JFK layover

[sara82 4]

Hi eveybody, happy new year

I was looking i and my US husband about a nice flight price to enter USA, i will travel myself without him , to avoid the long layover between flight and different stops especially this travel will be my first travel outside my country and using a plane , i suggested to buy a separate ticket from Casablanca to New york then from new york to los angeles (no stop ) , i just bought the first ticket , , JFK will be my port of entry and the layover will be just 3 h between the first flight and the second flight (i didnt buy yet)

my question please is 3 h is enough in my port of entry?

Thanks

[sara82 4]

If someone has experience at JFK airport with short layover please help , any input\ advice

Thank you

[SaharaSunset 165]

3 hours is great and will give you enough time to go through customs etc. My husband flew from Casablanca to JFK with a 3 hour layover with no problems. He even had like an hour to spare. Don't go less that 3 though. But you do not need much more that 3 hours, maybe 4 hours tops. Get through customs and head straight to your gate and you should be fine. Good luck!

Edited January 3, 2014 by SaharaSunset

[BethAnn and Omar 42]

My husband just POE'd at JFK from Jamaica on December 23rd and said he was in and out of Immigration and Customs in less than 15 minutes. All they did was fingerprint him and take a photo and stamp his visa and look through his paperwork. That's it. No questions were asked.

[Peace.... 281]

Took us over three hours, if there was a connecting flight we would have missed it. If your not familiar with the size of JFK airport and all the different gates, trams to take, baggage to recheck, it can be time consuming for sure.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Also if the tickets where purchased separately you have more hassles with luggage ( including maybe different number of free bags ) so you will have to handle that all. If it is one ticket you run through customs and then hand the luggage back to the airline. You will need to check in luggage in and validate your tickets ( the second set )

[sara82 4]

Thanks for everyone who answered my question , i hope everything will be fine for me at JFK airport

wish everybody the good luck

[sparkles_ 456]

There is a less than 3hr customs line, and a person will be asking how long your layover is......you can get the orange ticket to the short line.

[Ismael&Blair 66]

Good luck, my husband's POE was also at JFK and he made it with 20 minutes to spare to wait. I believe his layover was 3 hours too. But with the plane arriving a little later than scheduled and the interview at the POE was about 1 1/2 hr for him. So he still had time. Like the other person said, they will ask you when is your connecting flight departs.

So where are you going in LAX. We are in the Los Angeles area too! Again best wishes on a pleasant trip to America!

[Dave&Roza 748]

Hi eveybody, happy new year

I was looking i and my US husband about a nice flight price to enter USA, i will travel myself without him , to avoid the long layover between flight and different stops especially this travel will be my first travel outside my country and using a plane , i suggested to buy a separate ticket from Casablanca to New york then from new york to los angeles (no stop ) , i just bought the first ticket , , JFK will be my port of entry and the layover will be just 3 h between the first flight and the second flight (i didnt buy yet)

my question please is 3 h is enough in my port of entry?

Thanks

If you are going to split the trips up into two separate flights rather than a single purchase with a connecting flight, IMHO I would opt for staying in NYC for a day or two and have your husband met you there. Three hours for a connecting flight is okay, but 3 hours for having to go to the ticket counter and get the second boarding pass and check your luggage and then go back thru security will be cutting it a bit close given the size of JFK.

So I would purchase the second ticket to LA to be the next day or later and enjoy a day or two in NYC. Either that or see if you can add a connecting flight to the first ticket you already bought.

Good luck,

Dave

[Eric-Pris 1,602]

If you are going to split the trips up into two separate flights rather than a single purchase with a connecting flight, IMHO I would opt for staying in NYC for a day or two and have your husband met you there. Three hours for a connecting flight is okay, but 3 hours for having to go to the ticket counter and get the second boarding pass and check your luggage and then go back thru security will be cutting it a bit close given the size of JFK.

So I would purchase the second ticket to LA to be the next day or later and enjoy a day or two in NYC. Either that or see if you can add a connecting flight to the first ticket you already bought.

Good luck,

Dave

Exactly. I don't think you will make it honestly. 3 hours would be enough for a connection one the same itinierary. But if you buy separate tickets, you will need to go back up to the departure level with all your luggage and check in for the 2nd flight. Check in should be done 1 1/2 to 2 hours before the flight, so that means you will have to land, get to immigration, grab your luggage, go thru customs, go back upstairs to the departure level, check in for your next flight all in under 90 minutes. Whem my wife arrived at JFK (our home airport), she was taken to secondary processing where we waited almost 90 minutes.

I agree with this poster, either add a connection to your ticket or spend 1 day in NY. The hotels near the airport around too expensive, they all have a shuttle bus. Don't stay in any hotel on the airport grounds, they are like $400/day.

[Eric-Pris 1,602]

Why did you have to go thru JFK?

I just looked at kayak.com, there are one-way flights from casablanca to LAX for as little as $900 on Emirates. One stop in Dubai and then directly to LAX. That would be your POE.

[Heather&Ramy 22]

I would warn you against doing 3 hours also... In my experience JFK is fairly big and the terminals are a little confusing the first time. If I were you I would give myself 5 hours or so just to be safe and not have as much pressure in case something goes wrong.

Especially if it is your first time flying internationally and alone, because the first few times I flew by myself it took me a while to understand the general layout and steps of airports and each one is a little different. Please give yourself more time!

Good luck, congrats on getting the visa!