After arriving in New York JFK from LOT Polish, I nearly missed my connection to Los Angeles due to ongoing airport construction and very poorly-marked signage. If using the JFK AirTrain to connect between terminals, allow extra time.
Allow Extra Time For Connections Due To Airport Construction At JFK
I landed in Terminal 7 and my connection was in Terminal 5. The terminals are right next door to each other and I could have easily walked over, but the pedestrian path is blocked.
Instead, I took the AirTrain (the train that connects all the terminals as well as the airport to the Jamaica subway station). But at first, I could not decipher the departure board. The next two trains that were coming were going to parking structures, but there was no mention of any terminal stops (beyond Terminal 8).
Only one of the two tracks was open. Unlike in the past, there was no one there wearing a vest to help guide travelers.
So I went downstairs and tried to cut through the parking lot to get to the TWA Hotel and T5, but I could not safely pass, so I went back upstairs.
Finally, a train showed on the departure board that would loop from Terminal 8 to Terminal 1, then Terminal 4, and then Terminal 5. Yes, I had to go around the whole loop since trains are currently only running in one direction.
Long story short, it took three times as long as I thought. Since I only had an hour to connect, I almost missed my flight when I hit (normal but heavy) security lines in T5.
So very simply, allow extra time when connecting at JFK, because the airport is a mess and it may take extra time to connect. JFK will be beautiful when construction is complete, but is not very travel-friendly right now.
This is a good opportunity to remind everyone that JFK is not an airport. It is several (poorly connnected) airports located on the same property. Unless one is connecting within the same terminal (airport), JFK is a hellish nightmare to be avoided at all costs.
This is a fact and glad that I’m not the only one.
It’s now nice for a lot of OW carriers because most of them are in T8, but for the rest of the airlines, it’s just scattered across each “terminal.” To be fair, “terminal consortiums” were made for the use/operation of certain terminals by certain airlines before airline alliances were made, but still, it’s a complete mess and a hassle.
That sounds very unusual, there aren’t any parking structure stops on the AirTrain; the on-airport parking is at the Terminals themselves.
There’s an inter-terminal transfer route on the AirTrain (now designated with a yellow line on the information displays) that only goes around the Terminals but in the opposite clockface direction of the AirTrains going to rail hubs.
Your overall point about the AirTrain being an unmitigated embarrassment still stands however! And that’s without even going into it’s fare scheme.
JFK AirTrain also takes you to long term parking, in addition to parking structure at each terminal.
That’s my point, the long-term parking isn’t on-airport; it’s at Lefferts Boulevard a long way off airport property. No stop on the AirTrain while on the airport premises is a “parking” stop because the parking on-airport is just connected directly to the Terminals, which are the stops on the AirTrain. I can’t see what you might be disagreeing with?
A few weeks ago I was going from Delta (T4) to Air France (T1). There was no alliance partner shuttle between terminals. Not even if flying AF first class which I was. You had to take the train to T8, exited to downstairs and board a bus that took you to T1. Took 20 minutes or so. One the way back my AF escort suggested I take a taxi to T4, so I did. $20.
Glad you made your flight. Word to the millennials. Despite what your parents told you, it is OK to talk to strangers. In NYC it is far more efficient than technology or signs, both of which are only slightly above developing world standards. If there’s nobody on the platform step into the car and ask (yell) where it’s going. Echoing the comments above – JFK is truly a series of independent airports at one site. Switching between carriers is only marginally more efficient than connecting at LGA.
Sooo true. I’ve found New Yorkers to be extremely helpful. They may remind you that you’re an idiot, but they will genuinely assist. I forgot who it was (some talking head or comedian) recently I heard say that if you’ve got a flat on the Grand Central, a New Yorker may yell at you for holding up traffic, but they’ll help you change your tire and get on your way, reminding you again you’ve inconvenienced everyone.
I’ve had to deal with JFK as an airline services tenant. Try building anything there. I would still rather deal with them than say the airport in SFO where the airport’s arts and aesthetics committee didn’t like the color logo my prior airline uses so wouldn’t approve putting it up behind our ticket counter (“But you’re next to American and your blue isn’t the right shade so it’s gonna clash…”) but let us put up a vinyl banner because that’s supposedly better.
After living in NYC metro for a number of years, I would say some New Yorkers are helpful. Not all. After all, my dad calls the northeast ‘God’s frozen people’.. there is some truth to that.
You cannot pay me enough to fly through JFK. It has to be one of the worst airports in the world in terms of how dysfunctional that place is.
In general an absolutely awful place to connect between terminals. Just a note that transfers between terminals 4 & 5 are easily walkable and there’s a pedestrian path. That’s really the only “easy” (in relative terms) inter-terminal transfer. You still need to exit one terminal, walk and re-clear security.
For all the crap I like to give ATL, I dare say going from concourse A or T to F (Int’l) can be done in under 30 min. Not bad for being the busiest airport in the world
The summer thunderstorm meltdowns though.. However if ATL is your home airport, City in the Sky focused on them a good amount in this aviation documentary (three episodes) that was previously on Netflix: https://www.amazon.com/City-Sky-Season-1/dp/B01MUUTBVO
I’m very surprised to hear that the inter terminal yellow line was operating counter clock wise from t8 to t7. That’s usually the route for the red and green lines that go to Jamaica and Howard beach. The yellow line that you rode on would’ve usually taken you from t7 straight to t5 heading clock wise.
Correct – that is what I am used to. But, that is not the way it is working right now.
FWIW I would never do a 60 minute multi-terminal connection at JFK, and I know that airport pretty well. 120 minutes minimum would be my preferred time, maybe a little bit more.
It’s a hot mess. I arrived in T1 on AF with ski luggage. Needed to take that bus to T8 to get the air train to Federal circle to get to my car. That was the first hour of trying to leave the airport.
Poor you! Yes it was it is and it will be the airport faults … if not this then that or something else. The world doesn’t cater to you. Always allows for extra time. 4-8 hours or more for international to domestic. Stop whining. Plan smarter.
Any airport which needs 4 hours or more to transfer is beyond a joke – simple.
And any pax that needs 4-8 hours probably shouldn’t be flying.
There’s quite a nice ship from NY to Southampton…no transfers required, although service can be a bit limited.
Hmm…. after reading all the above, will I be ok landing at T8 with CX at 1.15pm from HK with connecting flight AA at 2.59pm to Cleveland this May?
You should be. Should be no issue at all.
Both airlines are located in T8 so you should be fine.
Thank you both, Mathew and EJF for your reply! My original flight to Cleveland was supposed to be to be 3.49pm when I booked the ticket but has changed since. Good to know both will be at T8 and I shld have enough time.
On topic but, with apologies knowing connections can be nightmarish, I ask about a different site: We’re flying ORD to FRA, 3-hour layover, then FRA to Prague. No idea if the change is in the same terminal. I’ve heard awful stories about Frankfurt and I can’t get an answer on whether we’d have to do a customs/security thing there between flights. Considering that flights can be late, any thoughts on the minimum connection time for a US citizen on that itinerary? Thanks in advance.
I think Matt had reported some issues with FRA 3 weeks ago with lines a km long outside of the airport to get inside, but inside the airport I think it was much better. My experience with Frankfurt transfers in terms of getting around the airport was that it was quite efficient. Your primary bottleneck would likely be human interactions and that would be passport control between the international zone and Schengen/EU. I did a google search and haven’t seen news on the service bottleneck for some time. For what that’s worth…
This was AMS.
You will go through passport control in Frankfurt. Lines likely will be line. But you should be clear in 45 minutes or less. Lines move quickly and you will get through. As long as you have two hours between flights, you needn’t worry. And sometimes it will take two minutes. Depends upon the day.