Flying from the UK to Miami via JFK. Help!

[hf0705]

We have booked with RCI to go on our fifth cruise on the 6th April and are looking forward to it. The only thing that is putting a downer on things is that this time RCI has decided to take us on an indirect flight from Heathrow to JFK and with only one hour and forty minutes to catch our following plane to Miami. This is the first time that we have to change plane and would have preferred to have a direct flight. Is one hour forty enough time to go through US immigration and catch an internal flight? Help! any advice is welcome.

[Zach1213]

We have booked with RCI to go on our fifth cruise on the 6th April and are looking forward to it. The only thing that is putting a downer on things is that this time RCI has decided to take us on an indirect flight from Heathrow to JFK and with only one hour and forty minutes to catch our following plane to Miami. This is the first time that we have to change plane and would have preferred to have a direct flight. Is one hour forty enough time to go through US immigration and catch an internal flight? Help! any advice is welcome.

 

No, it is not enough time most likely. You will have to clear immigration, get your bag, clear customs, re-check your bag, go through security...maybe change terminals depending on your airline(s). The immigration line can be crazy long and slow for non-US citizens. It's not unheard of to take over an hour to clear the non-US citizen line, even if you're from someplace like the UK that has visa waiver. AND, let's say it's a big plane and you're in the back...it can take 15+ minutes just to get OFF of the plane, and 5-10 minutes to get to the start of that often long immigration line. So before you even hit that line, you may be down to an 80 minute connection instead of 100 minutes.

 

This is a huge negative of booking with RCI or other cruise lines - you often have no control over what your flights are...and this can be a result. As a non-US citizen connecting through a busy, huge airport like JFK, I would never book less than 3 hours.

 

Not trying to scare, but you're in a bad spot to be honest. Call RCI and try to change it. Do some research ahead and see what other flights there are, either nonstop from the UK or via somewhere in the US.

 

Does anyone smarter than me know what the minimum connection time for international to domestic flights is at JFK? It often depends on the airline, so OP can you tell us what airline(s) you are flying? If it turns out that the connection is "illegal" (below minimum connection time), that will be handy to know when you call them.

[FlyerTalker]

KVS has MCT as one of the lookups under the "Reference" tab. I can do the search if the OP provides airlines and flight numbers (as there are many exceptions noted).

[hf0705]

we are flying with AA, the first flight is AA101 arriving at 13.10 and the second AA145 departing at 14.55. When we contacted AA about this they said that it was within the industry guidelines (?).

[Zach1213]

we are flying with AA, the first flight is AA101 arriving at 13.10 and the second AA145 departing at 14.55. When we contacted AA about this they said that it was within the industry guidelines (?).

 

I believe AA's minimum connection time for international-to-domestic at JFK is right around 75-85 minutes, so that won't help you get a new flight. I would still call RCI and see if they would change it, because I don't see you having a very realistic chance of making that connection. A US citizen might have a shot...a non-US citizen will (usually) have a much longer, slower line at immigration. AA101 arrives at a very busy time at JFK.

 

April 6th sees one nonstop JFK-MIA flight after yours - AA2351, 1759-2119. So there is at least one more flight that you could make if you misconnect. That doesn't necesarilly mean you would make it though - it depends on (a) how many seats are available, (b) how many people are on the standby list for that flight, and © where you fit in - i.e. behind frequent fliers, etc. There's no guarantee that you would make the flight. There are also other flights from JFK-MIA on AA via places like Charlotte and Washington DC. I am not sure how re-booking would work on US Airways now that they are merging - i.e. would American put you on a US Airways flight to get you to Miami. My apologies that I do not have all of the info on that, but I would rather remain silent than give incorrect info.

 

Long story short - I just don't see you making that connection, even if it's "legal". But it's possible. However, I would at least try to get it changed. If that fails, make sure you have a list of all other flights that could get you to Miami (or even Ft. Lauderdale) that evening...have it handy to pull out should you mis-connect in JFK and don't get on that one later JFK-MIA nonstop (AA2351)

[zoncom]

Try Lufthansa from Heathrow-Miami, non stop on time or early.

[Zach1213]

Try Lufthansa from Heathrow-Miami, non stop on time or early.

 

 

Lufthansa doesn't fly from Heathrow to Miami except via Germany. Plus OP is already ticketed...this would mean an entirely new ticket purchase.

[FlyerTalker]

AA international to domestic MCT is 75 minutes. So this is a legal connection and AA has no obligation to change it.

 

Zach pretty much summed it up. Do some research via ITA on all of the other options available to you for the JFK to MIA segment. As he said, not just non-stops but connections as well. Look for AA to AA and also connects using US as well. Don't just focus on MIA - if you get to FLL or PBI, then you have made 90% of the journey and can go from there.

 

Good luck and remember that you are at the cruiseline's mercy when they book your air -- at least for next time. :)

[hf0705]

Thank you for your advice everybody. We called RCI and were pleasantly surprised by their understanding and they now have routed us via Chicago with 3.30 hours transit time. We will definitely carry on cruising with them.:)

[alcpa1]

hfo705,

Do you know how unusually well you have been treated?

We very rarely hear of such a positive outcome with Cruise Air.

Truly, enjoy your cruise.

 

a little caveat...prepare as if you were to miss your connection as was proposed for New York. It will only take a little while to make a record of alternate ORD-FLL flights to stick in your carry on.

[artist47]

Thank you for your advice everybody. We called RCI and were pleasantly surprised by their understanding and they now have routed us via Chicago with 3.30 hours transit time. We will definitely carry on cruising with them.:)

 

:eek: Shocking!!! Seriously it is!

 

although I think it's great that they re-routed you, I have to wonder why the hey they didn't route you through Atlanta????

 

Sorry if I am looking the gift horse in the mouth, but Heathrow to ATL would make a lot more sense. Chicago is a thousand miles out of the way and makes for a lot longer flight time, when these poor people have already been flying over 9 hours.

[Zach1213]

:eek: Shocking!!! Seriously it is!

 

 

 

although I think it's great that they re-routed you, I have to wonder why the hey they didn't route you through Atlanta????

 

 

 

Sorry if I am looking the gift horse in the mouth, but Heathrow to ATL would make a lot more sense. Chicago is a thousand miles out of the way and makes for a lot longer flight time, when these poor people have already been flying over 9 hours.

 

 

OP was originally booked on American. Heathrow to Atlanta would be Delta, whereas Heathrow to O'Hare is likely still American. So they kept OP on the same airline, which is much easier to change.

[artist47]

OP was originally booked on American. Heathrow to Atlanta would be Delta, whereas Heathrow to O'Hare is likely still American. So they kept OP on the same airline, which is much easier to change.

 

Oh....I see....thank you for that...I was very confused! LOL

 

In any case, I have had bad experiences with cruise airfare, and so I do think it's great (and amazing) that RCI helped them out. I do wish everyone happy cruising and very glad this worked out for the OP.

Edited January 26, 2014 by artist47

[grandma*knows*best]

:eek: Shocking!!! Seriously it is!

 

although I think it's great that they re-routed you, I have to wonder why the hey they didn't route you through Atlanta????

 

Sorry if I am looking the gift horse in the mouth, but Heathrow to ATL would make a lot more sense. Chicago is a thousand miles out of the way and makes for a lot longer flight time, when these poor people have already been flying over 9 hours.

 

And no extra frequent flyer miles to make the extra flight time worthwhile.

[Fattony]

Kudos to RCI. If you have a specific agent's name, a short e-mail to RCI would be nice (I'm sure they hear complaints). Hope you write a review of your entire trip.

[hf0705]

Unfortunately we didn't write down the agent's name, but we thanked her profusely and told her how pleased we were that RCI came up trumps and did not disappoint us. This is our third fly cruise with them and although the first two times we had a smoothness direct fly, this time for some reason they decided to send us the indirect route. Nevertheless we are happy with the outcome and again thank you all for your advice.

[waterbug123]

This is our third fly cruise with them and although the first two times we had a smoothness direct fly, this time for some reason they decided to send us the indirect route. Nevertheless we are happy with the outcome and again thank you all for your advice.

 

No doubt that reason would be that that was the route on which the cruiseline had negotiated the lowest price for airfare.

[RickT]

The OP was booked on flights that could be purchased directly from American Airlines. The connection time was probably too short but that is the fault of American, not RCI. In looking at the AA flight from Heathrow to Miami it appears RCI came up with the one with the shortest overall travel time (only 3 hrs longer than the direct flight and hundreds of £'s cheaper).

 

When the OP gets confirmation that 1:40 probably isn't enough time they call RCCL who reroutes them (at no charge I'm assuming) on a flight with a longer connection time. To me that's great service yet some of the people here are slamming RCI for booking them on the original flight to begin with then routing them on a longer, more indirect routing in order to try and give them a longer connection time that the OP is more comfortable with. I really don't get it. My guess is if you called American they wouldn't do this without charging a few hundred $ in change fees.

 

And before one of the haters says it... yes, we don't know the rules of the ticket the OP is flying on but we never did with the first flight either.

 

To the OP, glad you got flights that you are more comfortable with. Good luck with your flights and enjoy your cruise.

Edited January 30, 2014 by RickT

[Zach1213]

When the OP gets confirmation that 1:40 probably isn't enough time they call RCCL who reroutes them (at no charge I'm assuming) on a flight with a longer connection time. To me that's great service yet some of the people here are slamming RCI for booking them on the original flight to begin with then routing them on a longer, more indirect routing in order to try and give them a longer connection time that the OP is more comfortable with. I really don't get it. My guess is if you called American they wouldn't do this without charging a few hundred $ in change fees.

 

 

Most people did nothing except given RCI credit and props...

Edited January 31, 2014 by Zach1213

[RickT]

Most people did nothing except given RCI credit and props...

 

You're right, many people (such as you) did however the general tone on the Cruise Air topic is not so fond.. Such as:

 

No doubt that reason would be that that was the route on which the cruiseline had negotiated the lowest price for airfare.

 

Sorry if I am looking the gift horse in the mouth, but Heathrow to ATL would make a lot more sense. Chicago is a thousand miles out of the way and makes for a lot longer flight time, when these poor people have already been flying over 9 hours.

 

In any case, I have had bad experiences with cruise airfare....

 

Do you know how unusually well you have been treated?

We very rarely hear of such a positive outcome with Cruise Air.

 

I'm glad to read a positive outcome when RCI is involved. Generally anyone who says anything good is jumped on as being uninformed and not knowledgeable... sorry if I over reacted to finally seeing someone honestly speak about a good outcome.

Edited January 31, 2014 by RickT

[Zach1213]

You're right, many people (such as you) did however the general tone on the Cruise Air topic is not so fond

 

 

The only thing even remotely negative that I said about cruise air is that you don't have control over the flights that are given to you (in most cases). I stand behind that statement completely.

[RickT]

The only thing even remotely negative that I said about cruise air is that you don't have control over the flights that are given to you (in most cases). I stand behind that statement completely.

 

Zach, my response was that your comments were OK and positive towards the OP's issue and eventual resolution... sorry if you've taken my comments any other way. My vent was towards some other forum members.

[waterbug123]

You're right, many people (such as you) did however the general tone on the Cruise Air topic is not so fond.. Such as:

 

No doubt that reason would be that that was the route on which the cruiseline had negotiated the lowest price for airfare.

I'm glad to read a positive outcome when RCI is involved. Generally anyone who says anything good is jumped on as being uninformed and not knowledgeable... sorry if I over reacted to finally seeing someone honestly speak about a good outcome.

 

Do you really believe that when someone says "Ok, cruiseline, please book my air for me" that a cruiseline rep sits down, studies all the options, and tries to figure out what the best option will be for the customer... best departure time, best connection time, most convenient overall itinerary, etc.? No. They try to sell the cheapest itinerary that will fit both the customer's general parameters and the airline's MCT. To do anything else would cut into their profits. I'm thrilled that the poster was able to get their flight changed, and simply answered the questions as to why they were probably originally booked on a less than ideal itinerary.

[travelplus]

We have booked with RCI to go on our fifth cruise on the 6th April and are looking forward to it. The only thing that is putting a downer on things is that this time RCI has decided to take us on an indirect flight from Heathrow to JFK and with only one hour and forty minutes to catch our following plane to Miami. This is the first time that we have to change plane and would have preferred to have a direct flight. Is one hour forty enough time to go through US immigration and catch an internal flight? Help! any advice is welcome.

 

ChoiceAir and possibly even American is in violation of the Minimum Connecting Times. With a search with your carrier or by calling an agent from the airline ask them what is the Minimum Connecting Time for your itinerary. For all international flights I always allow 2-3 hours but there have been times when I've had lounge access that I allowed 7 hours in between flights just in case.

 

What I can't get is why are we allowed to book impossible connections like these? These types of connections should be blacked out completely from the system and we should only be allowed to book within the parameters of MCT.

 

For instance for our upcoming Brazil-Barcelona Cruise I booked us on AeroMexico/TAM via Mexico City with 12 hours in between flights just in case the AeroMexico flight is delayed etc we still have time to tour the city or in the worst case arrive 5 hours before the TAM flight and still be able to connect.

 

On the return I booked one ticket with United Miles and am flying on Lufthansa/United. Since its on one itinerary the airline is responsible if I miss my flight to put me on the next flight. In Munich I have 90 minutes and the Minimum Connecting time is 45 minutes. At Vancouver I have 2.5 hours which is enough to make the San Francisco flight.

 

 

I highly doubt you will make this connection unless you request a wheelchair for both passengers just to be at the front of the customs line and get a quick connect to the next flight and your bags are marked priority. My point is 1 hour 40 minutes is not enough. I have arrived JFK at 5 AM and the line was long even at that early hour.

 

You need to call ChoiceAir to change your flights with a Connecting time of at least 3 hours or more just to be safe. See if you can get on the nonstop Virgin Atlantic Flight to Orlando or Miami(British Airways also flies to Miami too) or go via Munich to Lufthansa and fly to Florida from there as Munich is an easier airport to connect at than JFK.

 

I tell people I would much rather clear customs at SFO(my home airport) than anywhere else. But on the flight via Vancouver I can Pre-Clear at Vancouver and arrive SFO as a Domestic Passenger which is great as well. Anything to avoid JFK I would pay extra money for.

 

Please update us on what happens. You need to tell the agent they are responsible for waiving any fees and put you on a flight with a longer connecting time. Sometimes airlines will refuse you passage if your connecting times are not within the Minimum Connecting time parameters and they will tell you to call your travel agent to rebook you as its their responsibility to book the ticket. I'm surprised you were even allowed to book this International-Domestic Itinerary with so little connecting time.

 

When I book I see the red warnings such as You are arriving on one day and there is an overnight stay, Your arriving at Newark New Jersey and Departing from JFK transportation is on your own. Or this flight has a long layover or short layover. A lot of people tend to overlook this and end up missing the cruise as a result.

 

BTW If I am calling the airline to book my flights I feed them the flights I want just like when I booked my milage reservation I looked up the schedule before calling in. I said I want LH 1444 Barcelona to Munich connecting to LH3323 Munich Vancouver then United 777 Vancouver to San Francisco. Then I ask the agent to verify that it coincides with the Minimum Connecting Time and to go ahead and ticket the reservation and send me the itinerary.

 

Right away I look over the itinerary while I'm on the phone with the agent and if there is a mistake such as in the spelling of my name I ask the agent to correct it then. The same goes for online bookings I always print out the last page with the summary before you book and look it over. I also have my Father look it over as well to confirm this is the flight he wants and then I book it. With a ticket# I reprint the reservation again with the PNR and Ticket# on the reservation.

 

Too many people let it go and wait until its too late to change the reservation past the 24 hour grace period. In fact within 24 hours you can change pretty much anything and even cancel your reservation without penalty. So what I advise people to do is do your research before you book such as what is the Minimum Connecting Time for British Airways International to American Domestic as they are in different terminals then I add 90 minutes or more to that time just to be safe.

Edited February 2, 2014 by travelplus