The metro area’s largest airport, with around 1,000 flights daily, is undergoing a massive renovation, making it difficult to get to your terminal (a particularly stark contrast to the updated La Guardia). We talked to frequent-flying New Yorkers about how to arrive at your gate quickly and maybe even enjoy your time there.
It’s not only cheaper ($8.50, and fares will be $4.25 this summer until Labor Day) than a cab or an Uber; it’s probably faster. Drop-offs, pickups, and parking are more inconvenient than usual (even during off-hours) because of construction. But the AirTrain — which connects with the A/E/J/Z lines and the LIRR — hasn’t been affected.
Good choices are the Lefferts Boulevard, Howard Beach, and Jamaica stops, says Allison Thompson, a JetBlue in-flight supervisor at JFK who does this to ensure a prompt arrival at her gate. Look for parking near Jamaica as it’s typically cheaper there than at the airport.
You may think that by amassing special clearances like TSA PreCheck and Clear Plus, you’ll fly through security. But the Clear Plus program is available only at Terminal 4, and PreCheck has become ubiquitous, so some experts say it no longer saves travelers much time — especially at JFK.
Many travelers pay a hefty annual credit-card fee to get private-lounge access and then find they can’t use it at JFK because the terminals don’t connect and the lounges aren’t equitably distributed, says Adam Morvitz, CEO of travel-and-rewards site point.me. All four major credit-card lounges — Chase Sapphire, American Express’s Centurion, Delta Sky Club, and Capital One — are only in Terminal 4.
The food options at JFK largely resemble what you’d find at a mall food court, but there are a few gems. When TV host Samantha Brown needs breakfast, she heads to this American café. “It’s eggs, toast, and bacon. But you have a view of the tarmac,” she says. “I love looking out and just seeing them load up a plane and seeing the bags go in and all the hubbub.”
Chef Andrew Carmellini goes here for wine and cheese before his evening flights. “It’s a nice way to decompress,” he says.
When Brown craves a little peace and quiet at JFK, she takes walks (“The terminal is one mile long,” she says) or parks herself in a seating area off Gate B41. “It’s this nook where the airport employees go to rest,” she says. It’s nothing fancy, but it feels separate from the chaos in the terminal.
This enclosed rest area has seating, a small snack-and-beverage buffet, and, perhaps best of all, access to a Fast Track security lane, which tends to move much quicker than the general security line. You can get access for a onetime fee from $45 (with three tiers of service) or you can pay for Priority Pass, a $99-per-year lounge-membership program that grants you entry to about a dozen lounges in Terminals 1 and 4 and includes a credit for the Be Relax Spa in Terminal 5.
Terminal 5’s rooftop may be the best spot in all of JFK, says Thompson. It’s free and can be accessed via a glass door across from Gate 28. Up there, you can enjoy Manhattan views, seats with outlets, a children’s play space, and a pet relief area.
A five-minute AirTrain ride to Terminal 5 to access the airport’s only on-site hotel is the sole good reason to leave your terminal before your flight. The cocktail bar and pool feel like chic and adventurous upgrades from most lounges. A day pass to the gym is $25 and includes fitness classes; pool access costs $50.