have nowhere else to go in the first place,’ Deb told Daily Mail. ‘So I think the city should definitely do something.’

Shannon Ferguson, a Brooklyn resident who was on her way to Australia with her husband and daughter to visit her husband’s family, empathized with the homeless people in the AirTrain station. 

A homeless person’s belongings are pictured outside the AirTrain terminal

A homeless person’s belongings bundled up right outside the station are pictured here

Aishik Deb, a student at Stony Brook University from India, said that NYC should try to give homeless people in the station a better alternative for a place to stay

‘Anyone could be a couple of paychecks away from being homeless,’ she said. 

Ferguson also noted that some of the homeless people had many large bags, which likely deterred them from staying at a shelter because ‘a lot of the shelters are dangerous, and they have really stringent rules where you can’t bring in all of your belongings.’

She also said it was understandable that they had those large bags, because she was just travelling for a few weeks and had several big suitcases. 

‘They have a lot of stuff, but I have a lot of stuff,’ Ferguson said. ‘I have three suitcases with me.’

‘I just wish it was easier to get services that are actually helpful to people,’ she added. ‘It bothers me that people can’t afford to live in the city and have a place to be.’

That was the general consensus among all of the travelers in the AirTrain terminal who were interviewed by the Daily Mail. 

Although none of them said they felt uncomfortable or threatened by the homeless people, they all agreed that their presence gave a poor first impression to visitors arriving in NYC and that there should be a greater effort to help relocate them.

The immediate sight of homeless people upon exiting JFK by AirTrain highlights the fact that NYC has the highest homeless population among US cities by far. 

Travelers said they did not feel uncomfortable or threatened by the homeless people, but that their presence gives a poor first impression of NYC to tourists

A homeless man is pictured smoking a cigarette at one of the AirTrain station’s entrances

According to USAFacts, NYC’s homeless population stood at a little more than 140,000 in 2024. 

Los Angeles City and County came in second place, with a homeless population of about 71,000, and Chicago came in third at around 18,800.

New York City has a legal Right to Shelter, which mandates that anyone experiencing homelessness is able to access a safe place to stay. In practice, however, shelters in the city are plagued with issues such as overcrowding and crime.

For many homeless people, staying on the street or in public infrastructure, such as the AirTrain terminal feels like a safer alternative. 

Travelers interviewed by the Daily Mail in the AirTrain terminal expressed hope that NYC’s new socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, will be able to address the issue. 

Mamdani has taken steps in that direction. During his first week in office, he repealed a series of emergency orders issued by former Mayor Eric Adams, which suspended certain Right to Shelter requirements in order to accommodate the enormous influx of shelter applicants during the migrant housing crisis.

He then issued an executive order of his own, instructing city officials to develop a plan within 45 days to bring shelters into compliance with health and safety codes. 

Mamdani has also pledged to increase homeless outreach and help homeless New Yorkers navigate their housing options through a new Department of Community Safety. 

Some homeless people choose to stay in public infrastructure such as the AirTrain station because they feel it is safer than the city’s shelters 

Another homeless man is pictured with his belongings on the ground floor of the AirTrain station

He has said he wants to place dedicated outreach workers in subway stations. Whether that will also apply to the AirTrain station is unclear.

Port Authority NY NJ, which manages JFK and the AirTrain, told the Daily Mail in a statement: ‘The Port Authority works in close coordination with the MTA and other partners to maintain a safe, orderly, and welcoming environment for travelers and the surrounding community.

‘But we are not immune from the conditions facing unhoused throughout the region, especially in winter, which sometimes result in suboptimal situations in Jamaica Station.

‘Port Authority Police Department personnel are assigned to the JFK AirTrain portion of the station at Jamaica 24/7 and seek to enforce Port Authority rules and applicable laws which do not permit use of the station for non-transportation purposes. 

‘PAPD also conducts regular outreach in conjunction with service providers, including Urban Pathways, to offer assistance and connect unhoused individuals with shelter, social services, and medical or mental health care as appropriate.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to the mayor’s office for additional comment.