CX Connection time in JFK on two separate tickets
 

Looking for your feedback on a situation that I have. I'm in Central Mass and our group of 7 have a flight at 10AM to HK on CX841 out of JFK. To get to JFK, I have two options:

1> Purchase a separate ticket from ORH to JFK on B6. It gets in at 7:29AM. Will that be enough that be enough time to grab luggage, transfer to CX terminal, check in, drop off bags and go through security? Will B6 check bags all the way to HK thru interline agreement?
2> Rent a car and drive to JFK. It will be a 2.5 hour ride.

Both will require to leave the house around the same time.

I would drive. In theory it is a reasonable connection but any delays on the JetBlue flight and you will miss.

Also, if the weather/roads looks bad you can drive up the night prior and stay at a hotel

Not sure exactly where in Central Mass. you are, but Google Maps says 3.5 hours from Worcester to Avis JFK. Then, you must allow time to drop the car, take the AirTrain to the CX terminal, and check your baggage. What is CX's baggage check-in deadline at JFK?

Also, if you drive, you might want to bring your own E-Z Pass transponder with you, or you will be forced to use the rental car company's, and pay the daily transponder fee, plus the tolls themselves.

60 minutes before dep.

We are located in Sturbridge MA, near the CT border on 84. We would leave around 4:30 AM.

In any case (flying or driving) you most likely will run into issues (rebooking fee, no space on the next flight for 7 people....) if you don't show up on time at the CX counter.

Consider weather and check the on time record of your B6 flight.
Check https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/b6671
In the last week the flight was 4 hours late once, on time otherwise.

Estimate the likelihood of making it in time. Estimate the cost if you don't make it.

Personally I would drive the evening before and overnight at the airport, but I have been burned before in these kind of situations.

Separate tickets means that you are not connecting. Thus, you bear 100% of the risks of a no show at JFK and having to purchase new tickets to HKG at walk-up prices.

There is absolutely no way I would fly and allow 2-1/2 hours (1-1/2 to check-in deadline). But, that is me. All it takes is a bit of weather, a small mechanical issue or a jetway issue, and you are SOL.

If you allow 3 hours for the drive, 1 hour to drop at car rental and get to counter to check in at T-2, you should leave Sturbridge at 04:00. Earlier if inclement weather.

Given the lengthy flight ahead, you might consider flying/driving to JFK the night before and spending the night at one of the JFK-area hotels. Doesn't have to be fancy to be pleasant and really makes the trip more manageable.

Thanks for all the replies. We will head to JFK the night before. All 7 of us are in first and business via awards and it will will be close to impossible to all rebook on the same flight if we miss it.

As Often1 correctly says, you don’t have a connection. With a morning flight out of JFK, I would always arrive the night before. There are just too many things that can go wrong, in which case you would lose seven tickets and need to buy on the spot. The hotel options around JFK are pretty miserable, but preferable to the potential cost of buying seven new tix to HKG.

I was recently on CX841 (9:00 am departure) and had no choice but an overnight at a nearby hotel. The JFK options are not great, although the TWA hotel looks nice.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn which was fine, nothing special. The shuttle to JFK runs every 30 minutes and was quick (less than 10 minutes) and prompt.

(There is also a full service Hilton, and a Courtyard, right next door if you prefer.)


Cathay is now a pre-check participant and it was open at terminal 8, no line at 6:45 am


BTW they start serving alcohol (Krug!) at the Flagship First dining at 8:00am. We arrived at FFD prior to 7 am, had a nice breakfast, 2 glasses of champagne at 8, then headed to the gate. Enjoy!

Either fly in the day/night before your CX flight and stay near the airport, or drive, as stated above you are not connecting so if you miss your flight you are on the
hook for it.

I'm from Newton. Sturbridge is a bit of a drive from Worcester.

Good decision. I'd plan to drive, just in case of snow.

Another factor to consider is what day of the week. If it's a weekend departure, traffic to JFK in the morning would be considerably lighter. A weekday has you driving right in the middle of rush hour. If it were a Sunday morning departure, and the weather was fine, driving from Sturbridge to JFK should be very quick and traffic free. Of course anything can happen, and that typically traffic free morning could all of a sudden become a disaster due to an accident or other unforeseen event.

I'm about 40 miles north and west of JFK and I've taken CX841 often on weekday departures, mostly Friday. The Van Wyck expressway, especially at Kew Gardens is always a traffic disaster. Whenever I travel mid-week to get the 9AM or even 10AM CX841 departure, I'm going to hit a ton of traffic after crossing the Hudson. However, once I took CX841 on a Sunday and made it to JFK in about an hour, not a bit of traffic the entire way.

Last March, I had a 9AM departure on a Friday morning with 5AM car service pickup scheduled. That morning there was some light snow, about 2 inches or so and I knew the flight would not be delayed. The car service called about 5AM and told me the driver was stuck. Woke up my son and had him drive me and it was a crawl most of the way after crossing the Hudson River. I arrived JFK just at 8AM and luckily CX checked me in.

tl;dr - Good call by playing it safe and driving the night before, especially if you can't afford to miss the flight.