Questions and Answers

Wondering if anyone has used the airport concierge service for flight connections from Blacklane.

I have a particularly tight connection in LIS for an upcoming trip (from Schengen area to the US), and I know this particular airport has a reputation for unpredictable (but often quite long) passport control lines.

If Blacklane PASS can actually help to bypass some of the lengthy passport/immigration queues (as it is advertised), it would be worth it to ensure my family (including a few older folks) can easily make the connection.

If anyone has any experiences with this service (positive or negative), I’d love to hear them.

Thanks so much!
Mike

following—I have a situation where 2 hour and 15 layover has been squeezed down to 1.39 minutes JFK arriving from Zurich terminal 4 delta connecting to domestic delta all on same ticket. Legal is 1H25M but I am convinced this is not doable. There are no later flights. Blacklane will cost $400 and the connection may still fail.

If it’s Delta-Delta, let the crew on the ZRH-JFK flight know you have a tight connection. They should try to get you to the door so you’re off first.

Do you have Global Entry or or the Mobile Passport app? That helps immensely at immigration. Get your bags (if you have any checked bags) and there should be a bag drop after US Customs.

Delta domestic flights depart from both Terminal 4 and Terminal 2 at JFK though since its international arrivals you’ll have to re-clear security.

[QUOTE=”Katie C, post: 63969, member: 5486″]following—I have a situation where 2 hour and 15 layover has been squeezed down to 1.39 minutes JFK arriving from Zurich terminal 4 delta connecting to domestic delta all on same ticket. Legal is 1H25M but I am convinced this is not doable. There are no later flights. Blacklane will cost $400 and the connection may still fail.[/QUOTE]

Can’t provide insight into Blacklane, but if you have Global entry and are not checking a bag, you should be okay. It never takes me more than a few minutes to get through, even at that time the DL ZRH flight gets in, and then it’s a quick AirTran ride from 4 to 2 (you just have to go all the way up stairs, which is a bit of a hike).

Get the Mobile Passport app and set it up in advance. MP line is usually short, even when there’s a line at GE.

I think Delta also has a shuttle bus between T4 and T2 at JFK.

[QUOTE=”David W, post: 63971, member: 29″]If it’s Delta-Delta, let the crew on the ZRH-JFK flight know you have a tight connection. They should try to get you to the door so you’re off first.

Do you have Global Entry or or the Mobile Passport app? That helps immensely at immigration. Get your bags (if you have any checked bags) and there should be a bag drop after US Customs.

Delta domestic flights depart from both Terminal 4 and Terminal 2 at JFK though since its international arrivals you’ll have to re-clear security.[/QUOTE]

Thank you, David. It is Delta-Delta and they do have good seats in comfort plus for a quick get-away. This is actually a client—and they do have Global Entry but I am thinking that maybe Mobile Passport might be faster just because they can complete the forms digitally. Do you think one if faster or more efficient than the other. It is probably mix-mox. I am most cornered about luggage/customs and getting them efficiently from terminal 4 to 2. The air ticket was made through a cruise line—I am going to call Delta directly. Maybe they will let them upgrade on the ZRH-JFK leg to Business to help ensure fast exit and priority luggage tags. I would appreciate any other tips. I will report back either way. This flight is not until June 8. I may call Delta directly to gather their thoughts as the cruise line air department is really not engaged. I’ll let you know how things work out if I use Blacklane. Thank you kindly for the encouragement. I am really sick about this. I want trips to run so smoothly and then life happens.

[QUOTE=”David W, post: 63974, member: 29″]Get the Mobile Passport app and set it up in advance. MP line is usually short, even when there’s a line at GE.

I think Delta also has a shuttle bus between T4 and T2 at JFK.[/QUOTE]

Thank you–I will do have them get the app—what is the process to use the app when you step off of the plane. The Delta Shuttle runs every 10-15 minutes an I have read that it takes 15 minutes to cross and unload—there’s a half hour shot. Ugh.

Since it’s on one ticket, if they miss the connection, Delta should be responsible to rebook, provide hotels, etc, unless there were weather related delays.

Find out if there any other flights from JFK to final destination on other carriers, if there’s a later one, Delta may be able to rebook them on that instead.

Pretty straight forward – answer the same questions you would on arrival at the kiosks or the printed forms, though obviously there’ll be no printout. Just show the confirmation screen to the Customs agent to pass.

Passport info for all pax in the same family can be added to the app and you can create one “entry” questionnaire for each family and can pass thru together.

They can probably complete the form on the app upon landing, while the plane is taxiing. I think there’s a 4 hour validity window for the completed form before it expires and you have to complete it again.

[QUOTE=”David W, post: 63979, member: 29″]Pretty straight forward – answer the same questions you would on arrival at the kiosks or the printed forms, though obviously there’ll be no printout. Just show the confirmation screen to the Customs agent to pass.

Passport info for all pax in the same family can be added to the app and you can create one “entry” questionnaire for each family and can pass thru together.

They can probably complete the form on the app upon landing, while the plane is taxiing. I think there’s a 4 hour validity window for the completed form before it expires and you have to complete it again.[/QUOTE]
Thank you–Perfect—every minute saved is a blessing.

Also, and you probably know this, having GE means they also have access to TSA Precheck so make sure they put in their GE number into the “Known Traveler Number” when checking in

[QUOTE=”David W, post: 63978, member: 29″]Since it’s on one ticket, if they miss the connection, Delta should be responsible to rebook, provide hotels, etc, unless there were weather related delays.

Find out if there any other flights from JFK to final destination on other carriers, if there’s a later one, Delta may be able to rebook them on that instead.[/QUOTE]

Yes, I already checked. American has one flight out 15 minutes after the Delta flight–. Other than that nothing until the next day. I can possibly switch them to an ATL connection if Delta would allow me to upgrade one segment to BC as there are no Comfort plus seats available for the Zurich to Atlanta. They have travel insurance too-so technically can cross carriers once the connection fails but there is nothing to switch them to. David—I appreciate all of your support. I think calling Delta and getting the Mobile Passport are my best options right now. I may call Blacklane just for the heck of it and see what they say. Thanks again for Pass Idea

Good luck! I’m not sure Blacklane is going to help THAT much. T4 to T2 means they’d have to drive in a circle to get to T2. I’m not sure if they’ll have a car waiting at the curb (like Lyft/Uber) or if they’ll be parked in the parking lot at T4 and require your clients to walk there or what.

Yes, thank you. [URL=’https://awt.cbp.gov’]Here is an interesting link that shows arriving traveler average wait time by airport and date—[/URL]looks like that 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM is pretty popular.

[QUOTE=”David W, post: 63986, member: 29″]Good luck! I’m not sure Blacklane is going to help THAT much. T4 to T2 means they’d have to drive in a circle to get to T2. I’m not sure if they’ll have a car waiting at the curb (like Lyft/Uber) or if they’ll be parked in the parking lot at T4 and require your clients to walk there or what.[/QUOTE]
Supposedly they have a tarmac pass and they drive you across so you never leave the secure zone. I am going to contact them to confirm the process. I do this using a different supplier for clients all of the time in Tel Aviv. They meet clients at the sleeve. Escort them to a car waiting plane-side. Pull the luggage as it comes off the the plane—drive them to the customs immigration hall where they enter back door. Pop them to front of the line immigrations and then off they go. I’ll write to Blacklane to find out what their JFK process is. I’ll report back when I hear.

[QUOTE=”Katie C, post: 63990, member: 5486″]Supposedly they have a tarmac pass and they drive you across so you never leave the secure zone.[/QUOTE]
There’s no way this happens between an arriving international flight and a domestic flight, due to US Customs and Immigration rules.

They’ll have to have their bags with them to clear Immigration, at which point they will be landside and outside the secured area. The train is quick if they have to go to a different terminal, as [USER=29]@David W[/USER] mentioned, then they’ll have to go back through security regardless.

I did this myself a few weeks ago, and with Global Entry and PreCheck it was about 25 minutes from getting off the plane in T2 to stepping in to the lounge at T4 (which is 3/4 of the way down the concourse). I’m familiar with the airport and didn’t have checked bags, but even if they take three times as long that’s under the MCT.

The airline is not going to upgrade them on an international itinerary just because of a tight connection, unfortunately. They would reroute them if the connection wasn’t legal, but as it is, the best you can do is make sure they are familiar with the steps they’ll need to go through, review a map of the terminals, and ensure they know their options if they miss the connection.

Thank you Tiffany. I didn’t mean to imply that the travelers would get a free upgrade. I did speak to Delta and they offered a promotional rate for Business Class seats for these folks to flip to Atlanta since there are not seats left in their class of service on that flight. The Delta rep was great and he too agreed the connection, though legal was unreasonable. I also spoke to Blacklane and they can keep them pre-security side at JFK and fast track them through immigrations. You are correct that luggage is the issue. Here is a map of the Delta Jitney that David referred to in order to avoid going through security between terminal 4 and 2—it does require that travelers show their Delta Boarding Pass for the onward flight. Using the bus does allow [ATTACH=full]645[/ATTACH] passengers on 1 ticket to avoid security. It is not necessarily speedy however. To your point it may be faster to recheck luggage post immigration and take the train then go back through security.

Using the Delta bus to T2 doesnt avoid security. When your clients pass thru immigration and pick up their bags, they’ll immediately be landside and will require going thru security again.

Are you absolutely sure they need to connect to T2? Delta has domestic departures from both terminals.

For Blacklane – their website states that for connection service at JFK, clients get expedited immigration and customs but that international arrivals are met after customs. I’m skeptical about them being able to keep pax airside for an intl-domestic connection.

I think your best bet is to make sure the client know to alert crew about a tight connection and get off the plane first, as soon as the door opens. Depending on what gate they arrive into, it could be a long walk to immigration at T4. Go thru customs via GE or Mobile Passport, and pick up bags. As they exit customs, tehre will be counters where they can re-check bags.

Delta’s mobile app should have connecting info available and if necessary, the AirTrain is probably the fastest option to get to T2. With PreCheck, security should not take too long.

Hey Kate, the person you spoke with at Blacklane might not be familiar with how US Immigration works (they are a German company).

It is [B]literally impossible to stay in the secured area on an International to Domestic connection at any U.S. commercial airport[/B]. A service that provided that would have to charge far more than $400 for the experience, as it would require a US immigration officer meeting the plane before the door to the aircraft even opened, and a bunch of other logistics that aren’t happening unless you’re traveling on Air Force One or something.

Now, if you were going domestic to international, then the jitney or Blacklane would work just fine. But you can’t avoid customs, which is outside the secured area.