Interline checkin in

Hi,

Wondering if anyone can help with a query I have. I am flying from LHR to JFK and JFK to LHR on VS reward ticket.

Planning on booking a trip from JFK to LAS with delta.

I was wondering if I will be able to check my bag through to LAS and on return to Heathrow?

Arrive JFK at 1600 to connect with delta departing at 1836 to LAS.

On return arrive JFK at 0702 with return at 0805.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[honey lamb]

Hi and welcome to V-Flyer.

On your outbound flight from LHR you will have to go through Immigration, collect your bags and go through Customs. Once through Customs you will be able to recheck your bag before you leave security. This will happen even if your bags are tagged all the way through to LAS. It doesn't matter what airport you land in when arriving in the USA, this will happen regardless of your destination.

On your return your bags should be tagged all the way through with no need to retrieve them at JFK

Thanks that for the welcome message and the quick reply! Do you know if the time I have is enough to do this?

Hi and welcome to V-Flyer.

On your outbound flight from LHR you will have to go through Immigration, collect your bags and go through Customs. Once through Customs you will be able to recheck your bag before you leave security. This will happen even if your bags are tagged all the way through to LAS. It doesn't matter what airport you land in when arriving in the USA, this will happen regardless of your destination.

On your return your bags should be tagged all the way through with no need to retrieve them at JFK

Thanks for the reply. Just realised i made a mistake JFK flight lands at 1640. Do you think that gives me enough time to connect?

A 63 minute connection at JFK is quite tight. Have you got a Plan B in case the red-eye from LAS is late?

In terms of interlining bags, as the VS and DL bookings will be on separate PNRs there is no guarantee but there's a decent chance.

A 63 minute connection at JFK is quite tight. Have you got a Plan B in case the red-eye from LAS is late?

In terms of interlining bags, as the VS and DL bookings will be on separate PNRs there is no guarantee but there's a decent chance.

Good Morning Gumshoe,

Thanks for the reply! I do not have a plan B. Only option I can think off at the moment is to land the day before and have a 12hour layover in a hotel close to JFK. I have had a look at the red eye flight history and seems to be ontime in fact arrives early. But knowing Sod's law you never know! Do you have any ideas for plan b that you think maybe helpful?

Thanks

The trouble with separate tickets is that if the inbound is late and then next flight takes off without you, you're not protected and the airline has no obligation to put you on the next flight. To them you'd just be a no-show. I'd give yourself plenty of time with both layovers because even an hour's delay could ruin the whole trip. And you're right, past delays are no indication of things like technical faults, etc!

I'd consider having an overnight stay in New York in between the connections. For example, having a quick look on Google Flights, there is a DL service that departs JFK at 11am and arrives 13:53, just about in time to check in for your hotel. On the way back, there's one departing 14:40 and arriving into JFK 22:30. You can then have a sleep in time for your morning flight home. At least, on the two random dates that I picked.

I should add that I am a total paranoid with these sorts of things so I concede I may have gone a little too far with the layover times! But it's the most risk-free option in my opinion. That way you won't have to worry about checking bags through etc.

But on the other hand everything could be fine and you make your connections no problem. But as you say, sod's law. I'd personally err on the side of caution with separate tickets.

There will be no interlining of bags on the international entry to the USA. You have to clear immigration, pick up your bags and check them through to the next destination. Sometimes there's a connecting bags facility post arrival, to speed things up, but I've no idea at JFK. I've used it from a BA arriving at LAX TBIT, to get our bags connecting onwards.

I've no idea if Delta leaves from the same Terminal than VS in JFK. It might help. However, 3.5 hours connecting through the busy time of day at LAX was hairy enough of a connection for me (got past security 40 minutes before departure, and that was with connecting baggage, and a 5 minute walk from TBIT arrivals to T4 security).

So, I'd say, well, no chance. I'd say it was perhaps . If you had hand luggage only AND the flight was on time AND were a US citizen AND there weren't that many in front of you in the passport queue AND security was good coming back in. I've no idea about Flight Connections, and making through that with hand luggage only...

I've connected through PHL and LAX to onward destinations on same airline on same PNR, and while the bags are tagged to the final destination, we've had to clear immigration, pick up baggage and recheck through, usually via a connections baggage facility (AA)...

So to sum up:

Outbound, you have a 1 hour 56 minute layover at JFK. That is tighter than I would like but doable, as long as your Virgin flight lands reasonably on time. The big unknown is the queues for immigration, customs and security. And, as others have said, you will have to collect your luggage, clear customs and possibly switch terminals with it EVEN IF it's checked all the way through to Vegas.

Returning, you have a 63 minute layover at JFK but in reality it's half an hour as Virgin will close the gate 30 minutes before departure. I wouldn't risk it.

So I would definitely rethink the return. Either fly back from Vegas earlier that day and book a hotel at JFK, or rebook on to one of the overnight Virgin flights back to the UK.

Trouble is, DL use both T4 and T2 at JFK, and you likely won't know which until the day of the flight. Transferring between the terminals is not tricky to do, but it potentially adds another 10-15 minutes into the equation that you cannot afford.

Trouble is, DL use both T4 and T2 at JFK, and you likely won't know which until the day of the flight. Transferring between the terminals is not tricky to do, but it potentially adds another 10-15 minutes into the equation that you cannot afford.

And that assumes you get on the airtrain and go in the right direction. It's been 50/50 with me the two times I've been there, luck the first time, didn't pay attention second time...

There are screens that tell you! One platform for clockwise, the other for anticlockwise!

Trouble is, DL use both T4 and T2 at JFK, and you likely won't know which until the day of the flight. Transferring between the terminals is not tricky to do, but it potentially adds another 10-15 minutes into the equation that you cannot afford.

And that assumes you get on the airtrain and go in the right direction. It's been 50/50 with me the two times I've been there, luck the first time, didn't pay attention second time...

Might be some confusion here.

There is an airside connection between T2 and T4 at JFK called the 'jitney' but basically a bus.

Map here and more info here including terminal info

The landside transfer does involve the skytrain (make sure you get the one going in the correct direction though IIRC the signs tell you what the next station is) but this also means you need to reclear security which can be a bit of a mess.

Yes, but the airside bus is no good if connecting from an international arrival as you have to go landside after clearing customs.

I've cleared immigration, baggage reclaim and customs at T4 in 5 minutes before. I've also queued for an hour. Sadly it's pot luck unless you've got Global Entry. And the queues for security to get back airside are equally unpredictable unless you've got TSA Pre✅.