POE JFK SUCKS!!!!!!!!

[Saddle Bronc 124]

www.sleepinginairports.com

Great link, thanks! I gotta read it later after I get home from work. Under "Airports you would rather pay to avoid flying through/from" JFK is # 8 (Delhi #7 haha!).

My fiance and I are really worried now about his 17-hour layover in JFK. He doesn't have the money to get a hotel, I'd have to reserve now from here if that's what we decide. But he is leaning towards just walking around and trying to nap in the aiport instead of going out alone for his first steps in USA - all totally alone in the middle of the night in NYC! (Even I would not want to do that! )

#2 on that list is meaningless, as Quebec City is a small, domestic-only airport. And I'm really surprised that Toronto's Pearson (rated 18 times CONSECUTIVELY--including this year--as Canada's unquestioned worst airport; and this was by Globe And Mail's magazine which is published IN THAT CITY) was not even on the list!

Options:

• Standby on earlier flight JFK-LAX; chance for him to be home to you earlier, and NO need to change airports (I forgot about this option on the "Plane Tickets India to US" thread)
  
• Standby on flight from LaGuardia (sixth thoughts on this, due to LaGuardia not allowing flight-legs of over 2,000 statute miles to originate/terminate there--means, he'd be standby on another flight of swapover) or Newark to LAX; both of these would require taking a bus from JFK to the other airport, and subsequent forking-out of bus-fare (though it will certainly be less than one night in the hotel)
  

Edited May 2, 2007 by CherryXS

[Yodrak 7]

Sonshyne,

How long did it take you to get through immigration?

Yodrak

We came into the US thru JFK on April 24th, our exprience wasn't bad the process for us went very fast. We got thru customs in 10 mins.

[mawilson 2,133]

Sonshyne,

How long did it take you to get through immigration?

Yodrak

It was less than 10 mins for me, plus 10 more seconds to get through customs.

But then again, I'm not a "Macarocan" (sic).

[Jenn! 918]

Sonshyne,

How long did it take you to get through immigration?

Yodrak

It was less than 10 mins for me, plus 10 more seconds to get through customs.

But then again, I'm not a "Macarocan" (sic).

Don't you know by now that his question was rhetorical?

[Fandango 1,440]

Now I want a macaroon

while playing the maracas

edited for spelling, lol...irony

Edited May 2, 2007 by LisaD

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Now I want a macaroon

while playing the maracas

edited for spelling, lol...irony

Or did you mean "dancing the macarena"?

[Sonshyne 2]

Sonshyne,

How long did it take you to get through immigration?

Yodrak

We came into the US thru JFK on April 24th, our exprience wasn't bad the process for us went very fast. We got thru customs in 10 mins.

5 minutes, everything went fast for us.... Well all except the layover for our connecting flight That was a 8 hr layover

[mawilson 2,133]

Don't you know by now that his question was rhetorical?

Yes, I was just looking for an excuse to use the word "Macarocan" again

[Yodrak 7]

Sonshyne,

That was my experience with my wife as well - immigration went faster than customs.

Yodrak

Sonshyne,

How long did it take you to get through immigration?

Yodrak

We came into the US thru JFK on April 24th, our exprience wasn't bad the process for us went very fast. We got thru customs in 10 mins.

5 minutes, everything went fast for us....

[Caladan 19]

There's not much they can do to plan for traffic, realistically. It's an airport, and as we all know, air travel is controlled by the minions of Satan.

One time I was flying into Edmonton, clearing Canadian customs & immigration at around 1am. Normally a relatively slow time, hop-skip-jump through. That night, snowstorms across the U.S., but not in Edmonton, had delayed several flights, so approximately ten full planes full of Canadians returning from winter vacations descended on the airport at the same time. What should have been the quiet tail end of a night shift with two flights suddenly became a morass of very tired, cranky people waiting in line for an hour and a half. The guy didn't even bother to look at my passport by the time I got up there. Probably was thinking "If she turns out to be an immigrant, at least she won't be coming through my line again."

No way border patrol could have anticipated that.

[ELW 5]

5 minutes, everything went fast for us.... Well all except the layover for our connecting flight That was a 8 hr layover

What did you do during the layover? Just sit near your connecting flight or napping on the seats...? Any problem with officials telling you no lounging in the lounge chairs overnight?

[payxibka 10,047]

5 minutes, everything went fast for us.... Well all except the layover for our connecting flight That was a 8 hr layover

What did you do during the layover? Just sit near your connecting flight or napping on the seats...? Any problem with officials telling you no lounging in the lounge chairs overnight?

Apparently Terminal 4 is where you can spend the night....

http://www.sleepinginairports.net/usa/newyorkjfk.htm

[Cassie 8]

My husband and I stayed overnight at JFK, and we weren't the only ones. We weren't allowed to go though security and stay in the gate area, so we hunkered down for the night near the security section so that we would get through as soon as it was opened. It wasn't the most pleasant sleep, but it worked for us and saved us the taxi/hotel costs.

Oh, and the longest I had to wait at JFK Customs was a half hour as they processed my AP documents.

[ELW 5]

Apparently Terminal 4 is where you can spend the night....

http://www.sleepinginairports.net/usa/newyorkjfk.htm

Great info thanks soo much!

Is there anywhere I can find what flights come & go at what terminals, so I can give him an idea of where to go? The ETicket Itinerary sent to us didn't mention the terminal/gate numbers. He is arriving on Emirates EK 205 at 6:05 PM and leaving on United Airlines UA 25 at 11:20 AM the next morning. I found only general layout of Terminals of JFK on their website but not specifics of what airlines are in what terminals, and how he goes between them? After passing immigration can he remain in airport? Or does he wonder all over the airport and pass through immigration only next morning before his next flight? I'm confused!

[Sonshyne 2]

Apparently Terminal 4 is where you can spend the night....

http://www.sleepinginairports.net/usa/newyorkjfk.htm

Great info thanks soo much!

Is there anywhere I can find what flights come & go at what terminals, so I can give him an idea of where to go? The ETicket Itinerary sent to us didn't mention the terminal/gate numbers. He is arriving on Emirates EK 205 at 6:05 PM and leaving on United Airlines UA 25 at 11:20 AM the next morning. I found only general layout of Terminals of JFK on their website but not specifics of what airlines are in what terminals, and how he goes between them? After passing immigration can he remain in airport? Or does he wonder all over the airport and pass through immigration only next morning before his next flight? I'm confused!

Call JFK they can help you out with that info providing that you can reach a live operator. Depending on which terminal he arrives at... He will have to go outside and catch the air train over his departure terminal. es he can remain in the airport after immigrations.