bkojote

rustykettel

beckoa

Those were among the most surly TSA agents I've dealt with. What a cluster with no priority screening.

osotoc

I'm schedule to fly JFK-PDX in February 2019. I'm wondering if anything will change by then. One can only hope!

Fredd

Ugh! It sounds like the TSA experience there hasn't improved since I posted this in February.

akdancer

Today: at T7, TSA had no dedicated pre-check screening. They were running "expedited screening" - this means - IF YOU HAVE PRE-CHECK - you can keep your shoes on and go through metal detector instead of body scanner. Computers out of bag for xray. This is the same process as done at "minor" airports, e.g., JNU, FAI, even BOS for AS gates. But at JFK - oh, my!

What's different is that at JFK T7, the TSA agent that verifies docs did NOT give out a card/flag to any pax w/ pre-check. Thus all seemed destined to have full screening. However, when I asked at the screening machines about pre-check, was told: show us your BP and you can leave shoes on, go through metal detector, etc. BUT unless I'd asked, no info offered. Really needs improvement.

Tough on my wife who had left her phone in her bag to be screened and when I found out the above, could not get it to show her BP for expedited screening. I was through and got it for her, TSA took it to her, and when she showed BP on phone, she got expedited.

So - anyone w/ pre-check at T7, take note!

There is a reason, apparently, for the weak TSA system at T7: all other airlines are int'l and TSA geared to that, not domestic business from AS.

rustykettel

BA, FI, and NH are all PreCheck participating airlines despite being international airlines, in addition to AS. TSA did have full PreCheck for a brief period but apparently decided to go back to PreCheck Lite due to volumes. And not enough pressure from the tenant airlines. Give feedback to AS, either directly or through low scores on the Alaska Listens survey.

akdancer

Good to know, thanks, esp. since I'll be using FI out of JFK later this year. Volume definitely very low this morning, but it's the "no pre-check flag" point that is my real gripe.

As to AS as the "only" non-pre-check at T7, that's what the agent at the entry door told me. I hadn't used JFK for an originating flight in > 10 years. When I told this guy about our TSA experience, suggesting he might pass it on, he said "it's a management thing [not my problem]." Will do a comment on Alaska Listens - good suggestion (if they really listen; seems like some deafness has set in lately.)

OTOH, I made some comments to the barrista, she said she'd pass them on - but they were about the AL, not TSA. She did confirm that there is no Service Desk at this location. Maybe some day?

Flying for Fun

When I passed through T7 on 1/26/19 @ 6:30 am the Agent processing TSA Pre passengers advised everyone to show their TSA Pre boarding passes for "Lite" treatment. 3 lines open, slipped out my laptop, walked through the detector and was through in about 3 minutes.

James

sfozrhfco

https://buyingbusinesstravel.com/new...terminal-8-jfk

Looks like BA is officially abandoning T7 in 2022 and moving in with AA so AS will have through 2021 in T7 before it is torn down.

Single_Flyer

Yikes! That's a short life for the Alaska Lounge. Shorter than the N Satellite temporary lounge in SEA.

bkojote

So the question is do they end up with Delta at T4 or Jetblue at T5/6/7?

eponymous_coward

It's an interesting question, because there are zero other domestic carriers who fly to JFK who aren't hubbed there: UA/WN/NK/G4 all don't fly to JFK, AA/B6/DL all are hubbed there. Sticking them randomly in with all the one-off international carriers like SQ/LO/PR/KQ/MS maybe, like back when VX was in T4 with a bunch of those carriers?

sfozrhfco

Their only option will be somewhere in the new South terminal which will be Terminals 1-3 and linked to 4. So I guess they will have to be friendly with DL--or do their check ins at an airtrain station and bus people to their remote parking spots Terminal 8 will be much more full with AA/Partners and B6 will keep its terminal for its expanded international service and international partners.

bkojote

There's a few ways I see this panning out:

1- Alaska moves in with JetBlue at T5/6/7
+ JetBlue is going to have the most gate space available with the new terminal, and it's clear other airlines are going to relocate there (Emirates, Icelandair, possibly Qatar.) Alaska will have access to its non-alliance partners.
- Alaska and JetBlue hate each other, and I'm pretty sure JetBlue would like to prioritize its partners rather than have a competitor who flies only the same routes squatting in its terminal, let alone opening a lounge there.

2- Alaska moves in to the new T1
+ No direct animosity with any of the airlines currently operating, and this terminal is going to be massively expanded.
- Alaska has almost no partners at this terminal aside from JAL and Korean Air. Additionally this terminal will be built primarily for international traffic with a lot of widebody gates.

3- Alaska moves in to T4
+ They'll have some space once Emirates, etc. leave for T5/6/7
- Delta already kicked them out of T4, and I'm sure with their flights relocating from T2 they'd rather use the gates for themselves.

4- Alaska squeezes in to T8
+ They'll have access to most of their partners as well as AA. No need to build a new Alaska lounge.
- If AA didn't have room for them in 2017 they sure won't have room for them now.