Blumie

ORDPLATAA

Well, looks like the 3 hour connection is approved. AA just reticketed my reservation.

Keflyer

With all the construction going on at LGA and JFK, would 3 hrs be enough. Have AA domestic flight arriving at 8.15am at LGA and JL international flight leaving at T! 11.30am. Thank you!

guv1976

Will you have checked baggage to claim at LGA, and to re-check at JFK? If so, what is JL's deadline for checking in baggage at JFK?

Keflyer

Yes. I do have checked bag unfortunately.
Did a quick check on Japan airlines check bag deadline is 60 mins before flight time.

guv1976

If your AA flight is on time, I'd expect your checked bag to be delivered by 8:45 am. You should then not have any trouble arriving JFK by 10:00 am. In fact, you could even take public transportation (Q-70 SBS bus to Jackson Heights; "E" subway to Sutphin/Archer/JFK station; AirTrain to your JL terminal at JFK), and still make it by 10:00 am +/-.

If your AA flight into LGA is substantially delayed such that you know you won't get to JFK by 10:30 am, seek out an AA agent -- either at your origination airport or at LGA -- and ask AA to protect you on other flights.

Keflyer

Thank You!
I am thinking I will take the NYCairporter for $17. But they are running only every hour on the hour. They used do every 1/2 hour. Hm...... With luggage bag, that would have been the most economical and convenient.

chunky649

After googling for a bit, I think I know what I should do, but posting here for a sense check and logistics question regarding NYC Express bus...

I have a trip coming up soon: 1 person, assuming no luggage (1 big backpack)
Saturday arrive ~10:15 into LGA (according to Google, in Terminal C) This is a domestic flight with Delta. Then I have a ~9pm flight out of JFK to Iceland. I figure I'll just spend the $8.75 for the Metrocard and bus+subway+Airtran to JFK. I have lots of time...

The following saturday, I am arriving in JFK at 12:51pm into Terminal 4 (according to google). My domestic departing flight is from LGA Terminal C. scheduled departure is 4:45pm. So, I have about 3 hours to get from plane to plane. I don't have TSA pre-check anymore. I also just realize I have to go through customs/immigration.

I'm mainly concerned about my return trip - getting from JFK to LGA. Based on my research, even the Airtran+subway+Q70 bus should work. However, for simplicity sake after a long international trip + flight in coach, I may just pay $17 to catch the Express bus. Here are the questions:

1. Considering it is saturday afternoon, I should still be safe taking the 2pm shuttle bus?
2. Is there any advantage to reserving the shuttle bus if it is not necessary? My worry is prepaying and my flights get totally messed up and I lose the $17.
3. If I take the shuttle bus, where do I go? One website say I have to call them from some welcome center and then arrange for the bus to meet me??

Update: I just completed my trip. Some observations.
1. On the way LGA-JFK, I actually took Q70 to Roosevelt subway station, took E/F train to Kew Gardens station to catch Q10 bus all the way to JFK T5 stop. The trip took almost 2 hours since the Q10 bus took about 1 hour. On the way back, I was tight for time and took the Airtrain from JFK-T4 all the way to Jamaica station (~15 minutes) and took the subway (E train) to Roosevelt station and caught the Q70 to LGA (C-terminal). That trip took under 1 hour with no traffic on Saturday. I could've got asian food (vietnamese, Korean, Chinese) at the Roosevelt bus stop.

Interesting observations:
On the LGA-JFK trip, I was under the impression that my ticket ($2.75?) was good from LGA on the Q70 to E-train to Q10 bus. However, I found out that I was charged an extra $2.xx on the Q10 bus. What did I do wrong? (I stuck in my metropass getting on the Q10 bus...)

This was not immediately obvious, but to get on the Q70 bus (either at LGA station, or at Roosevelt station), you have to pay at the bus stop and taking the paper receipt BEFORE you get on the bus. This is different than the other buses...

NoName678

There's a free transfer bus-bus, bus-subway, or subway-bus, but not bus-subway-bus. The third ride will cost you another fare.

The Q70 is an SBS ("Select BusService") bus; like all SBS routes (except I think one in Staten Island) it has off-board fare collection

diburning

Do the public transportation options operate around the clock? I need to make a 6AM flight out of LGA in a couple months. If I get a hotel room near LGA (on Ditmars), would I be able to walk to LGA? Is the 102nd st bridge open to pedestrians if at all? (Google Maps shows the bridge under construction)

guv1976

Not around the clock, but the earliest Q48 bus will get you to LGA just before 5:00 am. But doesn't your hotel offer a free courtesy car to the terminals?

You can Google "Q48 bus timetable" to find a PDF version of the MTA's timetable for that route.

I don't know the current status of the sidewalks on the 102nd Street Bridge.

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diburning

I'm looking at either the Aloft near LGA (Starwood property) or the Hampton Inn that's slightly farther away. I was planning on walking because I want to get there around 4:30AM. I don't think they have shuttles that early, do they?

guv1976

Shouldn't you be asking that question of the hotel -- or checking the hotel's website?

diburning

The website doesn't say. Knowing the cluster that is LGA, I'd rather walk.

monitor

I would call the hotel to find out since, "Knowing the cluster that is LGA," walking around there is very difficult, possibly impassable in the direction you would like to walk, and possibly dangerous as well.