Hi, were flying from Toronto to JFK (Feb 6, 2023) our first time to have layover in US, what do we need to provide . There are two ways of transferring between terminals: Between all other Terminals: Take the AirTrain. Only the domestic portion goes into LGA and the international portion in and out of JFK. I was going from LGA to ORD with 30min connection in PHL. Learn how your comment data is processed. MINIMUMCONNECTION TIMES. If they're not on the same ticket, then you're not connecting, but arriving and departing. I have a KLM flight arriving at JFK from Amsterdam with a layover of only 1:45 before my connecting flight to Norfolk all on 1 ticket and no terminal change. Ive never missed going between high A and high B gates when on time. Even if you cant get all the way to the front by asking, chances are good that youll be able to move ahead far enough to make a difference. I am arriving JFK Delta from Barcelona. While I can appreciate that the American gates are all close to one another there, the same MCT applies at Phoenix Airport, which is much more spread out. John F. Kennedy International Airport - Travel guide at Wikivoyage Keep in mind this is for an "interline . Its just not worth the stress and hassle. Learnt my lesson and now I refuse to connect in FRA if the layover is less than 90min unless there's another convenient flight later on the day. Anonymous needs to work through their issues with racism. What is the ideal connection time at JFK? If, for some reason, you feel you can't make a connection within the allotted time, contact. BY e38 - Thu Feb 05, 2015 8:59 pm. Itll simply be a matter of walking from one plane to the next (with no security checks). How to Plan Enough Time to Reach a Connecting Flight - TripSavvy I had to be on board at 9:35 p.m Note that there are 3 separate AirTrain lines: the Airline Terminals Train, the Jamaica Station Train, and the Howard Beach Train. LIS was adviced by BRU that we had that delay and so suspend our next leg. Years ago I was coming back from Argentina to Dallas. It's ridiculous. And the terminal itself was huge to travel from one extreme concourse to another. I have a 2h:33m connection in JFK to my next flight, which is New York So Paulo which i am flyig LATAM. I'm a free agent for US3 flights anymore because, well, they all generally suck for one reason or another - product, miles, whatever - and AA insists on doing this to us. We recommend you arrive to the airport at least 3 hours before your scheduled departure for international flights. I don't even think that is allowed for Int. I have good luck chatting through the app and I am not an elite. Hi Phoebe Im glad youre finding this useful! For the longest time I refused to fly on American because of the nasty attitudes of their staff (angry black bitches) and how they screwed me over multiple times. Not entirely anyway. Have to go running thru to catch connections it is crazy. to Int. North America. Do you think we will have enough time to get off one flight and onto our connecting flight in 30 minutes with JetBlue? If the second leg has plenty of substitute flights in case of late arrival, I might go as low as 60 minutes, but no less. I fly a lot. I would say you could do a 25 minute connection if your flight was on time. I won't normally book connecting flights between any two points without at least 90 minutes' layover. The fastest and most efficient way to move between most terminals at the JFK Airport is to use the AirTrain (there are stations located at each terminal). When I called American Airlines , their response was if they scheduled it , you can make it ! One of my regular flights is LAX to Austin. Afraid it will take a long time to de-plane, get luggage, go through customs, get to correct terminal, etc What do you think? Hi George yes, 2 hours to go though customs and immigration at JFK will be tight (especially if you have checked luggage), but the thing thatll make it easy is that you wont have to switch terminals. You have to be extremely polite about it though, as not everyone will be sympathetic to your situation. Other airports with special minimum required times. Just have to get past the A.B.B. Gotta run, I guess. Re: American Airlines with a short connection time 5 years ago Save Nope. Bought all the ticket with latam. The difference is that when things go wrong in Dallas, there are a lot more flights you can be rebooked on to get to your final destination. You wont have any issues if your inbound flight is on time. None of my flights on American Airlines were problem free! I have it, and theres only been one instance in my last few years of travel where the regular security line was faster. Many do this (Ive done this twice) to get better fares or award seats out of JFK. I live in Austin and fly every week. As a New Mexico resident that flys out of ABQ or ELP on AA often, I was confident you would be talking about a ticket leaving from one of these airports. Other one world and partner airlines use the following: T-1: Japan Airlines and Royal Air Maroc T-4: Etihad T-5: Aer Lingus and Hawaiian Airlines T-7: Alaska Airlines T-8: see above Plus there is no trip though security on a connection. Do we have enough time? Good I didn't have that "wedding" that evening. Jet blue keeps changing our flight! That percentage drops to maybe 50% on American. I live in Austin and fly every week. Love this! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Its about 40 min which includes getting off the plane. Recently, I had a :36 minute connection time at LAX - :26 minutes if you factor when boarding ends. I recently booked a ticket with Qatar Airways from the U.S. to Asia on the same flights that I have flown on a few times before and normally had a connection of 3 hours. If you book far enough in advance you'll almost certainly get a schedule change that makes the window less than the minimum connection. Hi Scott!!! American Airlines advises customers that "boarding ends 15 minutes before departure" So that leaves you (*gets out calculator*) zero minutes to make your connection. It can be difficult to find this information on an airline's . We made it by a hair. MCTs should be based on the when the boarding times of the connecting flights start and NOT their departure time! The passenger from the previous flight is at the counter and she tells me they gave our seats away. My brother and sister in law have Global Entry. Right across the hallway at T-20 and I was first off the plane. Hi Jay yes, you will need to go claim your checked luggage before going through customs (which will happen right after you clear passport control). A couple thoughts after reading this piece. I have booked a separate Delta flight to MSY departing at 3:58. And, it's no fun when that happens. Arriving on a commmuter flight and connecting internationally is impossible in less than 1 hour, especially if you are a disabled wheel chair user. I would say you could do a 25 minute connection if your flight was on time. 46 minutes is enough time since youll be arriving and departing out of Terminal 4 at JFK. We don't care if the passengers make the flight! There's also little to no chance of them holding the departure for you anymore. Hi Scott Travelling from Amsterdam via JFK to Bangor and carrying odd size bagage. ADD had some 10-15 min MCTs loaded for ET-ET connections. Fingers crossed and will probably remain crossed until we actually board the plane. For journeys between terminals, it's free. This means that all partner airlines are grouped together in a way that makes sense. Not too big of a deal if there are other frequencies later on in the day, but if that isn't the case it can be a nightmare. I booked a flight on one ticket with American Airlines from London to Toronto with a flight connection at JFK. What a lovely planet you must live in. The Charlotte Airport it takes at least 19 minutes to get to your next gate and that has been for every flight I have taken from there. I don't agree with it. But I pulled up the rules, and indeed, a domestic to domestic connection on American has an MCT of 25 minutes. Apr 28, 2023, 12:18 PM. A short connection is asking for disaster. Thanks, Scott! From what i understand, Delta is located in T3 and AA in T8, and taking the AirTrain is a breeze - 10min tops between these 2 terminals. My American flights out of Knoxville usually connect in Charlotte, Dallas, or Chicago. Yes, a terminal change will require the need to go through security again. If I have been on a given route and have reason to believe I won't have to change terminals, I might risk booking a slightly shorter connection. Its not the 25min MCT that kills you on American. The fly was 1 hour late so when we arrived I had 45 minutes to pick up my luggage, go through customs and check it in again for my second fly. The main reason why short layovers are usually ok at JFK is due to the fact that there is no designated international terminal. United: 30-minute minimum for domestic, 60 minutes for international. Having TSA Precheck will make a 1 hour and 40 minute connection easy. Much less stressful that way! I had a flight land I. Chicago at 8:36 p.m and a flight at 10:05 p.m. Even not having to switch terminals when going from an international flight to a domestic flight at JFK is going to take a bit of time. Likewise, they wont even consider an adjacent airport to fly you into (like DAL vs. DFW, or EWR instead of JFK). Try the connection in Chicago. And as a flight attendant..were the ones that deal with the unhappy fliers! Well, don't know how that works in the US but back in time I was Flying BRU-LIS-GRU with a theoretical stop over in LIS of about 2hrs (which in practice was/is always much more). Most helpful, Scott! Even though we boarded the first flight on time the captain said charlotte had closed two runways and our connections will also be delayed. Airlines all publish minimum connection times (MCT). MCTs are vastly different around the globe for example, the MCT in Helsinki for a domestic to domestic connection is 20 minutes, while the MCT in Mexico City for an international to international connection is 120 minutes. @ Sel, D. -- Wow, good catch. Itll simply be a matter of walking from one plane to the next (unless you have to change terminals, which in that case, will require going through a security checkpoint). How much additional time would you suggest for retrieving & re-checking a bag? A few months back I was connecting in MCO to MIA (after being rerouted through MCO) and the inbound was late. If the connection had to have 30 min in Austin instead of 25, you might not get that low fare you wanted. The John F Kennedy Airport is in a constant state of evolution, and a lot has changed over the years (including the elimination and combination of some terminal buildings). Minimum Connection Times: What Are They and How Do They Affect I live in a non hub city and the best priced and timed itineraries from PSP involve a minute connection in PHX. As the name suggests, this is the minimum amount of time that you need to plan for a connection at an airport, as an airline wont sell you a shorter connection than that. If there was a second daily frequency I would risk it, but missing my flight home involves waiting for the next day's flight, or being funneled through DFW. Needles to say the pain was unbearable and had to take time off and deal with medical bills. There was only one catch the connection time in Austin was just 25 minutes. I fly a lot. Often, selecting better connection times (1+ hour) result in higher fares (again, at least in my experience), which is annoying. When the flight is not cancelled or the length of delay is 90 minutes or less, a refund does not apply:. Its not the motherf*****r that you think it is. If you've made a connecting stop in the previous 14 days in any country that is not on the UK approved travel corridor list, you will be required to self isolate upon your arrival to the UK. Have a great trip! Your feedback is important in helping us keep our community safe. and 3 hours for international. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners. I have a return flight from Raleigh NC JFK LHR. Blame the airline or the passenger but the staff pay the price. Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ). Minimum Connecting Time (Approximate) JAL other international airlines: 120 minutes: JAL other domestic airlines; Other international airlines JAL: No - your flights are late in the afternoon and evening. or go from American Airlines to a British Airways. Just experienced this yesterday doing an AA international arrival and domestic departure at PHX. Retrieve your luggage from the baggage carousel, Go through customs before exiting into arrivals area, Check your bags at the Delta ticket counter, Proceed through the security checkpoint to enter T4. From there, you will need to go to the Delta check in area to re-check your luggage. Any idea how much time is needed and where to collect the odd size baggage? Should I expect separate entry lines with TSA Pre or will there be individual check in kiosks? Hi Scott Check-in times as of March 2016 Link In most locations, you must be checked in: At least 45 minutes before scheduled departure, for flights within the United States At least 60 minutes before scheduled departure, for flights to or from airports outside of the United States I avoid booking an intinerary that does not have at least an hour connection scheduled. I've seen flights with connection times as short as 25 minutes. AA sold me a MCT in ORD changing to Madrid on Iberia. do we need to pay for the AirTrain. Making connections at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York can be extremely calm and easy if you follow these steps: How about a domestic to international on separate tickets, different terminals, where youre picking up and rechecking bags? Once I had a 35-minute Int'l to Int'l connection at ADD. My personal policy outbound on international itineraries is 2 hours +/- 15 minutes MCT given that my international flight, if a misconnect occurs, forces a 24 hour delay. Thank you. For the 2022 year, Im currently Diamond with Delta as well as Exec Plat with American. Don't know in the US but here if you are i.e. One of my regular flights is LAX to Austin. If I miss the connecting flight, I will have to wait 25 hours at DOH, and I cannot enter the country for a hotel because of the World Cup. It took about half an hour after the door opened for it to get to us the last 6 times we flew AA. Assuming your entire itinerary is part of the same ticket, you wont need to retrieve and re-check your luggage. Unless youre in 1st, always give yourself an hour between connections. Hi Sofia if the entire itinerary can be purchased together as a single ticket, that means that the first flight will be operated by Delta (which is a partner of Air France). The only question is, do they have a protocol in place to alert the connecting gate agent that you're coming right off another plane, so they don't just declare you've missed the flight and close the door. Hi Scott, youre amazing for creating this website, thank you!! The exception is Phoenix, which also has a 25-minute MCT, though thats a hub I generally avoid (just due to the geography, given that I live in Florida). Thanks in advance! It takes at least 10 min to get anywhere on the skytrain. Often, after booking, AA will change my outbound flights forcing a tight connection and I have to phone to change it back. Also, if I'm going to have to have a layover I look to see what Also, if I'm going to have to have a layover I look to see what the connection time would be based on arrival/departure. I'm able bodied.I. 2). Ill be arriving Terminal 4 at about 12:30 pm on a Wednesday departing Terminal 1 (with a 1 hour and 35 layover) at about 2:25 PM. This is so obnoxious. Since you're talking about connecting in AMS and JFK, I imagine you are looking at flying Delta/SkyTeam. I'd rather not have to 2 stop a domestic trip. is this a little too tight, or do you think ok? 25-minute layovers arent well suited for your checked luggage. They are all separate buildings, connected by an inter-terminal train (the AirTrain). I have also seen 30 An advantage of this would be access to cheaper fare inventory when the system creates a connecting itinerary. I would never book this, I think my average delay time on AA is >25 minutes, unless you assume your connecting flight's pushback is also subject to AA's MDT ("Minimum Delay Time") of 25 minutes. Hi Im coming from Barcelona British Air and then Delta back to PR how long would it take. Find out more on gov.uk Airport Connections I made it with a 3 minutes to spare before them closing boarding but was soaked in sweat and felt like I had fast walked a 5k. Most unrealistic minimum connection ever? 30 minutes at JFK between Keep up the excellent writing! FYI, asking the TSA (or any airport employee) to move you to the front of the line wont work. Hi Claire youre going to be fine. When we tried to request a different option she sends us off without the slightest bit of sympathy to go look for customer service desk which of course was empty. connection where I have to go through transit security. Its their lack of actually getting you to your gate on time. Your example itinerary is even scarier since it's an RJ to a mainline jet. In the event that your first flight arrives too late to connect, the airline will be obligated to put you on the next available flight without charging any fees. Or international to domestic all within terminal 8 in 1.25 hours? This is because of daylight savings time ending (moving the arrival one hour forward) and because of QR changing my connecting flights timings to 1 hour earlier (presumably because of the world cup and aircraft availability). I dont even trust a one hour connection time. Also, Matthew at LALF gets lots of non-responses in addition to the canned responses when he does get one. Hi Carole if youre flying American Airlines the entire way (DFW-JFK-LHR), you wont have to switch terminals at JFK. On more than one occasion the short layover resulted in a "free" On more than one occasion the short layover resulted in a "free" stopover. Thanks for the article, very informative. You are just asking for misconnection! If you book it, be prepared to run. If you have the dreaded 33B chair, ask the gate agent if anything has become available closer to the door. Also, dont get hung up on the fact that Terminals 3 and 6 are nonexistent. Toronto (YYZ): 90 minutes Delta: 30-minute minimum connection time. Very helpful, Scott! Hell no! On the app it says check in and clear security at jfk but would we need to coming from Portland maine ? Delta. American Airlines with a short connection time - Tripadvisor But starting at BRU I don't have always the option MUC to connect. At the airport Travel information American Airlines I would NEVER book that. Make your flight connection at JFK easy! Not gonna lie thats a connection that would make even my butt pucker a little (lol). Eventually they have to deplane us and we wait in the terminal since it's time to board the next flight. How about when the first leg is 2 hr late? Running to your next gate, which is two or three terminals away, is the only option. A 25 MINute connection is definitely a miNUTE connection! That's sad and what's wrong with the world. GRRRRRR. Home->LGA/JFK->European Home. Any advantage there? I know that seems like a really wide range of time, but stay with me. Connecting flights | Security | Virgin Atlantic help centre There are reasons why I have avoided flying with them for a while now, it's too close for comfort. A few months back I was connecting in MCO to MIA (after being rerouted through MCO) and the inbound was late. The agent says well next time don't book flights so close together. Have a good trip! 4:35 am to 3:25 pm. Will that get them through security quicker? Id imagine that most taxi drivers wouldnt do it unless you promised them a very big tip. My American flights out of Knoxville usually connect in Charlotte, Dallas, or Chicago. Minimum connecting times at JFK - New York City Forum Have booked some really cheap awards and ultimately ended up getting a much more favorable schedule. Theyve only given a 45 minute transfer time. It's not like you'd get off an AA flight and have to take the tram to another concourse for your connection. Global Entry wont get them through security any faster but TSA Precheck (which comes as part of Global Entry) will. We land late and the cranky lady takes her sweet time taking the suitcases off the rack. Thanks. You could probably pull it off, but I can guarantee that itll be a stressful experience. all on one ticket American Airlines operated by British Airways. Stay connected with the latest travel, aviation, and credit card news. How to pull off a short flight connection, and when to give yourself Minimum Connection Times (MCTs) | Flight Connections | OAG By the way, while I still have your attention. We have a minimum at Charlotte and have to run across a large airport. This is almost exactly the same as a domestic to domestic connection, with the only difference being that youll need to be onboard your international flight sooner. Find the location of your airlines here. What is the minimum connection time for domestic flights at JFK? Tight Connection - JFK. These are horrible. Even if you did, and hour and 15 minutes would still be doable. The following MCTs exist STATION CONNECTION TIME ARR CARRIER ARR FLIGHT # DEPARTURE CARRIER DEPART FLIGHT # ARR DEP STATUS HHMM Carrier Codeshare Indicator Codeshare Operating Range Start Range End Codeshare Indicator Codeshare Operating Range Start Range End Id try to get a longer layover if possible, but it wont be the end of the world if you cant. If your destination requires specific travel documents, remember to bring a completed copy with you to the airport. I give up and head to my new gate where all the other passengers have already arrived and sat down and I try to ask the agent for proper boarding pass because what I was given had no seat listed and of course she gives me attitude and doesn't help. for all kind of connections. My wife needs wheel chair service to the plane, although I would prefer a short connection I normally need at least 1 hour depending upon the airport, in Phoenix I book minimum 90 minutes. Hi Leyi youre very welcome! No earlier flights available my ass. Would be nice but impossible to connect bags in that short of time company has too many unrealistic expectations. A 25 minute connection is ABSOLUTELY absurd! If you do end up missing the flight to LAX, theyll just put you on the next one. This is one of those internal operations things that AA wouldn't actually answer because some Lean Six Sigma'd it, customers be damned, and that's just the way things are. American Airlines use Terminal 8 at JFK, and host British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Qantas, Qatar Airways, and Royal Jordanian Airlines. Athens, Greece (ATH) 2 Hours Before Departure. AA typically will offer a great fare but a short connection. Accra, Ghana (ACC) 3-4 Hours Before Departure - Even if not Checking Bags. They know if any others are booked to your itinerary, and whether you have checked luggage that requires consideration. My rule is two hours minimum for domestic and three hours international as you never know if the first leg will fly on time or if you can deplane in a timely manner so you can try to catch the second leg. Do you think will it be possible? Neither was ideal and I went for the 45 minute option, which ultimately was a mistake given my parents can't speed through airports as quickly as I can, and also that they were completely unfamiliar with Madrid Airport. Id rather get a plethora of connections than just a few that price me out of the market. Thank you so much Scott!! If the connection had to have 30 min in Austin instead of 25, you might not get that low fare you wanted. Hi Barbara yes, you could probably take a taxi to get from one terminal to another, but it will be extremely inconvenient for them due to how short of a trip it is. I will never do it again. Its highly annoying and happens frequently. Both flights are part of the same ticket. The anxiety was almost crippling as we landed in Phoenix. For some people a longer layover works better for them if there's a layover at all. Yes it can be purchased as a single ticket and it is operated by Delta. The AirTrain system operates between all passenger terminals. I'd be pissed if I was an AA employee, too. Connection Times JFK - Airliners.net These types of connections work out great when you have trip delay insurance and you don't care when you reach your final destination. I see the attendant bypass my suitcase multiple times and politely try asking for it and the other passengers gently told me to just wait and I explain that my connection will be leaving soon and it's in another terminal. Never mind that for Department of Transportation (DOT) purposes, flights are considered on-time if they arrive less than 15 minutes late. It's just dumb. My luggage be checked in all the way from DFW or do I need to recheck it in JFK? Air France doesnt fly from JFK to Prague nonstop. But since you wont its gonna be easy. Yes! AA has been offering itins with ridiculously short "please misconnect me" itins to me for months now, including 25-minute connection times in PHX and 35 to 55 minute connection times elsewhere. The airline doesnt want to pay you a family full of vouchers and potential hotel stays if they can avoid it. Often, after booking, AA will change my outbound flights forcing a tight connection and I have to phone to change it My personal policy outbound on international itineraries is 2 hours +/- 15 minutes MCT given that my international flight, if a misconnect occurs, forces a 24 hour delay. 2 hours is going to be tight, and I will admit that Id be nervous about doing an international to international connection (with a terminal change) in that amount of time. U.S. airlines routinely allow 30- to 40-minute connections for domestic flights. Its an interesting one. So technically, no. Though maybe it wouldnt help since the inexperienced travelers most likely to need that steer are probably booking via third party channels anyway. This seemed ok to me. I was stunned when I realized I had booked Palm Springs to Boston through Phoenix with the 25 minutes MCT. As I just mentioned, 30 minutes is the bare minimum of time youll need for a domestic to domestic connection. Unfortunately, if I take a packaged tour I can't always get what I want. They will more likely be paging you a final boarding call that you hear as youre walking up to your connecting gate. Flight attendants tried to calm me but.they confessed that it was just a couple of gates shy of the longest distance I could walk between the terminals. Happened to me twice and sat for an hour on the apron, The Austin airport is the most ridiculous airport I've ever been through and I've traveled for yearstheir people are NOT helpful there's no posted signs for gatesif there's a change IN GATE by the time you get to the other gate it's too late to go backwards. Hi Ludo! Absolutely getting from one terminal to the other via the AirTrain is fast because it bypasses all the congestion on the roads connecting all the terminals. He doesn't say a word just starts typing away then he hands me a ticket for a flight leaving within the hour. What Is a Layover and How Long Do You Need For Connecting Flights?