zzzot7

Going to Europe in the Fall, will connect from Florida, can use any of the 3 and would like your collective opinions as to which of these airports is the best to use in terms of convenience, ease of plane change, customs and less chance of flight delay. thnx

mztery

they all have delays - it's NY. LGA and EWR are smaller and a bit easier to negotiate.

I would look at what airport has the most flights going to your ultimate destination in case your inbound is late. and leave plenty of time for connections.

Gardyloo

There are no flights to Europe from La Guardia; LGA has short/medium range flights only.

I would shoot for the same airlines on both the domestic and international legs, which will make check-in, transit, bag claim and FF mileage issues much easier, e.g. Continental through EWR or AA or Delta through JFK.

J62

I agree with Gardyloo - although you can quite easily fly on multiple airlines as well. For example, JetBlue has agreements with both Lufthansa and AA (limited flights) that make checkin and baggage handoff easier.

In my experience AA at JFK is the most convenient for connections since all flights are under one roof in the new Terminal 8.

Different airlines use totally different terminals at JFK so you may not be able to simply walk from one gate to another, but it really is easy enough to get around the airport using the AirTrain so don't be discouraged from using two different/partner airlines.

In the summer afternoon delays are quite frequent at all NYC airports due to weather conditions somewhere in the eastern US, and conditions are exacerbated right now at JFK with one runway under reconstruction. That's supposed to be completed in the next month so conditions will be back to normal by fall when you are flying.

Rastaguytoday

To further clarify Garyloo's comment. LGA doesn't allow flights greater than 1,500 miles to the airpot.

I would have to assume the same is true for departures. I just checked my One World schedule and one has to go to another airport to leave the U.S.

J62

To further clarify Rastaguytoday's comment. LGA doesn't allow flights greater than 1,500 miles to the airport, the exceptions any day being to/from Denver (>1600 miles) and other locations on Saturdays when the restriction is not in effect. I believe the only current longer Saturday flight is Delta to/from Salt Lake City.

Same is true for departures. All of Florida is within 1500 miles from LGA, as are Dallas and Houston, but not Austin, Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis and points in between.

One has to go to another airport to leave the US or Canada, as LGA doesn't have customs & immigration facilities.

dutyfree

Where are you going? The Atlanta airport has quite a few international flights and the customs there is so easy and convenient.

otto

lga has "international" flights technically, they go to canada, so be careful.
my overall preference is newark. it's much less crowded, so the whole process is a lot less painful (baggage, security, boarding, etc...) is a lot better. customs agents there are so much more friendly than the ones at kennedy. (i used to fly alot)

flanneruk

"Going to Europe in the Fall, will connect from Florida"

So why are you farting around with New York? There are thousands of flights from Miami, Orlando, Sanford and Tampa. Not to mention Charlotte, Atlanta, Washington, BWI.....

Get onto Expedia or whatever and find connections or direct flights from your nearest airport that meet your needs. Chances are: the best value and most convenient won't take you anywhere near the New York/New Jersey area.

cherrybomb

LGA Does not have any carriers who operate international flights. That leaves you with JFK and EWR. Even though it is a further a cab ride, I much prefer EWR and go out of my way to avoid JFK. JFK is a ratty cluster-f$&K of an airport that is embarrassingly and annoyingly disorganized.

That said, why do you have to connect in a NYC area airport? You could just as easily grab a connection through Atlanta, for instance.

LT

Agree with some of the others. Unless you are taking a foreign carrier that only flies in & out of NYC, I'd avoid it like the plague. Depending on where you are going, you could connect to your international flight in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, Washington Dulles, Cincinnati, and Detroit. All are FAR preferable than connecting at any of the NYC airports.

J62

Personally I prefer JFK over Newark - they are equidistant from my home, and so I don't take connecting flights through either. My flights always originate / terminate there.

For international flights I use either AA (T8) or Lufthansa (T1). In my experience both terminals are efficient and pleasant - not the CF cherrybomb has experienced.

I can understand how connecting between airlines and different terminals could be a major pain, so if your flights through JFK require a terminal change then there are better airports to use.

Connecting on AA at JFK would be straightforward - all flights are in the same, new terminal 8, so no navigating around JFK required.

DMBTraveler

If possible avoid International connections through any New York area airports. LGA is limited on International departures and does not offer flights to Europe. I prefer EWR for connection as it tends to be the least affected by ATC and weather delays. JFK and LGA sometimes compete for airspace and are usually both affected by the same weather system and ATC delays. They are only about 8NM apart and JFK is currently limited by runway construction.

Depending on your destination in Europe there are many better options available. If MIA is too expensive for you try MCO or even ATL or MEM.

You might find my blog on air travel helpful at:

http://dmbflyingcoach.blogspot.com/2...ne-flight.html

J62

Any delay comparison between EWR, JFK, and LGA is like the pot calling the kettle black. All 3 are among the worst in the country.

All 3 airports are affected by the same weather systems - they are all basically 10mi apart in an equilateral triangle. In my experience ground holds seem to seem to badly affect LGA due to the predominance of short haul flights - ATC doesn't allow planes to takeoff into the NY air space unless there is a good probability of landing.

I just read that JFK runway project was completed on 6/29 and the airport is back to full runway capacity, so hopefully the afternoon delays ease.

zzzot7

Thanks for all the info, it was quite helpful. I've always avoided NYC, but because of business, am forced to take the plunge. I usually fly from MCO or MIA, but will have to connect this time. EWR sounds like the lesser of evils and less hassle to navigate. Again, thnx.

DMBTraveler

J62,

I think EWR has a copper bottom so I don't think it gets as black as JFK or LGA .... lmao