theOtherHolmes

I’m contemplating an award booking that lands me at JFK (ANA) around 9AM and departs from LGA at 12:30PM on Air Canada. I’m Canadian and have Nexus.

I hear there is ongoing construction at LGA. Is 3.5 hours enough assuming I get an Uber upon exiting the JFK airport? Any faster or more convenient option? Cost is not a concern.

thanks!

Often1

Where are you headed from LGA and what is the next flight? This is all really a risk tolerance matter as you are connecting and will thus be rerouted onto the next service with availability if you do misconnect.

I view this as an extremely tight connection as you will be in rush hour traffic headed toward NYC. If you have checked luggage you also must allow time for that to be delivered at JFK and also be checked in by whatever deadline exists for your onwards carrier at LGA.

Repooc17

Nexus means you have Global Entry. Are you checking bags?

3.5 hours is very doable (IMO) if NH arrives on time. 9am would still have some residual morning rush, but certainly should not encounter major traffic issues along the way. If on a weekend morning, then it would be smooth sailing with plenty of extra time upon arrival at LGA.

Also, given the lunch time flight option, there are multiple later flights to Canada. I would do it, but your choice.

Blumie

I do not consider this a tight connection at all. I've connected using these exact same timings numerous times traveling AUH-JFK on EY and LGA-BOS on AA and have never come close to missing my flight (and, in fact, usually make the 11am LGA-BOS shuttle). The AUH-JFK flight pre-clears US immigration and customs at AUH, but with Nexus that should not make a significant difference.

UKtravelbear

Assume a bag drop cut off if one hour before your flight to Canada (check the Air Canada website for more accurate details) leaving you with approx 2 1/2 hours between landing from Japan and getting to LGA.

I saw it suggested on here once that taking the air train to Jamaica and then getting a taxi / Uber / bus etc to LGA could be an option so that could be a time saver. It takes yiu out of end if rush hour traffic for at least part of the way.

there is a dedicated thread on transfers between JFK-LGA-EWR so have a look for that

Blumie

As someone who has done this transfer many times, including at this precise time, I would say there is a zero chance of this being a time saver (barring some significant accident on the route between JFK and Jamaica) and more likely would take significantly more time.

I totally get that rush hour traffic on the Van Wyck and the Grand Central Parkway strikes fear in the hearts of many people, but it's really not that. With an ontime arrival into JFK, this should be an easy connection.

Out of my Element

Weekday? Weekend?

Blumie

Every time I’ve done this it’s been a weekday, usually Thursday or Friday morning. Again, I’ve never had an issue.

guv1976

From LGA, Air Canada flies nonstop only to YYZ and YUL. I expect that there would be frequent service to both destinations.

guv1976

OP: I'll just point out that you don't need the fastest mode of travel between JFK and LGA during ideal conditions; you need the mode that will most reliably get you from JFK to LGA in time to meet Air Canada's check-in deadline at LGA.

It may be that a taxi or Uber satisfies both requirements. But public transportation (AirTrain to Jamaica; E subway train from Jamaica to Jackson Heights; and Q70 SBS bus from Jackson Heights to LGA) can normally be counted on to make the trip in about 75 minutes on a weekday morning. It would be unusual -- but not impossible -- for a taxi or Uber to take longer than that unless there's an accident on the Van Wyck Expressway. Nonetheless, unless I were traveling with just carry-on luggage, I would take the taxi/Uber option.

Blumie

You make excellent points, although I don't think any of us know whether taxi/uber or public transportation is more likely to be disrupted. Although in my experience ubering from JFK to LGA at around 10am is very reliable 20- to 30-minute ride, it probably would be smart to pull up the route on waze just before ordering the uber.

ijgordon

At 10am on a Wednesday, Google Maps is showing moderately heavy traffic Northbound on the Van Wyck through the Jamaica area but its mostly yellow with a few patches of red, so doesn't seem that bad. The driving directions clock it at 23-25 minutes travel time from T7 to TB.

FWIW, I would have expected it modestly worse (like 30-40 minutes with more red would have been my guess) but will defer to those who say they travel this route at this time frequently.

Blumie

This makes my point very well. All of us who have sat in traffic on the Van Wyck (and 100% of people who have traveled the Van Wyck have sate in traffic on the Van Wyck) experience it as some sort of dystopian nightmare. But in reality it's not as bad as we think. Yes the traffic usually is bumper-to-bumper, but it's still a relatively quick ride from JFK to the Grand Central split, where traffic typically frees up.