Regarding my airline problem - JFK questions

So if you read my post yesterday - my HM flight was supposed to be out of Macarthur - but Delta decided to pull their airline from that airport with only 3 months notice can you tell im still pissed about it lol

Anyway - we are researching our other options - one of them being flying out of JFK - but since i never have - theres alot i need to know - so please help me out if you can

Is the airport crowded early morning (6am flight) - is there a long wait for security?
Do you need to get there 2 hours early?
Are certain times of day better than others? What about the traffic around (to/from) the airport - is there a certain time when it starts building up?

Any helpful tips / suggestions appreciated! Thanks girls

Traffic getting to JFK is hell. Leave early.

You need to be there about 1-2 hours early for security.

Check in at the curb. It's worth it.

well, it's the only int'l airport in NY so it will be crowded but i've found that really early flights are a little better. try to avoid the Belt/JFK expwy during rush hour; the Belt is never good unless it's off hours.

And no matter what, if it's an international flight (I forgot where you're going) definitely get there 2-3 hours earlier. My only real issue lately is that sometimes security lines can be pretty long. it's better to be safe... for my HM i have every intention of getting there early b/c there is no way i'm missing that flight!

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Posted by dannisayz

Traffic getting to JFK is hell. Leave early.

You need to be there about 1-2 hours early for security.

Check in at the curb. It's worth it.

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All of the above are true. We are flying out of JFK too - no flights from Islip to St. Lucia...

I have to fly out of Newark.

I'm using air miles from Continental Airlines and the only airport that I could get a flight to Puerto Rico and then Antigua is out of NJ. Our flight is early, so FH and I are thinking of staying at an airport hotel the night before and then getting to the airport.

I fly out of JFK at least once a month. You should hit no traffic for a 6am flight. I usually get there 1.5 hours before the flight but it depends on where I am flying to and which airline. Curbside check in speeds up the process. It's really not that bad. You can have a bloody mary at the bar when you get there.

I'm mostly flown out of JFK, so I don't really know how crowded it might be compared to MacArthur. I would say that there is usually a steady stream of people departing and arriving at the airport all the time. I've never had an issues with the airport itself.

Depending on the day, even that early in the morning there sometimes might be traffic. Mostly there is traffic during rush hour, so avoid those times if possible.

As for security, I haven't been on an international flight in a while, so I can't remember if you can do the self-check-in or if you have to go wait on line for the check-in desk and show your passports. I'm almost 99% sure that you have to wait on line for international flights though.

They are really strict nowadays with getting there 1 hour before for domestic and 2 hours before for international flights. As long as you are on line before 2 hours, you should be good.

I feel like I live in that airport.

Yes compared to Islip it is crowded but everything is crowded compared to Islip.

My suggestion -- take an early morning flight. Domestic get there two hours prior international get there 3. Waiting is annoying but better safe then sorry. Remember if you are leaving on a Monday there are a lot of commuters that are flying too at that time so it can get busy.

I come from out east (Brookhaven). For a 6:00 am flight I ususally get picked up at 3:45. That is for domestic flights that I don't have a lot of luggage. If not I get picked up earlier. Its not the best but I hate being rushed in the airport.

Thanks for the info girls

I still wish i didnt have to go there it seems like id have to leave the house at least 3am (maybe earlier) -

I guess i'll still check out any other macarthur options first - but if i cant find anything it'll have to be jfk.

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Posted by MayWeddingGrl

I'm mostly flown out of JFK, so I don't really know how crowded it might be compared to MacArthur. I would say that there is usually a steady stream of people departing and arriving at the airport all the time. I've never had an issues with the airport itself.

Depending on the day, even that early in the morning there sometimes might be traffic. Mostly there is traffic during rush hour, so avoid those times if possible.

As for security, I haven't been on an international flight in a while, so I can't remember if you can do the self-check-in or if you have to go wait on line for the check-in desk and show your passports. I'm almost 99% sure that you have to wait on line for international flights though.

They are really strict nowadays with getting there 1 hour before for domestic and 2 hours before for international flights. As long as you are on line before 2 hours, you should be good.

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Our flight is domestic - so we only need to be there an hour before?

(Macarthur first thing in the morning - you have maybe 1 person in line before you - so you can see why i love it so much lol)

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Posted by anneandchris

I feel like I live in that airport.

Yes compared to Islip it is crowded but everything is crowded compared to Islip.

My suggestion -- take an early morning flight. Domestic get there two hours prior international get there 3. Waiting is annoying but better safe then sorry. Remember if you are leaving on a Monday there are a lot of commuters that are flying too at that time so it can get busy.

I come from out east (Brookhaven). For a 6:00 am flight I ususally get picked up at 3:45. That is for domestic flights that I don't have a lot of luggage. If not I get picked up earlier. Its not the best but I hate being rushed in the airport.

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Thanks - i found that very helpful - i live close to you so that gives me good time reference.

Do you use a car service or have people drop you off?

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Posted by Cindyrella

Thanks for the info girls

I still wish i didnt have to go there it seems like id have to leave the house at least 3am (maybe earlier) -

I guess i'll still check out any other macarthur options first - but if i cant find anything it'll have to be jfk.

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did you look into the option of staying at a hotel right by JFK? Should be pretty inexpensive actually

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Posted by Cindyrella

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Posted by MayWeddingGrl

I'm mostly flown out of JFK, so I don't really know how crowded it might be compared to MacArthur. I would say that there is usually a steady stream of people departing and arriving at the airport all the time. I've never had an issues with the airport itself.

Depending on the day, even that early in the morning there sometimes might be traffic. Mostly there is traffic during rush hour, so avoid those times if possible.

As for security, I haven't been on an international flight in a while, so I can't remember if you can do the self-check-in or if you have to go wait on line for the check-in desk and show your passports. I'm almost 99% sure that you have to wait on line for international flights though.

They are really strict nowadays with getting there 1 hour before for domestic and 2 hours before for international flights. As long as you are on line before 2 hours, you should be good.

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Our flight is domestic - so we only need to be there an hour before?

(Macarthur first thing in the morning - you have maybe 1 person in line before you - so you can see why i love it so much lol)

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go a little bit earlier. this past summer i went to florida and got there an hour before and the lines were so huge and they messed up the lines too and fh and i almost missed our flights. We were arguing with security bc we said our flight was leaving in 10 mins and if we can go first