Return flight from Rome through JFK

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to decide if returning from Rome (FCO) to Portland, OR (PDX) on Delta with a 1:45 minute stop at JFK is enough time to get through customs and connect to the next flight.

Specifically it will be DL 245 departing FCO 12:50pm to JFK at 4:40pm connecting to DL 2303 departing at 6:30pm arriving PDX at 10:00pm. Choice air is showing this flight, but I know my Cruise Critic friends will have the right advise. Thanks in advance for your responses. We will be returning on 10/23/2015.

We transfer through jfk and atlanta. I'd find that amount of time too tight. At jfk we some times have to change terminals which isn't as easy as atlanta. Too much after great vacation stress for me!

Post on the Cruise Air forum since th isn't really a Celebrity question, lots of expertise there

Nothing is ever absolute but we've made the bag claim/customs/security routine at JFK a number of times at under 1 and a half hours. Looking at the historical records for that flight for the last few weeks, looks like arrivals have been shortly after 4:00 most days, giving you even more buffer. The advantage of long-haul to/from Europe is that they have much longer turn times than domestic flights so schedules get smoothed out/leave on time more (barring other issues).

If the price is OK on Choice Air I would do it without hesitation.

Thanks for the quick responses. If there is a missed connection does Choice Air automatically re-book the flight?

We are on a Celebrity cruise and will be using Choice Air.

I find the connection time a little troublesome at JFK. If you have global entry it will enhance your chances but a T2 to T4 possibility (or vice versa) might be too tight.

As far as Cruise Air helping you rebook - it will depend on your ticket class and the airline of choice. That may be the biggest stumbling block.

The Cruise Air Forum on the Discussion Boards will provide further information about cruise air arrangements. There is a Sticky at the top that delves into the possibilities of cruise air ticketing.

We transfer through jfk and atlanta. I'd find that amount of time too tight. At jfk we some times have to change terminals which isn't as easy as atlanta. Too much after great vacation stress for me!

JFK is a nightmare IMO with what seems like never ending renovations and gate or terminal changes being the norm in my experience. Not to mention the crowds of people at this busy airport. I would be stressed with such a small amount of time and would look for a larger connection window if it were me. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Minimum Connection Times are made available by all carriers, including Delta. If they are offering you an itinerary, it should have the MCT. You can ask their agent what is the MCT for your itinerary. MCT differ based upon whether one is connecting domestic-domestic, international-domestic, etc.

In the event of a misconnection, the airline will rebook you on a later flight so long as your original reservation was at least the minimum MCT.

We had the same exact thing this summer through JFK on Delta from Venice. We early (ran to the gate) made it. We tried to get help getting through the incredibly long security line so that we could make our flight. Not only did they not help, they did not even care.

We ran for the gate. ( I went ahead and asked the gate agents if they would hold the flight for a few minutes while DH, who had been a bit behind because he stayed with our carryons which I dropped everything and ran. They said no, run, go get him.) We made the flight with about 1 minute to spare. They closed the doors and the plane sat there for 30 minutes.

So, in our experience, that is really tight. We were on Choice Air. I don't know what would have occurred had we missed the flight.

Ohiodoglover

If you have global entry (also pre-check) you should be fine.

If you don't, then it is really risky.

JFK lines at immigration can be 5 minutes or 3 hours.

This past Oct., it took us 3 hours to connect at JFK from Rome.They had only 2 TSA checks running. Passengers were going to the stack of boxes to bring them to the front to be used. The employees just stood there. We saw several people miss their connection. We had to change terminals which is better than before, but still time consuming. We have never made it in JFK in less than 2 and 1/2 hours.One time, it was so long and hot that people fainted.

When coming into JFK on an International flight, CBP can be a real nightmare. I have seen lines as long as 3 1/2 hours to clear. This past August, coming back from Venice, they were estimating it to be a 3 hour wait... Luckily both DW and I have Global Entry, so we were in and out in about 15 minutes. NO way I would do JFK without Global Entry!

I wouldn't take that connection. Everything would have to work just right for this to be comfortable for me. Even with Global Entry, I require at least 2:30 for myself at JFK. If I breeze through everything, I'll just park myself at The Oasis or the SkyClub.

Good news is that it seems that, most of the time now, both flights operate out of T4. That can eliminate the 15-25 minutes you need to do the shuttle between T4 and T2. But, depending on the location of your gates, it can take 30-45 minutes to walk from one end of T4 to the other (based on Flyertalk anecdotal info). AND, you still have to go through the TSA nonsense to get back up to the gates at T4; that alone can take over 30 minutes (based on FT anecdotal info).

Regarding CruiseAir re-booking: look at the various threads on the topic. Depending on the actual details of your ticket (usually hidden from you by CruiseAir), you may be re-accomodated on a flight that day, or on that exact same flight 3 days later. You may have to go through CruiseAir rather than direct with Delta. Do Not trust a CA agent who says "don't worry - we'll get you on the next flight to Portland." Just so you know - that flight on Delta is the last flight of the day between JFK and PDX to get you home that night, even using connections. So, even under the best ticket conditions, you will not get home that night. If you get one of the connections (via SLC or LAX), you have an overnight in those hotels before catching a flight the next day.

Like the other poster - why not do the flight through AMS? Connections at AMS eliminate the nastiness of arrivals and connections in the US. Your first flight would be basically like a US Domestic flight since it is intra-Schengen. You might be able to get a good nap AMS-PDX. And, you don't have to do the TSA dog-and-pony show when you get to PDX!!! AND, there is some sweet duty-free shopping to be had in AMS.

Looking at the historical records for that flight for the last few weeks, looks like arrivals have been shortly after 4:00 most days, giving you even more buffer. The advantage of long-haul to/from Europe is that they have much longer turn times than domestic flights so schedules get smoothed out/leave on time more (barring other issues).

It's not just about seeing if YOUR flight usually arrives on time; you also need to look at how many other international flights are due in shortly before and after yours. If a bunch of other flights get in just before you, good luck. They might not even be scheduled before you but arrive early and land ahead of you, or if your flight is just a little late, and comes in just after a couple of others you could find yourself seriously short on time after waiting to go through immigration and customs. And don't forget the time in between, waiting on bags. Personally, even though I have GE I'd opt for an itinerary that allows a bit more time.

Minimum Connection Times are made available by all carriers, including Delta. If they are offering you an itinerary, it should have the MCT.

MCT's aren't always realistic though. They generally are only good for "perfect scenario" situations. Example: The MCT for Delta at ATL is 35 minutes for a domestic connection. That gives you about 25 minutes until the boarding door closes for your outbound flight. If your flight arrives on time, the arrival gate is available, you're not in the back of the plane, and your connecting flight leaves from the same concourse, and/or your flights are only a gate or two away from the elevators to the plane train, no problem. 35 min is plenty.

But what if it's not a perfect scenario. What if..... you're not sitting in the front of the plane? Subtract 5 minutes to deplane. Now you're down to 20 min. Arrive at concourse E but depart from concourse A? Subtract another 5-10 min to get to the plane train and take it from E to A and you're left with 10-15 minutes. Arrive at A centerpoint and realize you have to hike from the escalator (near A18) to A34...now you only have 5-10 minutes. Hope you don't have to stop to use the restroom! And oh darn, forgot to factor in that your flight arrived 10 min late, or landed on time but had to wait 10 min because the previous flight was still at the gate, and oops! You just missed your connection, even though it was "legal" (met MCT rules) and the delay was only 10 min. Bottom line? Even very frequent flyers generally try to allow more than MCT. :)

I would avoid that connection as you will have stress just worrying about it.

I always allow extra time at JFK.

No Cruise Air will not automatically rebook your flights if you miss the connection at JFK.

You will have to take matters into your own hands.

A charged up cellphone and appropriate phone numbers is your best friend in a situation of missed flights. You can use the phone while waiting in lines.

JFK was thus far the worse airport to change from international to a domestic flight. I had 2hrs 40mins between flights and it took two hours to get to the domestic gate.

This was Sunday October 12, 2014. There was no problem getting through immigration. After picking up the luggage I could not find the place to recheck after customs. Total lack of signs.

Next is getting from the international terminal to the Delta domestic terminal. One must go outside and try to figure where the bus that goes between stops. Next is getting on the bus. The first two did not even stop they were full. Then had to get pushed and shoved to get on the next one. Seemed like a long distance to the Delta terminal. Then the walk from the bus stop to the TSA line seems like a mile.

It took an hour in line to get to the TSA screening.

If people think Paris airport is bad, JFK is twice as bad. Again, worse time I have had. Did not think I would make my flight.

I didn't check the pricing but there is a flight from Rome to Portland through Detroit that has a more reasonable connection time.

Just look at the Delta schedules and you will find additional options.