At JFK, can you move between terminals airside on domestic flights?
When arriving at JFK (or any US airport) on an international flight that didn't have pre-clearance, I know that you have to clear immigration, collect your bags, clear customs, re-drop bags, change terminals by AirTrain if needed, and then go through security, no matter what terminals are involved.
I also know that when you fly into JFK on a domestic or pre-cleared flight, and your onward flight is from that same terminal, you just step off your domestic flight into the departures area and walk to your onward gate, without needing to do security again.
At some other big US airports I've been to before (eg DFW), there is an airside transfer train that lets you move between terminals, so you can go from gate to gate without needing to exit + re-clear security. However, at JFK the only transfer train I'm aware of is AirTrain, which is landside.
Is it possible to move between terminals at JFK from within the airside / departures area? Or is the only option when changing between domestic flights at different terminals to exit, take the air-train, then queue up and re-clear security?
Best Answer
It really depends on the airport. At JFK I recently arrived in Terminal 2 on DL and had to transfer to an AF flight departing Terminal 1. I took the bus from Terminal 4 to Terminal 2, exited the airside and then had to re-clear security at Terminal 1 (a bit of an irritating experience given that there are limited TSA pre-check options at T1). My two hour connection time was whittled down to 30 minutes after the TSA line at T1.
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Can I enter different terminals at JFK?
The quickest and easiest way to get between terminals at JFK is by hopping on the AirTrain. This operates 24/7 and takes around 8 minutes to complete a full loop around all of the terminals. The AirTrain is free to ride for connecting between terminals or to Federal Circle, or Lefferts Boulevard stations.Can you walk from one terminal to another?
Inter-terminal connections between terminals 1, 2, and 3, and between them and the other terminals, require passengers to exit security, then walk or use a shuttle-bus to get to the other terminal, then re-clear security.How long does it take to change terminals at JFK?
Minimum Connection Transfer Time at New York (JFK): The Definitive Thread. D-D: 35 minutes if not changing terminals, 40 minutes if changing from T2 to T4 or vice versa. D-I: 45 minutes if not changing terminals, 50 minutes if changing from T2 to T4 or vice versa, 55 minutes if connecting to HAV.Do I have to go through security again for connecting flight?
For connecting domestic flights, you almost never have to exit and reenter security, though there are some exceptions at airports where the terminals aren't all connected. For domestic-to-international connection, it's still pretty rare that you have to exit and reenter security, even if you're changing terminals.JFK Airport - Terminals Guide
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