Happy Wear Blue and Orange Day in New York City, where the Port Authority is cracking down on airport scammers.

It’s a familiar sight when leaving your terminal at LaGuardia or JFK: men hovering near baggage claim offering you a chance to cut the taxi line and get a quick ride to your destination. Travelers who fall victim to their solicitations are usually charged hundreds of dollars more than what is permitted by law. In certain cases, passengers have been threatened or detained if they refuse to pay.

“They are, at their best, annoying for travelers trying to get to their destinations who are accosted at baggage claim,” Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority, told The City Reporter. “At their worst, they are a real threat to public safety.”

The problem has been on the rise in recent years. Scammers have become more sophisticated and coordinated, even using walkie-talkies to communicate the real-time movements of potential marks. In 2022, the city issued 802 summonses for illegal rides at LaGuardia and JFK airports. In 2025, that number grew to 2,874 — a 258% jump.

Now, just as an estimated 1 million tourists prepare to descend on the city for the FIFA World Cup, the Port Authority is launching a $100 million, 10-year initiative to crack down on the illegal hustlers.

In the short term, the agency plans to send 50 additional Port Authority police officers and 20 Taxi and Limousine Commission personnel to patrol city airports. Drivers convicted of illegal scamming will face stricter punishments, higher fines, and more points added to their licenses, leading to possible suspensions.

The initiative will also invest in new tracking technology to flag license plate numbers and automatically notify enforcement officers when a repeat offender enters the premises. 

“Taxi hustlers target vulnerable travelers, first-time visitors, and non-English speakers, by taking advantage of unfamiliar surroundings for those who are new to our region or country,” Kathryn Garcia said in a statement. “This multijurisdictional problem requires a multipronged solution.”

While we’re targeting airport gouging, why don’t we get a similar campaign started against those $10 bottles of water?

What happens when the thing you’ve waited your whole life for finally arrives and the responsible thing is to stay home?

When my wife and I first started dating, I remember apologizing in advance for the Knicks. “Don’t worry,” I told her. “It’s mostly harmless.”

She thought I was confessing an addiction. I was.

For years, though, it didn’t matter. The Knicks were terrible. My obsession was largely theoretical.

Then something impossible happened. The Knicks made the NBA Finals. The thing Knicks fans have spent decades talking about in the same way children talk about becoming astronauts. “If the Knicks ever make the Finals, I’ll be there.” Whatever it costs. Whatever it takes.

But every Knicks fan has a number where the dream stops being a dream.

Read on to learn more.

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