Korean Air Skypass - International to Domestic Transfers at JFK

I have a family member flying Korean Air from Incheon to JFK with a 4 hour layover, then domestic connection with Jet Blue to Syracuse. Two questions here: 1. How does she get from Korean Air terminal (term 1 i think) to Jet Blue and does her baggage automatically transfer? 2. Is the 4 hour layover sufficient, i'm guessing she would have to clear customs, check in through Jet Blue, then get through security again. Help !!! :D

She will need to collect her luggage and pass thru customs. Afterwards she can take her luggage and transfer them so they are sent to her domestic flight. Most major airports have a transfer area as soon as you clear customs to drop your luggage. 4 hours should be plenty of time between her international flight connecting to her domestic flight. That includes clearing customs and finding her gate with JetBlue. I'm not familiar with JFK and I'm sure someone else can offer more information but she may need to go thru security to get to her gate.

It's definitely sufficient time if she's a U.S. citizen. I would tell her to start walking fast once getting off the plane though because there are a few arrivals when that flight usually lands at JFK. Immigration, then get luggage, then customs, then you exit out, take the elevator or escalator to the bridge to AirTrain, go to the JetBlue terminal.

I usually transfer to a Delta flight from Terminal 1 if I come back stateside on KE to JFK and I have no problem making even 2-3 hour connections. I usually just walk from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 and I even have time to shower at the Delta lounge!

Even if she is not a US Passport or green card holder, she should be fine. If she is a Korean passport holder, she is on the visa wavier list. Typically, I'd say it takes about two hours without breaking a sweat. If their are some iregular operations like a late arrival from her KE flight, she will still be fine as long as it does not go beyond two hours of delay.

Was her KE and B6 flights booked on the same itinerary? If so, if she does miss her JetBlue connecting flight, they will help her re-book without penalty.

If she has limited English, have her print out an English copy of her itinerary/BP for her JetBlue flight. I am sure she will find fellow KE passengers that are bilingal when she collects her luggage that can tell her which terminal to go to for B6.

She will need to move between Terminal 1 (KE arrival) and Terminal 5 (JetBlue ops). The best way to do that is by taking the JFK AirTrain between the terminals. After clearing Immigration and Customs, follow signs to the AirTrain, which operates between the terminals and is served by a pedestrian bridge from the departures level of Terminal 1 (so she should take the elevator up to that level). Terminal 5 is three stops away: Terminal 2/3 (joint stop for DL), Terminal 4 (multi-airline), then Terminal 5.

The AirTrain is free if you stay on the airport's property. On-airport, the trains move in opposite directions on the inside and outside tracks. The inside track stays within the airport at all times. The outside tracks eventually leave the airport, serving the rental car area and subways connections. Your sister should take the train on the outside track that is ultimately bound for either of the subways connection stations: either train will stop at Terminal 5, and it will probably be faster than going around the loop in the other direction.

I don't know whether bags may be inter-lined (through-tagged) from KE to JetBlue. It would not surprise me at all if they can't, since JetBlue is an LCC. Even if bags are through-tagged, as noted above, pax will have to collect all bags at JFK Terminal 1 for purposes of clearing Customs. Any re-check zone would be just past the Customs clearance point.

If bags are not inter-lined (through-checked), I would be very surprised if JetBlue had an agent for accepting bags at T1 that it would then be responsible for moving over to T5. If they don't, your sister will have to schlep all checked bags on the AirTrain. The good news is that JFK is one of the few US airports where baggage trolleys are generally provided for free to international arriving pax.

Four hours should be plenty of time.

My best guess would be that as a LCC, JetBlue doesn't interline. In this case, in Korea the checked bags will only be tagged as far as JFK. I wouldn't expect JetBlue to have an agent in the postcustoms bag drop area, so the passenger must take the bags to the JetBlue check in counter where she will probably be required to pay fees to check the bags to her destination.

It appears that KE and JetBlue have an interline agreement (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jetblue-and-korean-air-announce-new-interline-agreement-to-connect-customers-between-asia-and-north-america-140728143.html). If the flights are on one ticket, there's got to be some way to have bags checked through (subject to reclaiming to walk through customs).