Lmaev

Our flight for San Juan leaves at 930a on a Thursday morning. We would be leaving from mid-town Manhattan. What time would you leave for the airport? We are taking a car service so we can book them at anytime. I am most worried about the traffic to the airport.

nytraveler

What time does your airline require you to check in? Assuming that they want you there by 7:30am I would leave the city by 6:30 at the latest.

MFNYC

I'd say 7-7:30am. WHen you call the car service, ask them what they think. They are the experts on traffic flow to the airport.

Gekko

Schedule your pick-up for 7:15am, just to be safe.

Patrick

I'm really confused. American Airlines for one says you should be at the airport 2 hours before departure for flights from JFK to San Juan. That would be by 7:30 for a 9:30 flight. So are some of you suggesting that you can actually get from midtown to JFK in 15 minutes or even instantly (since one of you even suggested leaving as late as 7:30)?

Or are you just saying "screw what the airlines say and just take your chances on missing your flight"?

nytraveler has the right idea. Listen to him (her?).

Lmaev

Thanks for all your responses!!
I would probably leave closer to 6-630a. That's what I was thinking about to allow for traffic tie-ups and any lines at the airport.

Patrick

I think you're smart. The last time we flew to Europe at 8:30 AM from JFK, we left midtown at 5:30 to be there by the required 6:30. The taxi flew and we arrived within about a half hour! Then we breezed through check-in and security in about 15 minutes, giving us a full two more hours to wait (fortunately in the Admiral's Club). Would we do it over again the same way? Sure. I'm a believer in being there when they say -- just in case.

Gekko

I always ignore that 2 hour "rule," and I've never missed a flight. Of course, if one would prefer to skip sleep and sit at the gate, that's fine too.

For a 9:30am weekday flight, a 7:15 pick-up is plenty early. (Personally, I'd go with 7:30-7:45, but like I said, 7:15 makes sense "just to be safe.")

michelleNYC

Gee, I have a 7:00am flight on Sat. to Phoenix -- I was thinking about leaving at around 5:30-5:45 from Midtown to Newark! I hate just sitting by the gate waiting... Reminds me of when I had a flight from Berlin to Frankfurt at 5:30 in the morning... yuck...

Patrick

American insists that San Juan is like an international flight and you need to arrive two hours ahead. If it is a domestic flight, you need to arrive 1 hour ahead if you aren't checking luggage and 1 1/2 hours if you are checking luggage.

I don't usually like sitting at the gate waiting, but compared to sitting there waiting for the next flight because security was backed up more than usual and I missed my flight is even worse. I've read far too many of those "gee, I thought we allowed plenty of time, but. . ." stories.

nytraveler

Well from Midtown to JFK that early in the AM you might be able to make it in 30 minutes. That's on the mornings when there is no rain/snow, no accidents, no misplaced tractor trailers - and no traffic. On the other hand, when one of those occurs you will be lucky to make it in an hour. During the week - it will be even more.

For anyone who is comfy racing through the airport, assuming that the security line will move quickly and has no luggage to check in - arriving an hour in advance for an inernational flight might be an option. For someone who doesn't like to spend two hours whiteknuckled and hoping that every single thing will go like clockwork (and who has ever seen JFK in operation) I would reco following the airline's guidelines.

And Patrick - I'm a her.

michelleNYC

You are absolutely correct re: JFK and international flights. I really do try to get there at least an hour and a half before my flight. Domestic though, count me there no more than 45 mins - 1 hour before. I have to say, the more I've been flying out of Newark the more I much prefer it to JFK.