Originally Posted by avflyer

I love the JFK Sucks threads. FWIW, JFK can be awful or it can work just fine IF YOU LEAVE ENOUGH TIME. If NYC is your home port and DL is your home in the sky, here are some points that might make it better for you.

Avoid checking into T3 and work with T2 whenever possible.

Car Drop Off - T2 is covered and if you are traveling domestic with luggage, there is curb side check in. Either way, I have never seen domestic or BE check-in to be a zoo. As for security, if there has been a long line (20+ people), I have in the past gotten a DL agent to open a priority line - I just ask nicely.

If you are using the Tram or self-parking in the lots across the street - and the weather isn't awful, Tram users take the lift to the lowest level and proceed to to the right (facing the terminal) toward T2 and then cross the road at the middle of T2 (wait for the light;-). As you enter T2 on the lower level, elevators to the departure level are to the left. There are ramps that make rolling baggage or carts easy.

In horrible weather, use the front of T3 if parking or taking the Tram. Once you have your boarding pass, should the security line be long, ask a DL agent for help to the front (assuming you have status and/or are flying up front). It has worked in the past for me.

Navigating T2 to T3 is not that bad - about a 15 minute walk from the farthest sides. Navigating to T4 - I have done this from both T2 and T3. Leave yourself time if you are flying out of T4 as the buses run every 15 min. or so and the ride with exit to the terminal is about 10 min. The run to T4 can chew through 30 min. Do not wait in a SC until 10 min prior to boarding if you like to be among the first on the plane.

I suppose that things in JFK will get more difficult before they get better simply because DL occupies the oldest terminals and at the same has increased capacity out of JFK (for NY DL flyers, I love the expansion as I no longer need to fly TATL home via ATL or CVG while looking out the window over NY, knowing I would have to back track later on that day.

As for Priority bag tags, they aren't supposed to work on domestic travel. On TATL travel, they work most every time, unless my bags are going through CDG;-)