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Old Nov 2, 2011, 9:36 am
  #1  
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Interterminal wheelchair at JFK?

Does anybody know if it's possible to get wheelchair service when connecting between airlines at different JFK terminals?

My grandparents are flying HOU-TLV and the cheapest options are via JFK on LY, but they all involve changing from DL (T3) or B6 (T5) to LY (T4), and my grandfather will likely need a wheelchair for the connection. Is this possible? I assume given the choice that I should go with B6, since I think the AirTrain at least goes indoors at T5 while at T3 I think it's a hike.

Or should I just not tell them about the cheapest option (because my grandmother is going to insist on the cheapest option) and have them fly via EWR on CO for a little more so that it's all one terminal?
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Old Nov 2, 2011, 11:54 am
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I don't know the answer to your question (although I suspect that a call to the domestic carrier would provide an answer), but I would also be concerned about your grandparents' checked baggage. Does B6 have an interline baggage agreement with LY?
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Old Nov 2, 2011, 1:03 pm
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I would hope B6 and LY have an interline agreement, since LY offers the B6 flights on their website. But it's a good question.

I talked about it with my father and uncle, and they agree that I should steer my grandmother toward CO, which is what I'm going to do. With my grumpy octogenarian grandfather and his bad foot, it's going to be worth a few extra shekels for them to go on a single airline with an intraterminal connection.
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Old Nov 2, 2011, 1:11 pm
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What dates of travel are you looking at?
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Old Nov 2, 2011, 3:57 pm
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YGPM.
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Old Nov 2, 2011, 8:14 pm
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Originally Posted by themicah
Does anybody know if it's possible to get wheelchair service when connecting between airlines at different JFK terminals?

My grandparents are flying HOU-TLV and the cheapest options are via JFK on LY, but they all involve changing from DL (T3) or B6 (T5) to LY (T4), and my grandfather will likely need a wheelchair for the connection. Is this possible? I assume given the choice that I should go with B6, since I think the AirTrain at least goes indoors at T5 while at T3 I think it's a hike.

Or should I just not tell them about the cheapest option (because my grandmother is going to insist on the cheapest option) and have them fly via EWR on CO for a little more so that it's all one terminal?
How much cheaper is LY? This being NY, any wheelchair attendant will, of course, happily take you to another terminal in exchange for a generous gratuity, but that could offset your savings on the airfare.
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Old Nov 2, 2011, 9:08 pm
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Originally Posted by Blumie
How much cheaper is LY? This being NY, any wheelchair attendant will, of course, happily take you to another terminal in exchange for a generous gratuity, but that could offset your savings on the airfare.
Interesting thought. The fare difference should cover a generous gratuity. But I still think that dealing with a single airline and staying inside the same terminal is worth a small premium for them. My grandfather already gets wiped out for a day or two just taking a nonstop from Houston to New York.

Oh, and Jetblue's site says they do interline bags to El Al:

http://www.jetblue.com/flying-on-jet...line-partners/
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Old Nov 3, 2011, 4:51 am
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Originally Posted by themicah
Interesting thought. The fare difference should cover a generous gratuity. But I still think that dealing with a single airline and staying inside the same terminal is worth a small premium for them. My grandfather already gets wiped out for a day or two just taking a nonstop from Houston to New York.

Oh, and Jetblue's site says they do interline bags to El Al:

http://www.jetblue.com/flying-on-jet...line-partners/
Even for a young healthy person it is always better trying to stick to one airline.

JFK is a nightmare for transfers between terminals even with the Airtrain as it is always a combination of elevators (even in T4), escalators and in the case of T3 a long hike and if you choose the wrong walkway, finding yourself on the street and having to cross a roadway to get to the elevator

If the difference is up to about $250 a person I would definately go with CO fron EWR. The convenience and peace of mind is really worth it.
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Old Nov 3, 2011, 12:30 pm
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The more I think about it the more CO seems like the better option.

But to answer my original question, I e-mailed B6 and they pointed to a PANYNJ operated service called Airlink (I'm guessing a bus with a wheelchair lift) that can take passengers between terminals (disabled or not). It's mentioned on this PANYNJ website, but it seems that you have to make arrangements through the airlines just like with a regular wheelchair request.
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