MorsePacific

Hey BE,
I know that this is a very specific request, but hear me out.

I'm moving on August 24th and am just putting the final pieces of the puzzle in order; namely airport transfers. I've got my Addison Lee booked to get me to Heathrow at this end, and am going to get a town car at the other end - these are reimbursable expenses, and I'm going to have three suitcases with me (!) so I thought 'Why not?'

I'm trying to pin down the best pickup time to specify. Car services I've used over here have a grace wait period, then they start charging, but I'm not sure about there. I also don't want to pick a late time and be sat around twiddling my thumbs.

I can usually get through LHR in 25-30 minutes from plane to having my baggage collected. At JFK from memory it's usually been a bit longer, maybe around 40 mins.

Obviously this time I won't be skipping merrily through the ESTA queue, but will be in the Visa line.
When my girlfriend visited from New York last month it took her the best part of an hour to get through at Heathrow on a regular passport.


Has anyone done this dance at JFK and can you remember roughly how long it took?

Thanks in advance!

PetrifiedExPat

Quickest time, 15 min (Boston Logan on a delayed flight in the early hours) from start of line to waiting for luggage..

Slowest time... 3-4 hours in Chicago from start of line to luggage...

rpjs

Which terminal at JFK? What type of visa? When I entered on an immigrant visa I was allowed to use the US citizens / LPR line at JFK T7 (BA) and then had a short time in "new immigrants" secondary having my immigrant visa processed. If you're on a non-immigrant visa you'll need to use the non-US citizens lane and that backs up very quickly unless you're in a premium cabin and can get off the plane fast. That said, if you do get through immigration quickly my experience at JFK is that it usually takes at least half an hour to 45 minutes after landing for the luggage to start appearing on the belt.

If you're able to expense the ride, why not simply order an Uber once you've got your bags and are through customs? They usually take only about ten minutes to pick you up once you've requested them at JFK.

rpjs

[dupe]

Pulaski

There is no specific answer to that question - it depends how many people are having visa-entries processed at the time youarrive and how many CBP officers are on duty, .... and whether any officers are on lunch break, gone to the toilet, etc.

In short you could be done and finished in 15 minutes, or waiting for two or more hours.

FWIW when I arrived on my CR-1 late the evening at Newark there were very few CBP officers on duty in the secondary office, but there was only one other person (passenger/immigrant) there for whatever reason. I was pretty much ignored for the first ten minutes but was finished and on my way in less than 20 minutes.

viitav

Ahh i'm in the same position..

I'll be entering on my IR1 visa in October and not sure how long it'll take as I have someone picking us up too!

Also do I go through the US citizens queue with my husband and daughter?

lizzyq

It really is a how long is a piece of string question. I have made it through in about 30 mins in JFK on my O-3, similar one time at Dulles but other times it has been 2 to 3 hours. All depends on number of CBP staff on the desk, how many international flights landing at/just before yours, etc etc. To be on the safe side I would allow a couple of hours.

Nutmegger

There are always yellow cabs waiting at JFK -- why not just take one rather than trying to guess when you'll get through?

Phyzz

My wife was coming through JFK twice this year; first time it took about 5 minutes, second time was over an hour.
There is a 'cell phone lot' for JFK. Give them your flight number so that they can get to the airport on schedule. Then get a contact number and call them when you are ready, as long as you don't mind waiting the 10 minutes it will take them to get to the terminal. I am sure that if you explain they will negotiate the waiting fee for a delay.

MorsePacific

L1-B Visa.

Yeah, I realise it's a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string' question, but I've been through JFK enough times now to get an average for my regular ESTA trip so thought I'd try and canvas some opinion.

Nutmegger - I'm not overwhelmingly fond of the yellow cabs from JFK. I took one from the airport into the city during a stopover a couple of years ago and it was fine, but during a holiday last year our concierge at the hotel told us some horror stories of passengers being charged hundreds of $. I'm not going into the city either, I'm going to Melville Long Island and it can be quite a trek depending on traffic so would rather pay a flat fee.
I've also got a lot of luggage, and a lot of the yellow cabs now are cars with not a lot of trunk space IMO.

I'm also trying to expense all of these costs up-front for peace of mind. I go on holiday two days after arriving and want as little to do as possible (as the morning of the 25th I'm hustling into the city to get my SSN and a bank account setup).

fbf2006

It's best you get an uber/lyft. There's no possible way to know as everyone else has said. Totally depends on if you arrive around the same time as loads of other flights.

Ecto17

I have been through twice, first time we were actually in a cab less then 45 mins from touching down, thought it was the greatest airport ever!
Second time we were picking up a connection with a 3 hour stop and would have missed it but for the fact that our connection was seriously delayed, that day we thought it was the worst airport ever!!! You can't possibly tell.
When we moved a few weeks ago we ordered a driver in advance to pick us up at Newark as we had a lot of luggage and like you just wanted it booked. Anyway gave them the details of our flight and they kept an eye on its progress (we were delayed slightly) and were there no issues.
Good luck with your move.

bewildering

Any delay of your aircraft will affect your planning. Once my plane was delayed when someone got nervous and wanted to get off the plane. We were an hour later than scheduled and landed along with two other 747s. It took another hour to get through immigration. I missed my connecting flight and was stuck in DC overnight.

BenK91

I came in to JFK with my K1.

Secondary processing was crazy busy. I was in and out in around 45 minutes though. It seemed to me that other people with big white envelopes like myself were getting pushed through quickly as I assume it's an easy process for them.

GeneralPowerpoint

It's crazy booking one ahead. You won't be able to predict how long it'll take.

Use a yellow cab or uber.