There are a lot of people who get anxious when they fly, and are worried about missing connections, arriving at the airport too late, etc. I'm exactly the opposite, to a fault. If I arrive at a busy security line 30 minutes before departure I assume I'll be fine. However, I had to share our…
Continue reading: I Ran The JFK Airport Marathon Last Night
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
you're in Washington? Welcome!! Any chance you're flying to TPA tomorrow on AA?
How did you know the FA was not under orders to close the door early to avoid a weather system or to help other pax make their connections?
@ JoeMart -- There are no flights out of DCA departing after 11PM. There was no weather across the entire Northeast last night.
@Joemart
No 9:42 pm JFK-DCA flight would have passengers connecting at DCA.
As for weather, I suspect they would have indicated that weather required exigencies.
It's a 4 hour drive with no traffic, as it would be at 9:30PM. Not the end of the world to rent a car one-way.
I had to make a similar sprint once on Delta, did the same thing you did with Tiffany with my wife, and also had an agent tell me she couldn't wait, they had to go, etc. even though it wasn't time yet. Glad you made it, man
ACTUALLY now that I think about it, with a 4 hour drive , why bother spending money/miles booking a separate ticket for 2 pax? You have two people splitting a one way rental. , no risk of atc/weather etc etc
@ anon -- Because after a 26-hour travel day, driving for any amount of time sounds unsafe and horrible?
Bravo you two! And kudos to your thoughtfulness of not delaying the flight. I, on the other hand, was forced to pull my media credentials to just to hold our regular LAX to JFK flight as my son, Jason (who just so happens to be a child actor) was in the restroom. I must say that I had to make some demands, but they understood, and recognized me as one of their regulars. Well, long story short, Jason finally finished with his hair and walked over to the gate. And yes, we made it to New York in time! I'm Margaret Grey.
Love it! Glad my wife and I haven't been in that situation, but certainly would've done the same, sprint ahead, and let my wife walk (though faster than her own speed).
18 minutes is impressive. Usually takes longer than 18 minutes for...any of the segments in that amazing race.
Margaret Grey, Who? Only source I got was wiki
Margaret Grey (died after May 1426 and before Oct. 1427)[1] was a Cambro-Norman noblewoman, the daughter of Reginald Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn, a powerful Welsh Marcher Lord, who was the implacable enemy of Owain Glyndŵr.
Totally understandable, Ben (and Tiffany). Once flying Lufthansa from TXL to GRU - and a very delayed flight and landing at FRA - I ran through terminals (and got lost!) in Frankfurt. Got it there right on time (and totally tired).
debit...he's a troll who thinks he is being funny by copying a radio personality's satire. Google Phil Hendrie
Once I had to run barefoot from security to my gate because my gate was closing. I was flying low-cost, so I had no option of rebooking my flight.
Chapo to you Ben.... especially that long tunnel in T8. I don't think I would have been able to do what you did especially with bags. Just about a month ago, I had to do that sprint from check-in to that part of the terminal (a last min change of flights to an earlier one and the agent had so much typing to do...) and it still took me 20 mins to get from the counter to the gate due to the traffic on both sides of the escalators and security (even with Priority Access).
Made it close to that 10 min cutoff time at the gate with the agent already shouting in my face (so irritated with her as clearly the jet bridge was still packed with the last of the passengers).
Cheers!
John Fields says:
November 4, 2016 at 4:25 pm
This blog reads more like a personal diary every day.
anon says:
A blog (a truncation of the expression weblog)[1] is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries ("posts")
Loved reading this - I'm 75 now and pretty
Mobile but I travel short flights so that I have flexibility with seats and my back doesn't start hurting Did A recent trip to Europe with three friends and I did five countries – I counted 18 plane flights by the time I got home and I loved it The airports get trickier and trickier to manage. Keep up the good work on this blog
So, on Sunday evening August 21, 2016 at LAX, the evening Delta Flt 1354 to Atlanta, scheduled to board at 9:45pm ...... at 9:45pm the Captain of the flight is at the check-in desk with the microphone, "we have a problem: we have no co-pilot for this flight. We are working on it."
Amazingly enough, the flight arrived into Atlanta for several of us to run to, and catch, our 7:55am connecting flight to Charleston, SC.
@Tiffany if Ben didn't spend the whole flight worrying about the connection, presumably he could have got some shut eye. I've twice driven ord-dtw, once after flying JL and once CX
four hours is NOTHING, especially when you have two adult drivers who can switch
We all had that experience where we barely make our connection. Good times. The joy of traveling!!
Give it up, @anon. The NY - DC drive is irritating and exhausting under the best of conditions. There is no way I would have ever considered making that drive immediately after getting off a delayed long-haul flight.
@anon -- I regularly commute between DC/NYC and have done it in all conditions via plane, train, and automobile. Right now, Waze shows numerous incidents on the Belt Parkway that are affecting traffic. A four hour drive on this route can easily balloon.
I would've done exactly what Ben and Tiffany did. Perhaps renting a car might've been a good alternative had they missed their connection, but it would never be my first choice in this situation.
Glad you guys made the flight - and wow, I don't think I'd ever be able to run that fast. And I agree with the other poster - thoughtful of you to take into account that you didn't delay the flight.
That was a fun read! 🙂
Enough with the hate. Bridge trolls don't belong on this informational text weblog. The last thing anyone wants to do after 26 hours of travel is *not* sleep, let alone drive for four hours down the death trap of I-95. To be fair, some athletes will be arriving in NYC this weekend after traveling just as far if not farther than Lucky and Tiffany did. Then, they will be running an actual marathon on little or no sleep before schlepping on out of New York. Everything is in perspective, and for Ben, I give him credit for pulling off an 18 minute int'l to domestic gate-to-gate ransfer at JFK, because... who wants to drive through the night or ride that thing called Amtrak?
One of my pet peeves is the commuter gate agent who just loves to slam the door at exactly 10 minutes so the plane can push back 5 minutes early. I swear it's like they relish causing misconnects.
Very entertaining - kept me on the edge of my (toilet) seat.
"If I arrive at a busy security line 30 minutes before departure I assume I’ll be fine."
Me too - until I *missed* my flight.
Congratulations on making your connection! When I fly AA, I subtract 20 minutes. That IS departure time.
I did something like this once at LGA. We went to the wrong terminal (twice!), then rushed through security. Naturally, I was with my dad, king of the surprise secondary screening, so I just ran ahead. In fact, I was on the plane when my parents showed up (it wasn't the last flight of the day--it was the first flight, really--so I knew we'd all get there somehow).
They had, apparently, run and split off at a certain point. Mom made it to the gate and breathlessly told the GA that my dad was coming, to which the GA said "you beat your husband here? I won't say anything." Good, crew has a sense of humor. Dad arrives, SHOES IN HAND, and lands in his seat as the door closes and, within moments, we're off.
Crazy experience! I didn't time it, and I wish the first part of my story had a better beginning than "we switched flights and only left ourselves about 25 minutes."
Oh, and if we'd taken the originally scheduled flights, we'd have arrived hours later than scheduled due to weather. Woohoo!
Unpleasant of course but not uncommon as US airports logistics and flows are very poorly designed. I try at any cost not to connect through US. Rather fly in on a different route. And as immigration and friendly TSA officials helpfully let you know when you are about to miss a connection 'there is always a next'.
Maybe you need to pay Tiffany a little more so she can afford a gym membership
Besides flying from NYC to DC is a joke. May as well drive. I grew up in CT and drive to DC all the time. It's a quick easy painless drive.especially for 2 people. It's a waste of miles or money to fly that route
@ Tiffany were you the pilot of that flight from Kiev? What could possible make 2 people tired sitting in a seat for all that time? I thought you were seasoned travelers. If Lucky can sprint a marathon after landing than he obviously had plenty of energy. I almost always drive from Boston to my house in Maine 3.5 hours away after marathon travel experiences, it's nothing at all, just like the trip from NYC to DC. Seems like a waste of miles or cash to me. Maybe drink less wine on the plane?
@ Margaret Grey, you are exactly the type of passenger I never want on my plane. You obviously think you are special and I don't subscribe to the belief that certain people are more important than others. People like you make the world shittier than it needs to be. And who cares if your son is a child actor. Are actors special? I think not, it's a job and you're obviously milking your son for money whether it's for his future or your future. Child labor is a joke. Oh yeah, acting iisn't labor it more about who you know and who you blow...
That's amazing man! 18 minutes transfer for DOM-INTL transfer AND a terminal change - wow!
What? You didn't have time to stop in the lounge? What is the world coming to?
great job ben! now sign up for this one with me: LA Marathon. https://www.imathlete.com/events/EventReg/EventReg_SelectType.aspx?fEID=36783&fNew=1&fsource=web1
Similar experience. I was flying from CDG to LAX via LHR. I flew AF to Heathrow but It was delayed for about 2 hours and my connection was already fairly tight as I had to go through US customs. I SPRINTED with a suitcase and bag through the hell of T4 and crowds. I tripped on a suitcase and ended up running with a limp to the gate. Gate was empty but still open. I was limping to the hotel in LAX...
Great sprint ! But the real question in this post remains:
Who is Margaret Grey ????
🙂
Ah, gate 31 at JFK- have been there many times. Amazing you got through that whole terminal in a few minutes.
Re the departure- I once had the GA at LGA make a last boarding call 30 minutes before the flight was supposed to depart, then he was annoyed when 10 came to the gate to board. He told us "why are you waiting till the last minute, we are about to leave"? Can't make this stuff up..... Of course after we closed the doors we sat at the gate for 40 minutes.
Congratulations on the personal record, Ben! Sometimes it just works out. Same thing happened to me. PHL-BOS AA flight was late due to weather. Wasn't looking good for my BOS-BUFJetBlue flight. Well not only was the JetBlue flight 2 hours late enabling my connection, I scored a $50 travel credit/apology from JetBlue for the delay that saved me a last minute $250 ticket on AA BOS-BUF! 🙂
You do know by delaying them the air crew was unable to get paid for that time correct? They don't start getting paid until the doors are closed. It would be one thing if they closed the gate prior to the boarding time, but the departure time is not the boarding time. While the plane may sit there after people board the air crew is using all that time to secure the aircraft for takeoff. Also, its widely known that airplanes can close their doors 15 minutes before the departure time and you were already past that time and were telling them someone else was coming and they have no way of knowing how long they will have to wait for that person.
In New Zealand, we can leave our house 1h before departure time, and still be first on the plane.