JFK arrival
Aug 21, 2018 | 6:07 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 197
JFK arrival
how easy is immigration here? I’ll be flying F and arriving at abou 2/3pm...now after a 13 hour flight with Dom etc I fully expect to be ‘tired’. Is there a long wait to get through? Went last year via Abu Dhabi so did clearance before hand which was excellent but slightly concerned this time. I presume there is fast track?
Aug 21, 2018 | 6:47 am
#2
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 19,793
how easy is immigration here? I’ll be flying F and arriving at abou 2/3pm...now after a 13 hour flight with Dom etc I fully expect to be ‘tired’. Is there a long wait to get through? Went last year via Abu Dhabi so did clearance before hand which was excellent but slightly concerned this time. I presume there is fast track?
Aug 21, 2018 | 7:02 am
#3
Join Date: May 2010
Location: BOM
Programs: EK Plat, HHonors Gold
Posts: 3,000
There is QuickConnect but that is only if you have an onward connection.
Aug 21, 2018 | 7:07 am
#4
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Economy, mostly :(
Programs: Skywards Gold
Posts: 7,791
Not sure exactly but a friend arrived in JFK around this time in Y (on EK) a few weeks ago on an Indian passport and go through relatively quick, but it may have been an hour or two earlier, not sure what the other EK arrival times at JFK are
Aug 21, 2018 | 12:22 pm
#7
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 19,793
Do you have an ESTA? If so, then you should be able to use the APC booths. However... it all depends on how JFK has implemented APC. At ORD, we went through to the APC booth, did our fingerprints etc., and were then dumped at the back of the queue for non ESTA arrivals 
We'd arrived just after the EK and QR flights had landed. Completely bizarre.
At MCO and BOS, there is a separate line for people that have completed APC.
Of course, you then have customs to contend with no matter whether or not you have an ESTA.
We'd arrived just after the EK and QR flights had landed. Completely bizarre.At MCO and BOS, there is a separate line for people that have completed APC.
Of course, you then have customs to contend with no matter whether or not you have an ESTA.
Aug 21, 2018 | 11:08 pm
#8
Join Date: May 2010
Location: BOM
Programs: EK Plat, HHonors Gold
Posts: 3,000
Well quickconnect is like fast track - there is a separate queue for quickconnect holders. If your question is "Are there any dedicated counters for F/J pax?" - well, as a matter of fact at JFK (and other US airports), your F/J experience ends the moment you step off the aircraft. You can take solace in the fact that they do have a separate luggage carousel for bags with priority tags.
Aug 21, 2018 | 11:24 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2008
Programs: Skywards Platinum
Posts: 528
I was on the EK (morning arrival into JFK) last month ........... No queue at all. Was out of there in a flash ......... Those booths were operational (where you do your finger printing etc etc.,) but it didn't work too well - I had to get the usher's(what do you call the random dude who's walking around?) help me with it.
Fast Track - hahaha ..........Unfortunately, the US airports are backward and sub par.
Fast Track - hahaha ..........Unfortunately, the US airports are backward and sub par.
Aug 23, 2018 | 6:07 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,538
I was on the EK (morning arrival into JFK) last month ........... No queue at all. Was out of there in a flash ......... Those booths were operational (where you do your finger printing etc etc.,) but it didn't work too well - I had to get the usher's(what do you call the random dude who's walking around?) help me with it.
Fast Track - hahaha ..........Unfortunately, the US airports are backward and sub par.
Fast Track - hahaha ..........Unfortunately, the US airports are backward and sub par.
If you have an ESTA on which you have previously entered, the self service kiosks are quick (one minute) and then you head to a booth to have it reviewed (30 seconds) and then out. Couldn't have been quicker.
There were a few people in the 'first time' queue though. But most were using the kiosks.
The chauffeur car is waiting just as you exit the baggage reclaim.
Sep 12, 2018 | 5:15 am
#11
Join Date: May 2010
Location: BOM
Programs: EK Plat, HHonors Gold
Posts: 3,000
My experience on EK203 yesterday (flying Y and seated in the first mini-cabin)
9:31 am: Out of the a/c
9:36 am: One of the first few to reach the Automated Passport Control Kiosks. Completed the self registration procedure and #3 in Q for immigration, only 2 officers at that time.
9:39 am: Completed Immigration. Reached the baggage claim area and noticed bags were still not on the belt.
9:43 am: Baggage started coming on the belt. Noticed that lone I/O bag was the first to come out. No particular order in which J&F bags were coming.
9:46 am: Collected my bag.
9:47 am: Stepped out of the arrivals area.
9:31 am: Out of the a/c
9:36 am: One of the first few to reach the Automated Passport Control Kiosks. Completed the self registration procedure and #3 in Q for immigration, only 2 officers at that time.
9:39 am: Completed Immigration. Reached the baggage claim area and noticed bags were still not on the belt.
9:43 am: Baggage started coming on the belt. Noticed that lone I/O bag was the first to come out. No particular order in which J&F bags were coming.
9:46 am: Collected my bag.
9:47 am: Stepped out of the arrivals area.