Need advice - Airport change - New York

We're taking the kids with us on a Med cruise. 4 total.

Found decent priced air from ATL on Delta to LaGuardia and then a 3 hour layover - flight to Milan takes off out of JFK.

Is this nuts to consider? How much time to allot between the two airports? Got to factor in collecting the luggage and getting to the other airport. mid day on a Friday.

Nuts? Or do-able? Flight was approx. 1200 each to Milan RT. Far cheaper than the 1500+ we've been seeing. Times 4 is a lot of savings for us which is why we're considering it.

We're taking the kids with us on a Med cruise. 4 total.

 

Found decent priced air from ATL on Delta to LaGuardia and then a 3 hour layover - flight to Milan takes off out of JFK.

 

Is this nuts to consider? How much time to allot between the two airports? Got to factor in collecting the luggage and getting to the other airport. mid day on a Friday.

 

Nuts? Or do-able? Flight was approx. 1200 each to Milan RT. Far cheaper than the 1500+ we've been seeing. Times 4 is a lot of savings for us which is why we're considering it.

Tried this once. It was a Friday and raining like hell in New York, about 4 pm and traffic was at a standstill. Taxi line out LaGuardia went around the terminal, so made the ill fated decision to take the shuttle... We waited forever. Check in line was horribly long at JFK. We didn't come even close to making the flight to Brussels.

There was a cutoff of I forget how many minutes before the flight for check in, but even if we had been fast tracked to the front of check in, which we tried doing with no success, it would have been a fruitless effort. Spent the night at a JFK hotel. Fortunately, it was a land trip to Belgium, with a lot of fluff in the itinerary.

We had slightly less time however, about 2 hours 45 min , if my memory serves me correctly and absolutely nothing worked in our favor...even the order in which the shuttle driver went to the JFK Terminals.

3hrs is cutting it too close, IMO.

I live in NYC and have been caught in standstill traffic on the GCP and Van Wyck between LGA and JFK at 3am! There is heavy construction going on in that area and has been for ages. You need a 45min delay into LGA and to be caught in traffic between the two airports and you're toast.

Ok that's what I suspected. Thanks - my gut told me it was too close to chance it.

If we consider the JFK flight into Milan, we will get ourselves there much earlier in the day.

Ok that's what I suspected. Thanks - my gut told me it was too close to chance it.

 

If we consider the JFK flight into Milan, we will get ourselves there much earlier in the day.

Being that the Milan flight is going to be in the evening, and with significant savings, see if there are morning arrival flights?

I'm in a different situation but I spend a lot of time in airports :) and have taken the first flight out in the am for flights in the evening.

As a follow-on, I could use some advice from those who regularly use JFK and LGA. In order to make some FF tickets work for specific dates, Mrs FT and I will be arriving from Europe into JFK at 23:30. The connection is then out of LGA at 06:30. We've decided that between going through C&I (which shouldn't be too crowded at that hour :)) schlepping out of JFK and then changing airports, there's really not much reason to justify getting a hotel for just a few hours (and we've been on flat-beds across the pond). Plus the SkyClub at LGA opens at 05:00.

Any suggestions on the best transport options at that hour? (And I don't mean for "best" to equal "cheapest"). Will have full cruise luggage for us (4 checked bags, two carry-on rollers and two laptop bags). I'm leaning towards a car service vs a taxi but not sure about which one or how they handle international arrivals. All input is appreciated. Thanks!

I have used WiroLimo (wirolimo.com) for pick up and drop off at JFK and I can highly recommend them. They were very professional, on time, and they texted me both the day before pick up and then at the airport. I would definitely use them again. If you use a car service, make sure they know how much luggage you will have. They will ask for your flight information and will know what time to arrive to pick you up. An international arrival is not a problem.

As a follow-on, I could use some advice from those who regularly use JFK and LGA. In order to make some FF tickets work for specific dates, Mrs FT and I will be arriving from Europe into JFK at 23:30. The connection is then out of LGA at 06:30. We've decided that between going through C&I (which shouldn't be too crowded at that hour :)) schlepping out of JFK and then changing airports, there's really not much reason to justify getting a hotel for just a few hours (and we've been on flat-beds across the pond). Plus the SkyClub at LGA opens at 05:00.

 

Any suggestions on the best transport options at that hour? (And I don't mean for "best" to equal "cheapest"). Will have full cruise luggage for us (4 checked bags, two carry-on rollers and two laptop bags). I'm leaning towards a car service vs a taxi but not sure about which one or how they handle international arrivals. All input is appreciated. Thanks!

As one who flies monthly LAX/JFK but REFUSES to stay in a JFK hotel, I make the trip to the LaGuardia Plaza (formerly Crowne Plaza) at LGA every trip (only two hotels can you see the runways-Marriott across the street in the crappy upper floor rooms or on the 3rd floor of the Crowne which at the front of the hotel is the ONLY place that has sliding glass doors outside to a little patio-great fun sitting there early mornings watching the planes with a cup of hot chocolate). Either that or I go to my office in the Bronx. Either way, I strictly use car service. We have both a Dial 7 and Carmel corporate account.

I prefer Dial 7. Cars seems to be cleaner, drivers more professional (RARELY do I see one without a coat). I have used both and I now call Dial 7 every trip. 212-777-7777. Can't forget that number. Manhattan area code and a lot of 7's.

I make the arrangements in advance. They sit in the cell lot by the JFK cargo bays until you call the office to be picked up. About a 4 minute ride to almost any terminal. They are always there when I need them. I usually call right when I am walking through Customs on an international flight or when I see my luggage coming out of the chute on a domestic flight (Priority luggage just like you due to status). Do let them know how much luggage you have. It will be a Town Car if you ask for LUXURY sedan (only $5.00 more than a Crown Vic), so most luggage should fit in the truck. They will also use the front seat if needed, although sometimes they send the stretch if they think they need extra room.

Not pricey unless they send the stretch-about $40 plus tip. And so much nicer than a taxi. There is also meet and greet for an extra $35-50 if you need help with the luggage in the luxury sedan. I can handle my Hartman, laptop and carryon all stacked together. If I have more, I either find a porter or if it is a lot of stuff (usually boxes of paperwork), I use the meet and greet. Meet and Greet is a freebie with the stretch or the Cadillac Escalade or GMC Denali . If I have a lot of boxes of paper, I book the SUV and the driver can wrangle the boxes, luggage and the porter.

Enjoy!!!

Ok that's what I suspected. Thanks - my gut told me it was too close to chance it.

 

If we consider the JFK flight into Milan, we will get ourselves there much earlier in the day.

VERY VERY doable with 4-5 hours between flights. BOOK A CAR SERVICE. With 4, you will have to get either a mini van or SUV. But even if you pay for the SUV (luxury Cadillac Escalade or GMC Denali with meet and greet service included), you will pay about $150 plus tip. BIG savings over $1200 in air fare. And it is so darn nice to have someone meet you at the baggage carousel, handle all the luggage both ways and not be frazzled trying to wrangle kids, luggage, tickets, passports and everything else.

I use Dial 7 every month. 212-777-7777. Or you can book on their website. See my other answer to Flyertalker just above. Their cars sit in the service plaza at LGA about 3 minutes from the terminals.

dup post

Being that the Milan flight is going to be in the evening, and with significant savings, see if there are morning arrival flights?

 

I'm in a different situation but I spend a lot of time in airports :) and have taken the first flight out in the am for flights in the evening.

This is what we're leaning towards as of today...through our Chase rewards, we have enough points to fly Southwest early in the day. There are several other Southwest flights throughout the day in case something goes sour. We can then change airports (thanks for the Dial 7 tip) and wait for the JFK evening flight.

How does that sound to all?

VERY VERY doable with 4-5 hours between flights. BOOK A CAR SERVICE. With 4, you will have to get either a mini van or SUV. But even if you pay for the SUV (luxury Cadillac Escalade or GMC Denali with meet and greet service included), you will pay about $150 plus tip. BIG savings over $1200 in air fare. And it is so darn nice to have someone meet you at the baggage carousel, handle all the luggage both ways and not be frazzled trying to wrangle kids, luggage, tickets, passports and everything else.

 

I use Dial 7 every month. 212-777-7777. Or you can book on their website. See my other answer to Flyertalker just above. Their cars sit in the service plaza at LGA about 3 minutes from the terminals.

Thanks!!

As a follow-on, I could use some advice from those who regularly use JFK and LGA. In order to make some FF tickets work for specific dates, Mrs FT and I will be arriving from Europe into JFK at 23:30. The connection is then out of LGA at 06:30. We've decided that between going through C&I (which shouldn't be too crowded at that hour :)) schlepping out of JFK and then changing airports, there's really not much reason to justify getting a hotel for just a few hours (and we've been on flat-beds across the pond). Plus the SkyClub at LGA opens at 05:00.

 

Any suggestions on the best transport options at that hour? (And I don't mean for "best" to equal "cheapest"). Will have full cruise luggage for us (4 checked bags, two carry-on rollers and two laptop bags). I'm leaning towards a car service vs a taxi but not sure about which one or how they handle international arrivals. All input is appreciated. Thanks!

Uber surely? Book an XL/SUV if you think you'll more room for luggage.

As a follow-on, I could use some advice from those who regularly use JFK and LGA.

 

Any suggestions on the best transport options at that hour? (And I don't mean for "best" to equal "cheapest"). Will have full cruise luggage for us (4 checked bags, two carry-on rollers and two laptop bags). I'm leaning towards a car service vs a taxi but not sure about which one or how they handle international arrivals. All input is appreciated. Thanks!

Upon Greatam's suggestion, I used Dial 7 last year to transfer between LGA and JFK for a flight to SIN. Have since used them both ways for transport for a party of 4 with cruise luggage to/from midtown/Cape Liberty and Cape Liberty/LGA. Very pleased with all 3 experiences.

Uber surely? Book an XL/SUV if you think you'll more room for luggage.

Really???? Uber is cheap in Manhattan. Not so cheap between JFK and LGA and astronomically priced between JFK and my office in Hunt's Point, Bronx. Meet and Greet service in a stretch with Dial 7 or Carmel is about the same price, not riding around in someone's 8 year old Honda.

And I have asked two NYC Uber drivers to provide proof of commercial liability (they came to pickup employees). Neither could provide anything other than the state mandated PRIVATE car insurance. That won't cover a wreck or injury if you are transporting passengers for hire. Won't even cover someone delivering luggage or packages for hire unless there is a SPECIFIC commercial rider in the policy.

Supposedly, Uber has a master policy for commercial liability. No one has ever seen it and I know for a fact that several state DOT offices have asked for it. All commercial policies with "hired car" provisions REQUIRE the VIN # to be added, whether for a couple of hours or on a more permanent basis. Would be a prohibitive expenditure unless they are self insured and even then, they would have had to file with the DOT just like taxi's or car service.

This from Uber's own website-"I understand that Uber is a request tool, not a transportation carrier." That kind of says it all.

......

I use Dial 7 every month. 212-777-7777. Or you can book on their website. See my other answer to Flyertalker just above. Their cars sit in the service plaza at LGA about 3 minutes from the terminals.

I have considered using Dial 7 when in NYC, but they have many terrible Yelp reviews (for what that's worth); that's why I stick with Wirolimo, which gets very good Yelp reviews.

I have considered using Dial 7 when in NYC, but they have many terrible Yelp reviews (for what that's worth); that's why I stick with Wirolimo, which gets very good Yelp reviews.

All I can say is we have both a corporate Dial 7 and Carmel account. I prefer Dial 7 and they have never let me down.

We also sometimes use a variety of other car services because employees need to get home, to the airport or sometimes even to send my mechanics to help out a stranded truck. Our office in the Bronx doesn't have the best public transportation close by and few employees have cars so under certain circumstances, they use a car service. Few use taxis unless it is a very short distance because they WANT TO KNOW what it is going to cost them-that waiting time/traffic tie ups can turn a $20 taxi ride into $30-40. And with some of the others we have used, I have had complaints or the driver never showed up.

I'm satisfied with Dial 7 and have been for quite a few years. I'll have to look at those Yelp reviews and see what the complaints are. Really curious about that because they really have never let me down and sometimes have really gone out of their way to help out-the day I was stranded at LGA (flight delay which would make me misconnect) but could get a flight out of JFK IF we could round up 6 boxes of paperwork and my luggage and get me to the plane on time. That driver was one of the most efficient, organized I have ever seen in all my travels. He must have been a truck driver in his previous life because he really had his ducks in a row.

I have considered using Dial 7 when in NYC, but they have many terrible Yelp reviews (for what that's worth); that's why I stick with Wirolimo, which gets very good Yelp reviews.

I just read through quite a few of the Yelp reviews. A large portion were about toll charges, particularly ones going from NY to NJ or vice versa (sorry, that is just the way it is-two neighboring states with different transportation rules) or using a route that had tolls (could have been a traffic tie up on the non toll route, mis understanding or who knows). And someone even posted they never saw the driver pay for a toll-well, DUH, all those cars have EZ Pass so no, they don't pay on the spot. Tolls/tips are NOT included in the price and it is clearly stated both online and verbally if you call.

And there does seem to be some confusion about booking online. I don't and neither does anyone in my office in NYC. WE CALL. Computers are great sometimes-people to people contact is so darn much better 85% of the time. Irons out the FINE points if there is any confusion initially.

 

And there does seem to be some confusion about booking online. I don't and neither does anyone in my office in NYC. WE CALL. Computers are great sometimes-people to people contact is so darn much better 85% of the time. Irons out the FINE points if there is any confusion initially.

I've booked online with them and had no issues, but do agree that sometimes person-to-person is better. Either way, as you've pointed out after looking at Yelp reviews in detail, it always pays to consider the actual nature of the complaints and if they appear to be the result of "user error," i.e. didn't read where it stated explicitly that tolls weren't included, for example. If one's expectations were inappropriate to begin with, it hardly seems fair to consider the unmet expectations as a example of poor service.

Thanks kindly for the assistance. The old brain cells just weren't firing on this question, but I've now got the plan for this trip. Dial7 sounds right for what we need....and Mrs FT likely will use them for a solo NYC trip she has planned in a couple months.

Really???? Uber is cheap in Manhattan. Not so cheap between JFK and LGA and astronomically priced between JFK and my office in Hunt's Point, Bronx. Meet and Greet service in a stretch with Dial 7 or Carmel is about the same price, not riding around in someone's 8 year old Honda.

Never ended up in an 8yr old Honda myself or anything close to it. Even using UberX I've found myself in spotless Town Cars. Using Uber Black it's been S Class, Audi A8s and Mercedes GLs, and for about the same price as cabs on routes I've used them within NYC.

As for astronomical pricing...I don't see anything too quirky here. It suggests $39-$53 for UberX and $69-$90 for Black. JFK to Hunt's Point quotes $61-80 for X and $103-$133 for Black. Certainly not outrageous, IMO.

The difference for 5 of us between flying from ATL to JFK and LGA for a flight to Rome made it much more economical for us to fly to LGA, get a car service to JFK. We did buffer in a few hours in case there was a traffic snarl. We took an early flight to LGA, got the car service to JFK. Had a bite of food and waited to meet the last of our group who was arriving at JFK. We saved a ton of money by flying to NY to catch a flight on Aer Lingus and like the service on Aer Lingus so much we booked them again the next year for the same. Worked for us, but others wouldn't think it was worth the extra time getting between the airports.

I don't have a LGA/JFK connection, but…

The end of April, I'm coming into JFK on a DL redeye, landing at 6:55am. My AZ flight to FCO leaves at 4:20pm. I'm flying First/Business on both (thank you SkyPesos). Outside of spending all that free time in the lounges (choice of Sky Club, the AZ lounge, and Wingtips), any good ideas? Since I have to change Terminals anyway, I'm open to any ideas for passing the time.

I don't have a LGA/JFK connection, but…

 

The end of April, I'm coming into JFK on a DL redeye, landing at 6:55am. My AZ flight to FCO leaves at 4:20pm. I'm flying First/Business on both (thank you SkyPesos). Outside of spending all that free time in the lounges (choice of Sky Club, the AZ lounge, and Wingtips), any good ideas? Since I have to change Terminals anyway, I'm open to any ideas for passing the time.

Go into the city?

AirTrain to Howard Beach then Subway in would be cheapest. AirTrain to Jamaica and LIRR in wouldn't be too awful time wise or convenience wise, that puts you into Penn Station. Obviously Taxis/private car would be most comfortable and easiest.

I've been to many an airline lounge and there's maybe one or two I'd be happy to stay in for 10hrs and let's say the nearest one is about 9000 miles from JFK!

Could hire a car and drive out to the North Fork and do some vineyard visits. Leave yourself 2hrs to get back to JFK.