Talk To Me About JFK

I'm flying through JFK (ok...not literally through...that would be scary  ) and wondering what type of experiences people have had.

I only have 2 hrs in between flights which I knew would be plenty of time when I booked the flights.    

I'm flying into and from Terminal 3.

I'm going to *casually* mention to the flight attendants that it would be soooo much easier for me if I could get off the airplane relatively early since I have 2 kids and 1 being an infant.    

Do they have a special section for connecting flights like Heathrow (wishful thinking) or is it a free for all for immigration and re-checking bags?

Also...I checked my itinerary online and it showed me the seats we had.  It was only a 200 person airplane with 3 seats on each side.  That seems small for this type of flight.  Was that just some rubbish "filler" info or are they using planes that small?  (Flights with Delta)

I have no info on JFK, but as for the size of the plane, that's what I used to fly in from Bristol to Newark on Continental. Not weird at all.

I've always flown out of JFK for international flights, and I've found them to be helpful.  The very first international flight I took as a teen, I got lost, was airsick from an earlier commuter flight, and an airport worker came up to me and found my connection for me and got me a drink.  The border people can sometimes be gruff, but the actual workers are pretty brilliant, and if you get over your head, just ask for help.

I seem to remember the baggage all coming through the same place during my flights in the autumn, but since I didn't have connecting flights, I didn't pay attention.

I flew into JFK from Dusseldorf in 2008, and I don't specifically recall a special process for connecting flights.  That's not to say they don't have it, though.

However, since you're in the same Terminal for both flights, I think you'll have plenty of time, assuming your flight arrives when it's supposed to.

Also, Continental uses the same smaller plane for their flights between Newark and Glasgow.

Once a Virgin flight from Logan to Heathrow was cancelled. We all got shuttled to JFK and all I remember is all of us running like blazes to make the connection (which was crowded to begin with and I got stuck sitting between 2 big guys)
 But I'm sure if you use the tiny tot ploy you'll be fine!

I tend to really avoid JFK.  The airport used to be a mess and even though most of the terminals have been refurbished I still have bad memories. 

I did fly into JFK at the very end of 2009 from the UK.  I had to connect as well.  Basically I got off the plane, went through a painless immigration process (I had been gone for 20 months and wasn’t sure what to expect) picked up my baggage, walked it thru customs, and then dropped it off in a well marked area just feet away. 

I don’t even remember it that much, which means that it wasn’t stressful.  You’ll be fine.  Now, if you want to talk about the airport in Doha I could go on complaining for ages!

I wrote a whole scathing piece on JFK, but then I remembered that when I flew that MAN - JFK flight on my own with my kids this summer, the terminal is all brand spanking new! If you are in just the same terminal, you should be fine. But from the minute you check in at MAN, let everyone you meet know you have a connecting flight with only a two hour layover. I have in the past flew into JFK and had to change terminals and that was a long bus ride nightmare...but you should probably be okay to get your bags, and go straight upstairs to get on your next flight. You will probably have to go through security again....

But I think that the Delta terminal is all beautiful and brand spanking new! You should be fine!

Thanks ladies! 

I do plan to shout (literally? maybe!) that I'm travelling alone with 2 small children and would like lots of help, preferential treatment, free stuff, awards and whatever else they might happen to be handing out.   

Thanks ladies! 

I do plan to shout (literally? maybe!) that I'm travelling alone with 2 small children and would like lots of help, preferential treatment, free stuff, awards and whatever else they might happen to be handing out.   

Booze?  We flew out of JFK the last time we were in the US.  It wasn't too bad.  We flew from Baltimore to JFK then home (Manchester).  Our only problem was that our checked baggage stayed behind in Baltimore for inexplicable reasons, considering we were practically the first ones to check in for the Baltimore to JFK flight.  We finally got them a day or two later.

 

Let me tell you, travelling alone with two small kids is much easier than travelling WITH my husband and two small kids. I wish there was a headbanging icon. Its a piece of piss imo!!!

Let me tell you, travelling alone with two small kids is much easier than travelling WITH my husband and two small kids. I wish there was a headbanging icon. Its a piece of piss imo!!!

LOL.  I think the only issue I'll have is potty breaks!  DD isn't quite big enough to sit with the baby on her own but I'm sure a flight attendant won't mind!  Other than that my kids are (usually) really well-behaved and DD is a veteran pro traveller (lol) so I think I'll be alright.

The Delta terminal that services outbound flights to London (T2) isn't new and isn't very nice and there aren't a lot of services. BUT it looks like the flights arrive in Terminal 3, which is also from where all of their other flights depart. I've flown into/out of JFK plenty but I've never connected through it so I can't give much advice about that, sorry. Really, though, 2 hours is plenty to get through everything and connect. The nice thing about JFK is that the terminals are mostly relatively small and self-contained so as long as you're flying in and out of the same terminal, it doesn't take too long to get from place to place. Even walking from one terminal to an adjoining one wouldn't take very long. I've been in some airports, like Atlanta and Charlotte, where it seems to take a year to hoof it from one end to the other.

Also, another voice for smaller planes on the transatlantic. Continental has several flights a day between Newark and Heathrow and only one or two of them are served by large planes--the others have the smaller, 3x3 seating variety.

That's comforting aimless.  I've travelled through Atlanta a zillion times so having a reference to that helps to put things into perspective.  I actually like Atlanta a lot but I did always feel like I had to walk miles and miles to get to my gate.

I originally thought 2 hours would be fine and I know it would be if I was travelling by myself but with both kiddies (and all those extra suitcases) I just didn't want to get held up.

Now I just have to cross my fingers that I'm not held up in immigration since we're actually moving back to the US (can't see it being an issue but I always get the unlucky end of the stick).

UPDATE:

I have to say my experience flying was wonderful.  At Manchester, they have a family line in security...so I didn't have to wait in the long regular line and I didn't have to worry about "holding up" anyone behind me.  I had to take baby out of the Mei Tai but it wasn't too bad.  I did have to taste half of the formula/food/juice I brought with me...but that wasn't too bad.  They were really nice and friendly and tried to be practical and convenient with the "random" selections.

When I got to JFK, I hired a porter to carry all my suitcases/bags.  I literally wouldn't have even been able to lift them off the conveyor belt.  They took my bags through customs and dropped them off with the transfer people...I didn't have to do anything except point to them.  When I went through security, there was a really nice lady who helped me all the way through.  She helped me get my shoes and everything off and she pushed the little bucket things through the xray and everything...I didn't have to do anything.  I had the option to take the Mei Tai off or be frisked.  I opted not to take the carrier off but the other security guy didn't send me to the frisking both anyway (he was too preoccupied with the dude infront of me who kept setting the metal detector off).  The lady sent us to a bench and carried all our stuff over for us.

I have to say that some of the flight attendants weren't overly friendly but my "neighbor" on the flight was super helpful...getting my bags down for me and all kinds of help.

Overall it was a major success and I definitely had expected much worse and was pleasantly surprised!