Need to get to JFK by 6PM...
 

I managed to book two business tickets JFK-FRA-IST using Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles for June next year. JFK was the only thing available - I tried SFO, LAX, SEA, ORD, IAD, IAH, and DFW with TK, SQ, and UA - nothing was available, only JFK.

Now the thing is - how to get to JFK from RNO where I live. I checked UA's calendar and they have not released award seats for the date I booked the JFK-FRA flight - on June 7th. The earliest currently available is Jun 1st. Plus, UA flies to EWR, not to JFK.

I would like to hear your suggestions how to get from RNO to JFK most optimal way and using miles, instead of revenue tickets. I currently have about 30K miles each left at KF and TK accounts and should be more than enough to book 2 award tickets. I also have about 60K miles with UA. Also, KF has the option to book Alaska's metal flights with KF.

My preferred option would be to fly directly to JFK, but if not possible, then want to know what would be the most optimal/less costly way to move from EWR to JFK and how much time would it take. And seems due to not much options, I guess I have to drive from Reno to SFO the previous day and take red eye to EWR...

Thanks.

Award seats on SFO-EWR are tough and at best would be XN. It is easier to get to JFK from LGA
Your best best are RNO - DEN/ORD - EWR/LGA

There is a same day RNO-DEN-LGA arriving 3:33 PM
There is a same day RNO-DEN-EWR arriving 4Pm -- that would be too tight for me

There are shuttles from EWR/LGA to JFK (hourly?) or uber

Given the unpredictability of air travel these days, I think that it would be unwise to plan to arrive in the NYC Metro area the same day that your JFK-FRA flight departs.

By early next week, I expect that UA and other U.S. carriers will start to make frequent-flyer award seats available for travel on June 6.

UA flies to both EWR and LGA. If you opt to fly in on the 6th and overnight in NYC, it probably makes little difference which of those two airports you choose. If you're going to roll the dice and arrive NYC on June 7 on UA, I would opt for LGA, which is much closer to JFK than EWR is.
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JetBlue has a nonstop redeye to JFK from RNO.

Unless you are familiar with public transport, going from EWR to JFK or LGA to JFK is not going to be cheap by taxi or ride share.

The NYC forum has full of resources on how to use public transport between airports. I usually do a run or two between these airports every year, as a city resident (gotta to get those MRs in :D)

Just buy a cash ticket to JFK.

Otherwise, EWR to JFK is easier public transport wise. LGA is closer.

If you can't get to JFK directly, I would vote for LGA unless you can get a red-eye into Newark. There should be shuttle buses that take people between the airports. (I took one several years ago from LGA to EWR.)

Since you're on an award ticket, I would not push it too close to the limit and risk missing the flight. If you get there very early, find a hotel that offers day rates and relax before you need to check in.

A recent JFK-LGA off peak uber was $38 with tip, not cheap but far less then $100 uber/taxis EWR/JFK of a few years back. Regular shuttles are a second option. I would avoid public transit if a first timer and a pain if you have bags.

The B6 does sound the most convenient but OP specified use of miles. But should be aware of the option.

there is no way at all I'd ever try to pull this off as the OP plans, with a same day arrival at JFK coming from the West Coast. Leave RNO the day before you depart from JFK. One night's hotel cost would be worth it.

100%

Plus schedule changes can (will) happen

For travel this Thursday, B6 wants $339 for Basic Economy on its RNO-JFK red-eye. The same flight is available for 12,500 AA miles plus $5.60. But that's only when B6 makes the flight available for partner redemption.

It's relatively easy to acquire a bunch of AA miles through credit-card sign-up bonuses. But I'd certainly understand if the OP would rather use his existing miles on AS or UA.

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Well, you have months and months for something better to open up. Of course, last I checked, changes aren’t free on SQ, but that’s the cost of locking something in this far an advance.

No, the thing is to wait. Do not make a bad situation worse by racing to lock something in that you’ll later regret.

UA is almost certainly not going to open its least expensive award seats 11 months in advance, and definitely not in J. Do you really want to start out your trip with a red-eye or long transcon in Y?

Continue to search for flights from the west coast to Istanbul. If you find some, great! If not, the time to start worrying about how to get to New York — and, yes, you want to go the day before, unless you’d like a very serious chance of having your tickets canceled with no way to get to Istanbul — is right around St. Patrick’s Day. Maybe Easter.

I often fly out of Miami on award tickets and have drive up from Key West. There is only one road out, so I always go up the day before, just in case. It starts my holiday a day early.

I also suggest not trying to cut it too close. Getting into NY-area a couple of hours before you are trying to leave on a separate ticket from a different airport is inviting a mess.

while others are saying to get in the day before, I’d personally be comfortable with potentially taking a redeye (though that will be tough on the body to redeye Two days in a row). That will still leave you several hours of space in case something goes wrong. There is a non-zero chance of something on separate tickets that can make this go pear shaped, but several hours at least gives you a reasonable chance should something happen. Not the time to play the ‘how close can I get there without missing my next flight’. Especially on an SQ ticket, where it can be impossible to get a hold of them (IME).

so I’d suggest at the latest getting a redeye - either JetBlue direct or another way with a connection. Via SFO could make sense, since there are at least a couple - maybe 3? redeyes on UA. Or arriving the day before. Ideally, if you have the time for it, might want to try leaving a 2-3 days before and having a mini NY ‘pre-vacation’.

Should be much cheaper when purchased in advance.

Can even obtain AA miles by having a bank account.

Travel is about an entire year away. There is no need to lock in domestic itinerary at this point. Wait at least another 6 months. Probably purchase 1-3 months for the best price.

Just book sfo-ist or lax-ist in coach - flying in business is not worth adding 2-3 connections and 10-20 extra hr of travel time... with enough advanced notice you can prob buy business as well when sale comes along

I agree with the majority above - fly in the day before.