LaGuardia to JFK (5 Hour Layover + Airport Change) (New York, Roosevelt: neighborhoods, taxi)

[OptimisticStudent]

Hello Everyone. So I am flying to China in January and my ticket says I must do an airport change after arriving at LaGuardia. I will arrive at 10:26am and my next flight at JFK leaves at 3:25pm. Assuming that I exit LaGaurdia airport around 11:00am at the latest, and the boarding time at JFK will be around 2:40pm which means I'll need to get there by 2:15 to go through security, this gives me about 3 hours of free time. Do you think this would be enough time to see a few friends in the area, grab some lunch, instagram a few touristy pictures, and haul ass to JFK via Subway? I know I could take a taxi..but being that it's my first time in New York..I want to experience as much as I can in those short amount of time. I don't plan on going on any type of tours or seeing any major attractions. I just kind of want to walk around the surrounding neighborhoods, stop into a few bodegas, get a real New York slice, and maybe see some street art or performers. Is this doable? Also is it going to be snowing there in late January?

Thank you

[BinxBolling]

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you actually have no time.

Go straight from LGA to JFK. Take a taxi.

[Henna]

Originally Posted by OptimisticStudent

Hello Everyone. So I am flying to China in January and my ticket says I must do an airport change after arriving at LaGuardia. I will arrive at 10:26am and my next flight at JFK leaves at 3:25pm. Assuming that I exit LaGaurdia airport around 11:00am at the latest, and the boarding time at JFK will be around 2:40pm which means I'll need to get there by 2:15 to go through security, this gives me about 3 hours of free time. Do you think this would be enough time to see a few friends in the area, grab some lunch, instagram a few touristy pictures, and haul ass to JFK via Subway? I know I could take a taxi..but being that it's my first time in New York..I want to experience as much as I can in those short amount of time. I don't plan on going on any type of tours or seeing any major attractions. I just kind of want to walk around the surrounding neighborhoods, stop into a few bodegas, get a real New York slice, and maybe see some street art or performers. Is this doable? Also is it going to be snowing there in late January?

Thank you

You plan to arrive at JFK at 2:15 for an international flight that has a boarding time of 2:40? Is that a typo?

[OptimisticStudent]

ahahaha. I apologize, my assumptions are evidently completely off base. I've never taken an international flight so I am going based off my experience with domestic flights. I live in Los Angeles and if there is a flight at 3:45pm, the boarding time will usually be at 3:00 (45 minutes before), and checking bags/going through security never takes more than 25-30minutes. So for a 3:45 domestic flight from LAX..I wouldn't arrive any earlier than 2:30pm. I've never missed a flight and never had any issues. But as I said, I see my application of this assumption was erroneous given the international nature of the flight. So do I really not have ANY time whatsoever to walk around or grab a quick 30-45 minute lunch with a friend? Looking at traffic and route options..from LaGuardia to JFK it's 15mins to 45mins in traffic. So that still leaves me with 2 hours at the very least. Does it really take 2 hours to board an international flight?

[psychopompos]

I disagree, you have a bit of time, if your inbound flight arrives on time and you get your luggage quickly. Going to Manhattan is definitely out of the question. You can take the Q72 to Jackson Heights and ask your friends to meet you there. There you can walk towards 74th Street, get a slice (or better, an empanada) and witness an authentic neighborhood. From 74th and Roosevelt you can take the E to the Air Train and be at your terminal in about 35 minutes. For a 3:25 flight you should definitely aim to check in before 2, even 1:45, so that gives you about an hour of spare time. Now, if one of your friends had a car or was willing to get a Zipcar... you could instagram the the Flushing Meadows sphere.

[Astorian31]

It is not the boarding that is in an issue per say, it's the fact that there are normally a lot more people on international flights and at the international terminal in general. That means it's a much longer wait to check in your bags, along with a longer line to go through security on top of the longer board time. If you only have a carry-on bag and you do a web check in, you might be able to get by arriving at 2:20pm. Otherwise, get there by no later than 1:20pm. I travel out of JFK often, and for me, arriving 2 hours before my scheduled departure time for an international flight works well. It gives me just enough of a buffer time in case there any problems at check in or security.

[OptimisticStudent]

Thank you PsychoPompos and Astorian31. That's exactly what I needed. That 1 hour will fly by but I will make the most of it. Will it be snowing at the end of January? If so, I'll have to rethink my shorts and sandals attire lol.

[Astorian31]

You would have to check the weather in NYC the day before your flight. January is cold in NY, so chances are that if there's a storm, it will snow. Or at the very least, a very cold and mushy rain shower. Shorts and sandals are definitely out of the question, especially if you want to play tourist. Always be sure to check the NY/NJ port authority website for NYC airport delays, especially if there's a chance of a storm.

[brianNYC92]

Just out of curiosity, where are you flying in from?

[OptimisticStudent]

I'll be flying in from Birmingham, AL