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Yes, you will be able to leave the airport. Check booking.com for hotel rooms; you should be able to find a room for less than 100 USD. Make sure the hotel of your choice offers free shuttle service.
Have fun
I'd head into xManhattan, check out a couple quick sights that are open late or don't really close (xEmpire State Building, xTop of the Rock, xTimes Sqaure, etc.), and have a decent dinner.
Find a place to sleep (see FAQs 249, 256 and 268), then head back to the airport in the morning.
Depending on your interests and willingness it would be possible to go into Manhattan for six hours or so and then head back to the airport three or four hours before your departure. The subway runs 24 hours and Manhattan at night is pretty special. Remembering of course you would probably need to be out of your Manhattan hotel at about about 4.30am if it is a 2 hour check in.
Jet lag. It will be afternoon local time, but the middle of the night in Kiev when you arrive. Don't get too ambitious about your plans.
Baggage. You will pick up your baggage but not be able to re-check it. You need a place to put it while you go into Manhattan to look around.
After clearing customs, find the information counter. Ask about transportation options (buses, limos, taxis, subways), and ask about hotels. I've found hotels with free 24 hour airport transport for around $100 at Kennedy merely by using the courtesy (free) telephones. That way you could deposit your bags and go to Manhattan, returning to sleep in your room before catching your next flight. Expect transport to be either expensive or slow (or even both), and learn prices on taxis before you leave the airport or you will likely get ripped off.
If you are on a tight budget, ignore any of the above as you please. New York is not cheap.
Hope that's helpful.
Mark
First check to see if your bags can be transferred at a transit desk beyond Customs. If not, ask the second airline how early you can check-in. If that airline has only one flight per day, in the morning, I think it's extremely unlikely they'd have anyone at their check-in desk the night before. Others will know if there are services where you can store your bags (and get them in time to check in no later than maybe 6 a.m. the next morning). I know LAX has a commercial service that can pick up your bags and store them off-site. JFK I don't know. All in all, I think the idea of a hotel sounds best, though you'd have to be back there to get your bags, and get to the airport, awfully early in the morning to get an 8 a.m. international flight.
You should look into hostels for a cheap place to stay, several of them have private rooms.
The best/cheap way into Manhattan is Air Train to Jamaica and then the E Train into Manhattan. The whole process takes about an hour. Pretty much any of of the Manhattan stops will land you in the middle of the action. If you manage to check you luggage or don't have much to start with, I suggest walking around for a few hours and then crashing for the night.
The company Supershuttle is indeed awful in NYC. A taxi is not all that much more expensive compared to Supershuttle for two people. It's better to take subway, train, bus or anything other than that shuttle, especially if you're only staying overnight.
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JFK 15 hours layover
In a few weeks my wife and I arrive at JFK airport from Kiev, Ukraine, our final destination is Pensacola, FL, but there is a 15 hours layover between flights. We arrive at 5 pm, T4 and depart at 8 am next day, terminal unknown, flying with Delta. What's our option, what should we do first, considering that this is our first ever flight trip? Should we register with the next flight firs? Will we be able to browse through terminals, or exit the airport? Where should we sleep to save some money? Thanks!!!2
You will have to clear US immigration upon arrival in JFK and pick up your luggage. I don't think you will be able to check in your luggage for the Delta flight - you'll probably have to wait till the next morning (assuming your Kiev - JFK flight is with Aerosvit - which is the only airline that flies this route ?).Yes, you will be able to leave the airport. Check booking.com for hotel rooms; you should be able to find a room for less than 100 USD. Make sure the hotel of your choice offers free shuttle service.
Have fun
3
or exit the airport?
All passengers must legally enter the xUS at their first point of arrival (regardless of destination). You will pass through immigrations, collect checked bags, and pass through customs. Once done, you will be outside security, and the only thing stopping you from exiting the airport is your will to stay inside.I'd head into xManhattan, check out a couple quick sights that are open late or don't really close (xEmpire State Building, xTop of the Rock, xTimes Sqaure, etc.), and have a decent dinner.
Find a place to sleep (see FAQs 249, 256 and 268), then head back to the airport in the morning.
5
I suspect USD100 for a hotel room might be challenging unless through a bidding site. I would be surprised if there was much available for less than USD100 on regular hotel websites such as booking.com based on previous experience.Depending on your interests and willingness it would be possible to go into Manhattan for six hours or so and then head back to the airport three or four hours before your departure. The subway runs 24 hours and Manhattan at night is pretty special. Remembering of course you would probably need to be out of your Manhattan hotel at about about 4.30am if it is a 2 hour check in.
7
Your main problems will be:Jet lag. It will be afternoon local time, but the middle of the night in Kiev when you arrive. Don't get too ambitious about your plans.
Baggage. You will pick up your baggage but not be able to re-check it. You need a place to put it while you go into Manhattan to look around.
After clearing customs, find the information counter. Ask about transportation options (buses, limos, taxis, subways), and ask about hotels. I've found hotels with free 24 hour airport transport for around $100 at Kennedy merely by using the courtesy (free) telephones. That way you could deposit your bags and go to Manhattan, returning to sleep in your room before catching your next flight. Expect transport to be either expensive or slow (or even both), and learn prices on taxis before you leave the airport or you will likely get ripped off.
If you are on a tight budget, ignore any of the above as you please. New York is not cheap.
Hope that's helpful.
Mark
10
Yes, phone the airline(s) involved to confirm what would happen to your bags. 15 hours is longer than I've ever seen for allowable time for transferring of bags, especially if it's overnight, but my word isn't what counts. It's the word of the airlines.First check to see if your bags can be transferred at a transit desk beyond Customs. If not, ask the second airline how early you can check-in. If that airline has only one flight per day, in the morning, I think it's extremely unlikely they'd have anyone at their check-in desk the night before. Others will know if there are services where you can store your bags (and get them in time to check in no later than maybe 6 a.m. the next morning). I know LAX has a commercial service that can pick up your bags and store them off-site. JFK I don't know. All in all, I think the idea of a hotel sounds best, though you'd have to be back there to get your bags, and get to the airport, awfully early in the morning to get an 8 a.m. international flight.
11
The first thing I would do is get some American Money, dollars. How much depends on if you have a credit card or debit card that will work in this country. You could easily spend $300 before you come back to the airport. Second thing, don't count on two hours being enough to check in and clear security, I have seen it take 3 or more hours there. Third thing, it took us in a shuttle almost two hours to get from our hotel in Manhatten to JFK because of all the stops they had to make to pick up other passengers. It took 1.5 hours to get from JFK to our hotel in a shuttle. A taxi would be faster but also much more expensive. So you don't really have 15 hours, you have maybe 7, 8 or 9 if you go into the city. My advice is get some sleep. Get a hotel near the airport. Relax, you have a lot to learn and see. New York is really BIG and COMPLEX for a newbie. Come back to it when you have more time.12
Delta is at Terminal 4. You will be able to check into your Delta flight after you arrive but the not sure about your baggage. Though chances are, you'll want to keep your bags for the overnight in New York.You should look into hostels for a cheap place to stay, several of them have private rooms.
The best/cheap way into Manhattan is Air Train to Jamaica and then the E Train into Manhattan. The whole process takes about an hour. Pretty much any of of the Manhattan stops will land you in the middle of the action. If you manage to check you luggage or don't have much to start with, I suggest walking around for a few hours and then crashing for the night.
13
it took us in a shuttle almost two hours to get from our hotel in Manhatten to JFK because of all the stops they had to make to pick up other passengers. It took 1.5 hours to get from JFK to our hotel in a shuttle. A taxi would be faster but also much more expensive.The company Supershuttle is indeed awful in NYC. A taxi is not all that much more expensive compared to Supershuttle for two people. It's better to take subway, train, bus or anything other than that shuttle, especially if you're only staying overnight.
14
OP, are you arriving on Delta or KLM? Call Delta and ask when you can check in. I wouldn't make a sweeping statement that you can definitely check in with Delta the night before, after Customs,, due to the length of the layover, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask them (or KLM, who represents the alliance in some places). It sounds like an involuntary layover. We had a similar situation overnighting in Atlanta on our way from Brazil to Ontario, California, and we had to check in the morning of the Ontario flight. But I would definitely ask. And research luggage storage if you won't be using a hotel.
