That seems to indicate that taxis can't compete with Uber/Lyft's dispatch and logistics system, so they just wait somewhere with guaranteed customers. That's great if you happen to be at a hub where taxis hang out, but it sounds like lots of other people in the area also wanted a ride and didn't have a convenient airport taxi stand, causing the surge pricing for the region. For those people taxis are unavailable (because they are all queueing at the airport) so it's better to have the option of a ride at 2.5x than nothing.