hey everyone just landed at jfk and honestly my head is still spinning a bit but i wanted to share some thoughts before i completely forget because seriously this place is a beast and if youre not ready for it you might just end up completely lost or missing a flight and no one wants that right so im basically giving you my quick guide to not feeling totally overwhelmed when you arrive or have a connection here because its quite the experience.
first off its not like one big building you know like some airports where everything is kinda connected and you just walk from one end to the other and its all fine and dandy no jfk is literally a bunch of separate terminals scattered around and they dont even really feel like theyre close together even though they are on the same general property and its honestly a bit much to take in when youre trying to figure out where to go next.
Navigating the maze
so the biggest thing to remember for getting around jfk is the airtrain and its basically your best friend for moving between terminals because you cant really walk between them in any practical way unless youre literally walking outside on the roads and thats just insane and dangerous so dont even think about it and the airtrain is free if youre just hopping between terminals but if you take it to connect to the subway or lirr then you gotta pay which is kinda annoying but understandable i guess but it does get you around and its pretty frequent so thats a plus and it feels like a monorail type thing its quite efficient honestly even if the stations can be a bit confusing sometimes with all the different signs and directions and trains going different ways and sometimes its just a lot of people all trying to get on at once so you gotta be prepared for that especially during busy times and holidays.
and a huge point is if youre connecting and changing terminals you will almost certainly have to go through security again like its not an airside transfer between most of them so factor in plenty of time for that because security lines can be super long and its not something you can rush and then you have to get to your new gate which can be a trek in itself but at least the airtrain is there to get you from one terminal building to the next so thats something.
The long trek between gates
even within the same terminal getting to your gate can be a proper marathon honestly its like they design these places to make you walk as much as possible and ive literally seen people rushing because their gate is like half a mile away even after theyve cleared security and its just crazy.
- inside the same terminal: yes you can definitely walk between gates within the same terminal but sometimes its a ridiculously long walk like terminal 4 or terminal 8 can feel endless so wear comfy shoes and honestly check your gate number as soon as you land because you might need to book it and dont think youre just gonna casually stroll to your next gate if its at the very end of a concourse its just not happening unless you have hours to spare.
- between different terminals: absolutely not walkable airside or even really landside in a practical sense like you are stuck waiting for that airtrain and then you need to factor in getting off finding your next terminal and then re-clearing security which takes its own sweet time and i cant stress enough that you need to give yourself at least an hour maybe even two if your connection is tight or if its a peak travel time because delays happen and waiting for security is just part of the jfk experience unfortunately so just build that into your travel plans.
so yeah my biggest advice is just plan ahead give yourself extra time like way more than you think you need especially for connections and definitely use the airtrain its really the only way to get around efficiently and always double check your terminal and gate because things change and its easy to get lost or confused in such a big place but honestly its not so bad once you get the hang of it just dont expect a simple in and out and you will be fine good luck everyone and safe travels!