kamaljit

Hi: I shall arrive at JFK NY at 6:35 AM at Terminal 4. I wish to take a flight to Boston from Terminal 8. Please advise me how much time I should keep inbetween so that I can collect my checked in luggage, get through immigration and transfer to terminal 8. What is the best option for interterminal transfers?

Odin

You can take the AirTrain between terminals. Are you travelling on an ESTA or a US visa or are you a US citizen? If you are travelling on an ESTA, have you travelled on it before or is it a new one? You can use the automated passport control kiosks if you have travelled on your current ESTA already or if you have one of the certain visa types and this cuts down time to get through immigration considerably, however you can then have a long wait at the baggage carousel or customs.

Will you be able to check in online for your flight to BOS?

J62

The actual transit time from T4 exit from customs to T8 departures area (airline check-in) will be about 15 to 20min. This includes elevator/escalator/walk to the AirTrain, wait for the next train (every 5min or so), transit, then walk from airtrain to T8 area.

If you are a US citizen/ESTA as Odin describes, then I'd estimate you could be through immigration within 30min of getting off the plane. If you get through that fast then you may have a wait for your luggage before customs.
If you are carrying a foreign passport and no ESTA, then the wait through immigration could be 1hr or longer, depending on how many large planes arrive at T4 at the same time. In that case your luggage would be waiting for you, but you'd still have a wait for customs. If your bags are tagged to BOS you can drop them off at T4 post-customs and they'll get transported to your next flight at T8.

Definitely check-in online for your JFK to BOS flight on AA.com, and make sure your airline into JFK tags your bags all the way to your final destination, BOS. That way you can proceed directly to your gate at T8 saving time at check-in. It looks like AA has 4 non-stop flights a day from JFK to BOS.

Personally, I'd budget min 3hrs layover, longer if the incoming flight is frequently delayed.

Moderator3

Moved to US board

ellenem

T4 is infamous for long walks from some gates to immigration, baggage claim, and the exit. Depending on your flight's arrival, the walk from the arrival gate to immigration might be 15 minutes or more, depending on your pace. There is even signage along the way . . . "just 12 minutes more..." and the like.

kamaljit

Thanks for the reply. I am Indian citizen and coming to US for the first time. I have to book flight for Boston the same day. So I just want to know how much time I should keep in buffer so that I conveniently catch the flight to Boston.

kamaljit

Thank a lot.

doug_stallings

No less than 3 hours, 4 to be safe. That will still get you to Boston before noon.