POE JFK SUCKS!!!!!!!!

[ya falaha! 0]

Thanks, Jean. I feel better now.

Yikes! Mo is going through JFK on Wednesday. He has a 4.5 layover. Now I'm a little worried.

My Moh came through JFK and made it through customs in a little over 2 hours. The only reason he missed his flight is because he wasn't sure what to do after customs. They rebooked him. Didn't cost him a penny.

[payxibka 10,047]

When my SO comes through JFK at the end of May we have a 40 hour layover.... I hope it is enough.....

[JODO 2]

That's terrible that happened to him and I hope he made it safely eventually. Now, was any reason given as to why he was held up like that?

[sarah and hicham 3]

Thanks, Jean. I feel better now.

Yikes! Mo is going through JFK on Wednesday. He has a 4.5 layover. Now I'm a little worried.

My Moh came through JFK and made it through customs in a little over 2 hours. The only reason he missed his flight is because he wasn't sure what to do after customs. They rebooked him. Didn't cost him a penny.

Make sure he asks what to do next. Or help him prior to leaving Egypt. Tell him not to be scared to ask someone to help him find his next flight. Good luck moody!

[ya falaha! 0]

Thanks, Sarah. Trust me, Mo is not afraid to ask questions. LOL. We've discussed getting to his gate and stuff, I'm more worried about him being held up in customs too long.

[payxibka 10,047]

I'm more worried about him being held up in customs too long.

Customs should be a piece of cake compared to immigration/passport control......

[ya falaha! 0]

Yes, that's what I'm worried about..all that stuff.

[Niels Bohr 72]

My wife will need to go through JFK airport. She speaks only Khmer, no English. I wonder how long it will take to figure out what language she's speaking. LOL. But, you know what, I'm going to be her escort from Cambodia. Hopefully, it'll be painless.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Of my 3 POE experiences since 1998:

• JFK 2005 (on US passport) nasty, as described above
  
• Atlanta 2000, on new GC, nice (except for misplaced luggage, which was AIRLINE's fault--in this case, Delta)
  
• Atlanta 1999, on TN-1 (from Gatwick), minor glitch of Immigration Officer not understanding NAFTA (asked "where's the visa?")
  

(of course, both times @ Atlanta, I was finishing there--not connecting through--which can make considerable difference; but in general, it reinforces my prejudice towards "if you can clear imm/customs @ your destination, do so--unless of course you can clear it BEFORE even boarding").

Edited April 27, 2007 by CherryXS

[Nikita2Charles 32]

Sorry to hear about your fiancee experience at JFK. We went through JFK without much of a problem. One problem that arise with Luggage, International flight carries up to 70lbs depending on the country but USA limit is 50LBS.

So when the ticket is booked the Travel agent HAVE TO MAKE SURE IT"S ALL THE WAY THROUGH. If They don't combine the international flight with the Domestic, that create a major headache. We flew back from Bangalore to NY, we stayed there for a few days before flying to California, We had to leave some stuff behind because now our luggage needs to within 50lbs.

[Yodrak 7]

CherryXS,

Also, whenever you have an international arrival, leave yourself more than 51 minutes to clear Immigration and Customs no matter what airport you arrive at. Even an airport that is normally quick can have an unusually heavy load from time to time.

(I don't like JFK either, but for different reasons.)

Yodrak

Yes, JFK is bloody awful!

On 2005-05-31, I returned from India through JFK; the flight was part-empty from MAA to CDG, and packed-full from CDG to JFK. Based on my ticket, I had all of 51 minutes to get through immigration/customs (first re-entry into the country on my US passport--delayed a few minutes, probably due to its completely-blank pages) and then connect on a flight to DCA--as you can guess, I missed that flight.

When I went to the airline (Delta) to get an alternate booking to DCA, I was given a taxi-coupon to LGA--just when the bus to LGA arrived (which would NOT accept this coupon, so I had to fork out $15).

Next time I travel, I'll be sure to book flights out of either (in order of preference):

1. BWI
   
2. PHL
   
3. IAD (no, not a mistake--it can take longer to get from even Montgomery County, MD--let alone Baltimore County, MD--to Reston than to Philly)
   
4. 
   

Edited April 27, 2007 by Yodrak

[Yodrak 7]

i adore you,

Is it the airport or dealing with Immigration that was the root of the problem? What went on during his immigration processing that caused it to take so long, do you know?

Yodrak

My fiance arrived at JFK at 10:40a.m yesterday. He remained at the immigration office unitl 7pm. His connecting flight left at 2:40pm. He was supposed to get on the next flight at 7:00pm. They would not let him on that plane although it did not leave until 8:15 because of weight limitations. They were only 44 passengers on that plane. They did not give him a reason as to why he could not get on that 7pm plane. They told him he could not leave until 7am this morning. He ended up being at JFK all night. It was also well lit, cold, and loud. And all that after traveling from Morocco.

I left my home at 4:00pm yesterday to pick him up. I live far from the airport. I thought he would be able to catch that next flight, but nope. I waited until 10:00pm before I left Ohare Airport. I had special plans for us yesterday evening as well. I cancelled and made the reservation later, but we could not even make those.

JFK sucks and so does the airline he flew in on and the connecting flight compamy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Saddle Bronc 124]

CherryXS,

Also, whenever you have an international arrival, leave yourself more than 51 minutes to clear Immigration and Customs no matter what airport you arrive at. Even an airport that is normally quick can have an unusually heavy load from time to time.

(I don't like JFK either, but for different reasons.)

Yodrak

Moot point if the immigration/customs is AT the final-destination airport--though you may have a delay getting home, this is still somewhat less stressful than worrying about missing a flight-connexion.

(FYI, this was exactly the methodology behind my choice-list of POE's for future trips--other than from Canada, where it will cent-percent be Calgary Airport PFI).

[homesick_american 1]

Like I said earlier (which was completely ignored), my husband had NO problems coming through JFK. None. He said they were professional, courteous, and friendly.

Your POE experience is going to largely depend on two factors:

1.) The mood and predispositions of the person processing you

2.) What country you're from

Let's be honest...2 does matter. I imagine people from countries like Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, etc. will be hassled much more frequently than people from the UK or Canada. Not saying it's right, but you have to admit that it's true.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Like I said earlier (which was completely ignored), my husband had NO problems coming through JFK. None. He said they were professional, courteous, and friendly.

Your POE experience is going to largely depend on two factors:

1.) The mood and predispositions of the person processing you

2.) What country you're from

Let's be honest...2 does matter. I imagine people from countries like Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, etc. will be hassled much more frequently than people from the UK or Canada. Not saying it's right, but you have to admit that it's true.

Unless the Canuck or Brit is of a visible-minority.