narcoleptiq

Hi guys, in January i'll be flying into JFK from Taiwan with CX (terminal 7) at 0600 and connecting to a B6 (terminal 5) flight at 1355 - which means i have a 7-8 hour layover! I will have checked luggage so will need to exit through customs to reclaim and recheck it at terminal 5.

1.Does anyone know how long it'll take for me to transfer from T7 to T5? And how?
2.And how long ahead can i check in my luggage with JetBlue? on their website it says 6 hours ahead maximum but i'm unsure if that is the case at the front desk.
3. I have a Priority Pass membership, are there any lounges landside/at arrival that i can pop into during the awful layover?


Looking foward to all your advises

Brighton Line

1) You have to use the AirTrain to go between terminals and you are only one terminal away (no T6). This train travels in reverse order of the terminal numbers.

Center platform with two tracks you want the train/track that only goes to the terminals not the one goes to the terminals AND Federal Circle, long term parking, Jamaica or Howard Beach. That train travels in Terminal number order, next terminal would be T8. If you find yourself at T8 GET OFF and go directly across and take the other side.

There will be Customer Agents in red suits to point the way if needed.

Caution it is a LONG WALK from Air Train stop for T5 to the T5 terminal, there are moving walkways.

I'll leave the other numbers to people with more knowledge.

Letitride3c

OP, welcome to FT - flying CX TPE-JFK, would that be one of the daily via HKG as I don't believe there are non-stops (or, #888 via YVR - as that's the only CX flight with 6 AM arrival at JFK, that I know of)

In any event, international arrival @T7 would be relatively quiet & possibly speedy at 6AM - just follow signage & fill out your arrival card (immigration) & customs declaration form onboard, and assuming that you aren't a US passport holder (or PR status) - use the designated lanes for non-citizens. With a bit of luck depending on how fast you can deplane & head downstairs, you should be able to get thru immigration in 30 to 60 minutes, then proceed to the luggage hall to wait/retrieve your checked bags, and then head for the exit - past customs (and, agricultural inspections ... where it is very STRICT about not bring in any prohibited food, plant or other items - they are good in profiling & "inviting" travelers for a secondary inspection, sometimes quickly thru the x-ray first)

I would plan for being landside in 60 to 90 minutes on average (between 7 and 7:30 AM for on-time gate arrival)

It sounded like your tickets are booked separately & not a single itinerary and I don't believe CX bags can be dropped off after customs before you exit the terminal, without getting it tagged & re-checked by B5 (JetBlue) - so you are correct in that you will need to walk it over to T5 via the free (elevated) AirTrain. Unlike TPE or HKG, the airport's luggage carts aren't free and I forgot the latest usage fees, $6 or $7 USD per cart as my recollection from a few months ago - but, if you have several heavy bags - it's worth using one and you can take up onto the AirTrain to "haul" it between terminals until it's checked in again.

There's no arrival lounge for access, sorry - Priority Lounge is at T1 and T4 and rules are pretty strict these days, you will need a same day BP in the same terminal for you to get thru security and be admitted. B5 or JetBlue is using its own spacious T5, and has free WiFi throughout to use, and has a nice food court, and plenty of places to sit & power outlets to charge up mobile devices (110 volts, so have the "American" charger/adapter plugs avaiable - coming from TW, you should be okay)

T5 has the new Airspace Lounge, it's airside after security - entry is as little as $25 p/p and if you have a few hours, well worth it - especially with its complimentary shower. http://www.airspacelounge.com/jfk/

By the time you get to T5, you should be within the timeframe to check-in your bags & get your BP and seat assignment, etc. - please beware that getting thru (TSA) security screening can be a slow & frustrating process, even for frequent flyers with pre-check or priority access/status ... allow plenty of time, even if it's a domestic U.S. connecting flight (90 minutes) And, if you are heading to Airspace Lounge, do it & then get inside to relax - there's nothing worth seeing in & around the airport anyway.

Good luck & let us know if you have more questions.

Letitride3c

Post info duplicated - deleted

sbm12

I do not believe this is accurate. Pretty sure JFK is allowing access to other terminal with any valid BP these days and accessing the lounge is a valid reason if questioned.

Letitride3c

Up until recently, perhaps, one might be able to access club/lounges at JFK with a valid same day BP, even if flight is departing out of a different terminal. But, it's no longer the case lately at JFK's T1 (KAL Lounge) for Priority Pass member without BP for a flight departing out of T1, as TSA might simply not allow passage. I can't say for sure with the Priority Pass/Air France Lounge at T1 by just announcing that one is going to the lounge & waive just another BP - and to deal with getting thru security screening twice, once at the terminal for the Lounge, and a 2nd. time at T5 for JetBlue's departing flight.

OP is flying JetBlue out of T5, and it would be a lot easier to just dropoff the bags & complete the check-in, and get thru security (even with Pre-Check, the lines can be silly long & slow during the morning rush - took us 45 minutes to get thru recently, as others ahead of us were creating bottlenecks. ) - otherwise, s/he would be spend time going thru security just to get into T4 or T1, airside - assuming lounge entry is allowed, regardless of whether reception will be checking for a valid BP, and, then to exit and head over to T5 (assuming that s/he already spend time checking in & did the checked luggage dropped off) and clear security - before reaching airside, allowing for time in the security line, and then, hangout near the boarding gate.

Our JFK layout is not quite the same or that familiar to someone used to flying in/out of TPE or HKG - with centralized terminal security & check-in, friendly layout for lounge access airside, etc.
https://www.prioritypass.com/en/Loun...-International
http://wingtipslounge.com/entry

Besides, OP would've likely been in the air for maybe 20+ hours with 1 or 2 connections, and could use a refreshing shower during the layover, available in the Airspace Lounge, airside at T5.

narcoleptiq

Hi Letitride3c, Thank your for the welcoming & for the brilliant response! Will need to copy paste it into my iphone when i travel

I think after 20+ hours of flight / layover (I'm actually flying from Kaohsiung, then transferring at Hong Kong and then to JFK, before finally landing at Burlington Airport in Vermont), so sticking to just one terminal would be very ideal. I think at that point i wouldn't mind paying $25 to stay in a lounge away from the hustle and bustle! Such a pity that there aren't more lounges at JFK that is affiliated with PP.

Is it 100% definite that i can check in my luggage with JetBlue 5-6 hours before the departure time? From my experience with big airlines like Cathay, it seems to be 3 hours maximum.

Good to hear that AirTrain would be free - is that the case only if you're travelling between terminals?

As for going through customs/security check - do they specifically Xray scan your checked luggage and ask you to stand by while they do so?

sbm12

The KE lounge is not available for PPass during the times the OP will need it; it doesn't open for such until 2p. But that's a different than the TSA not allowing access. Such access has not been a problem in the recent past; are you suggesting that the TSA policy has changed?

I would not go out of my way for lounge access in this scenario but that doesn't mean it is impossible.

Yoshi212

The AirTrain is free to ride but to exit/enter the airport at the train stations (NYC Subway & LIRR) there is a 5$ fee, so going to multiple terminals won't cost you.

Terminal 5 is large, bright and airy. You have lots of time so don't rush. There is the lounge for 25$, several restaurant options & a new(er) sky deck http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayi...port/29556727/

Is this all on 1 ticket (same PNR) or did you purchase the flight to NY and then to NH separately? That may affect your baggage.

narcoleptiq

Thanks for the tips!
Nope it had to be booked seperately. Thus i'll need to reclaim/re-check in my luggage. But i've got enough time to kill in the day so...just hope there is a JetBlue check in desk open at 7AM.

sbm12

The counter will be open. Keep in mind that they typically do not accept bags more than 6 hours prior to departure, though with the timeline you've described that should probably be okay.

Yoshi212

Jet Blue does have check-in open at 7am and their official statement about when you can drop off baggage is "Checked baggage will not be accepted earlier than 6 hours prior to schedule departure time" but after immigrations & customs + transport that should work perfectly for you. B6 (Jet Blue) does have a 9:10 flight to BVT also which may have availability. When you are checking in ask about availability and change fee. The fee could be anything from 60$ to 135$ depending on the type and value of your ticket but that could be worth your time or not.

sbm12

If it is the flight immediately prior to the same destination the OP may be able to get on it as standby for free. http://help.jetblue.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN...obj(383871)#s8

narcoleptiq

This is a great idea, thank you. Though i would have arranged someone to pick me up for a certain time prior to my flights, so i'm afraid this wouldn't be an option. (none the less a great suggestion and will keep in mind for the future!)

howahya

I recently had an Aer Lingus/Jet Blue transfer at JFK with a scheduled 6 hour layover. I didn't have to change terminals and because of US pre-customs in Ireland, I didn't have to collect my checked bag, recheck it, or go through customs.

However, our Aer Lingus flight landed 1/2 an hour early and all (and I mean ALL) the Jet Blue flights were running with delays. We asked at the "Just Ask" desk if we could get onto an earlier flight to New Orleans and they issued us new boarding passes without seat assignments and said we should go to the gate, speak to the gate agent and wait for standby seats. It was total chaos and the gate was changed several times, the gate agents were clueless or surly, and my husband kept saying we should stick with our original flight, but we did manage to get on the earlier flight (which left about 1 1/2 hours late).

We had been told we would have to retrieve our checked bags at the later time but they ended up flying with us. Yippee! Thank goodness we asked about going earlier because our original flight left more than 3 hours late and we would have had a 9+ hour layover!

When you recheck your bags, ask if there are any earlier flights. We could have paid $50 each to guarantee getting a standby seat but the lady told us we shouldn't have a problem so we gambled and were lucky. There are bad delays for JFK/Jet Blue now, near the holidays and January will be different but you never know.....