Dec 1, 2017, 12:57 am
Last edit by: eponymous_coward
Present state(as of 4/30/18)
- AS/VX flights consolidated from T8/T4 to T7 in late 2017
- Terminal 7 under construction
- No TSA Precheck
- Limited restaurant choices
- Lounges:
- Purchased day pass option revoked for Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in T4
- Alaska Lounge in T7 opened on April 30 2018. Accepts Priority Pass (usual caveats apply, see Priority Pass Denied Entry thread). Will be open 5 AM-10 PM, except 5 AM-5 PM on Saturdays.
- No day pass access to BA lounge
AS (and VX) Moved to T7 at JFK; New Alaska Lounge (April, 2018)
Mar 7, 2018, 8:47 pm
#226
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Mar 8, 2018, 3:27 pm
#229
Join Date: May 2013
Location: SEA
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I would fly into JFK if you don't mind the red eye, super easy to get to midtown via the Long Island railroad. The experience leaving is about the same from EWR or JFK except EWR has an Admirals club you can use if you have a Lounge membership. Suffice it to say neither airport excels in comfort or customer service.
Mar 8, 2018, 3:55 pm
#230
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: NYC
Posts: 280
All of Alaska's experiences flying out of NYC are worst-in-class, but relatively speaking:
Best Departure and Arrival Experience- LaGuardia
The Marine Air Terminal is quick, has -more- food options currently than their JFK and EWR terminals (lol), and avoids the traffic/construction/crappiness of the other LGA terminals. JetBlue is the main tenant and provides free coffee in the morning to everyone, though in the afternoon you need to show a boarding pass. Long story short, you'll benefit from JetBlue's higher standards in a terminal that, while small and lacking in concessions, at least has its stuff together.
Best Departure Experience for AS Lounge members with PreCheck looking to kill a half day in the airport - EWR
You get access to one of the dingiest, saddest Admirals Clubs in the world, but it's very very slightly better than nothing. Security is a mess but with Precheck slightly better than JFK. Probably the best option if you're anticipating your flight getting delayed. If you don't have either Precheck or AS Lounge, don't bother.
Best Arrival experience for heading into Manhattan after a red-eye - JFK
T7 is miserable to depart from but pretty ok to arrive from. If nothing else you'll be in Penn Station in under an hour and the JFK Airtrain / LIRR is much nicer than the NJTransit / Newark Airtrain combo. Provided the escalators aren't broken (they will be though) T7 is pretty quick to exit. Do note that after a red-eye you'll find there aren't enough bathrooms, but that's a problem at EWR too.
Best Experience if you need to be convinced never to fly Alaska again - JFK
Every single part of the airport experience here is awful. You'll wait in line to check-in because half of the employees can't help you, you'll wait in line for security, you'll wait in line to get really awful FIKA coffee from a cheap machine and pay $4.65 for the privilege (if they don't run out), you'll wait to use the one working bathroom with only 2/3 stalls working, you won't find any outlets to charge your device anywhere near the gate area but you WILL find buckets to collect rainwater, etc.
Best Departure and Arrival Experience- LaGuardia
The Marine Air Terminal is quick, has -more- food options currently than their JFK and EWR terminals (lol), and avoids the traffic/construction/crappiness of the other LGA terminals. JetBlue is the main tenant and provides free coffee in the morning to everyone, though in the afternoon you need to show a boarding pass. Long story short, you'll benefit from JetBlue's higher standards in a terminal that, while small and lacking in concessions, at least has its stuff together.
Best Departure Experience for AS Lounge members with PreCheck looking to kill a half day in the airport - EWR
You get access to one of the dingiest, saddest Admirals Clubs in the world, but it's very very slightly better than nothing. Security is a mess but with Precheck slightly better than JFK. Probably the best option if you're anticipating your flight getting delayed. If you don't have either Precheck or AS Lounge, don't bother.
Best Arrival experience for heading into Manhattan after a red-eye - JFK
T7 is miserable to depart from but pretty ok to arrive from. If nothing else you'll be in Penn Station in under an hour and the JFK Airtrain / LIRR is much nicer than the NJTransit / Newark Airtrain combo. Provided the escalators aren't broken (they will be though) T7 is pretty quick to exit. Do note that after a red-eye you'll find there aren't enough bathrooms, but that's a problem at EWR too.
Best Experience if you need to be convinced never to fly Alaska again - JFK
Every single part of the airport experience here is awful. You'll wait in line to check-in because half of the employees can't help you, you'll wait in line for security, you'll wait in line to get really awful FIKA coffee from a cheap machine and pay $4.65 for the privilege (if they don't run out), you'll wait to use the one working bathroom with only 2/3 stalls working, you won't find any outlets to charge your device anywhere near the gate area but you WILL find buckets to collect rainwater, etc.
Mar 8, 2018, 8:22 pm
#232
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 137
Flying AS out of JFK T7 - any way to use the PP lounge in T8?
I'm flying AS (on a Virgin America plane) out of JFK T7 soon. Does anyone know if the JFK AirTrain between terminals is airside? Is there anyway for me to go through security in T7, then take the train to T8 to use the new PP 'lounge' in T8? Will this be an issue, security-wise?
Mar 8, 2018, 8:40 pm
#233
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No and no. There’s a handy JFK thread on the first page of the forum you might consider reading:
AS (and VX) Moved to T7 at JFK; New Alaska Lounge (April, 2018)
AS (and VX) Moved to T7 at JFK; New Alaska Lounge (April, 2018)
Mar 8, 2018, 9:45 pm
#234
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 137
Thanks. I read through the thread, but couldn't find the answer to my next question: do you (or anyone else) know if I could go through security at T8, use the lounge there, and then take an Airtrain to T7 for my flight? Seems a hassle, I know, but I'll have ~ 6 hours to kill at the airport.
Mar 8, 2018, 10:45 pm
#235
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Thanks. I read through the thread, but couldn't find the answer to my next question: do you (or anyone else) know if I could go through security at T8, use the lounge there, and then take an Airtrain to T7 for my flight? Seems a hassle, I know, but I'll have ~ 6 hours to kill at the airport.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29038364-post96.html
Maybe T8 will be different from T1 but by all means let us know...
Mar 9, 2018, 1:14 pm
#236
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With 6 hours, I'd go into town.
Mar 24, 2018, 12:30 am
#237
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: NYC
Posts: 280
Quick note for those with 3+ hours to kill:
You -can- get into other terminals with your boarding pass, though it’s easier with a mobile boarding pass as the TSA won’t ‘help’ redirect you.
Useful if youre an Alaska Lounge member as you can access the (very nice) Admirals Club in t8 along with Bobby Vans if you have Prio Pass. I’m super glad I did, as t7 is about as unpleasant as you can get at the moment and you really are better off killing time just about anywhere else.
The big problem is you will be clearing security twice, and you’ll still want to give yourself 30-40 minutes to clear at T7. With precheck security isn’t too bad at t8 (went through in 5 minutes), though it’s always a train wreck at t7. (It took me about 30 minutes to get from airside t8 to airside t7 as a frame of reference, but it can get much worse)
( Its also just amazing how nice t8 looks after coming from t7. )
You -can- get into other terminals with your boarding pass, though it’s easier with a mobile boarding pass as the TSA won’t ‘help’ redirect you.
Useful if youre an Alaska Lounge member as you can access the (very nice) Admirals Club in t8 along with Bobby Vans if you have Prio Pass. I’m super glad I did, as t7 is about as unpleasant as you can get at the moment and you really are better off killing time just about anywhere else.
The big problem is you will be clearing security twice, and you’ll still want to give yourself 30-40 minutes to clear at T7. With precheck security isn’t too bad at t8 (went through in 5 minutes), though it’s always a train wreck at t7. (It took me about 30 minutes to get from airside t8 to airside t7 as a frame of reference, but it can get much worse)
( Its also just amazing how nice t8 looks after coming from t7. )