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Heathrow - JFK - Orlando transfer times

I'm looking at various flight options from London to Orlando (MCO) iin August 2018. We're not flying economy and I vowed never to fly transatlantic with an American airline after too many bad experiences. Our choices so far are BA First Class to JFK and then AA to MCO (all one ticket). The layover time is 1hr 55mins.

The other option is Virgin Atlantic Upper Class from London to Miami where will stay for a night or two and then drive to Orlando.

Whilst I prefer the VIrgin product I'm not too excited about the 3 1/2 hour drive but it's a direct flight so that goes in its favour. I prefer the larger bed in BA First Class however I'm concerned about the relative short layover time at JFK. I've never been to JFK however I understand that BA flies into Terminal 7 whilst AA domestic flights depart from Terminal 8. I've encountered several security points in all the US airports I've travelled in, just when you think you've cleared security another one presents itself! Am I correct in assuming that having cleared immigration when arriving from London there's additional security when accessing/departing from Terminal 8? Is 1hr 55 minutes enough time? Flying from London in August shouldn't present much in the way to cause delay however the return leg from MCO to JFK might be an issue.

Posted by
5466 posts

Fly from Gatwick instead. Direct non stop flights to Orlando with BA and VS. Probably 3-class only though.

Posted by
5552 posts

Fly from Gatwick instead. Direct non stop flights to Orlando with BA and VS. Probably 3-class only though.

Yes, I saw that option with BA however it's only business class and the Virgin option, for some reason, was considerably more expensive than the Miami option.

Posted by
5466 posts

Changing in JFK between BA and AA is a fairly miserable process - far worse than 'slumming it' in business class in my experience as the terminal change has to be done landside. You may get BA to issue a 'rush' pass to bypass much of the queues, if you have no other way of getting towards the front of the T8 security queue. T7 immigration for BA is very variable in processing time.

Posted by
5552 posts

Thanks Marco. I didn't mean to sound dismissive of BA business class and 'slumming it' would be fine it's just that I'm 6'3" and I find the beds in Club World to be a bit too short for me. You've managed to convince me of my concerns about connecting at JFK and the First Class is an extra £1500 for the four of us in comparison to the Virgin Flight (although I'm still battling with them for compensation for my recent delayed flight from Bucharest which would go towards it).

We've decided to fly direct to Miami with Virgin (the clubhouse beats all the other lounges there including the Concorde Lounge in my opinion), stay overnight in Miami and then drive up to Orlando. It's exactly the same price as Club World flights to Orlando via JFK but with two additional nights in Orlando and without the worry of missing a connecting flight.

Posted by
5466 posts

That's why I put quotes round it as it was just a (very) little joke. I'm not a fan of VS but this is very much a matter of personal preference. I also with my height or lack of it don't need to be concerned about beds being too small.

If I change in JFK I generally fly AA from Ireland for the immigration pre-clearance and no need to change terminal or reclear security.

Posted by
4071 posts

Am I correct in assuming that having cleared immigration when arriving
from London there's additional security when accessing/departing from
Terminal 8?

Yes.

Is 1hr 55 minutes enough time?

No.

JFK is my home int'l airport, JC. You'll have to wait on the line at immigration and maybe at customs too. (You may also just do a walkthrough at customs.) It's hit or miss with customs. After immigration and customs, you'll need to go outside security to take the free Airtrain to Terminal 8. Once you arrive at T8, you'll need time to go through security. Keep in mind, the departure gate to MCO could close 15-20 minutes before departure so you will have less than 1 hr, 55 minutes. This is why 1 hour, 55 minutes is not long enough.

While I would hate taking a 3.5 hour drive after a transatlantic flight, if the choice is between a connection you'll miss at JFK or the long drive b/w Miami and Orlando, take the long drive.


We've decided to fly direct to Miami with Virgin (the clubhouse beats
all the other lounges there including the Concorde Lounge in my
opinion), stay overnight in Miami and then drive up to Orlando. It's
exactly the same price as Club World flights to Orlando via JFK but
with two additional nights in Orlando and without the worry of missing
a connecting flight.

That sounds terrific! (I didn't see your post above until after I wrote my post.)

Posted by
249 posts

Miami to Orlando is at least four hours driving time. Please check Norwegian Airlines, which has non-stop service between LGW and MCO. My husband is also tall and their roomier premium service is affordable. There have been many positive comments here about this airline, some of them quite recent.

Posted by
5235 posts

When one considers the time to get to the airport, the "wasted" time needed to be there early enough for security and check in, it will probably take almost as much time to fly from Miami to Orlando as it will to drive. And it is not a bad drive at all and does offer some interesting scenery to say the least.

Posted by
5552 posts

Thanks Donna & Denis and TC.

I wouldn't consider Norwegian as we all want lie flat beds when flying transatlantic and we all enjoy the Virgin Upper Class product, from the lounges to the service and cabin on board, it makes for a far more enjoyable start and end to the holiday plus there's something unique being able to sit at a bar whilst flying over the Atlantic!

As for driving, I've driven West Palm Beach to Cape Canaveral and back in a day plus Hilton Head to Orlando which was over five hours. Besides, the drive from Orlando airport to our resort is at least 30 minutes so factor that in with all the extra hassle of flying from Miami to Orlando driving looks the better option.

Posted by
5552 posts

Out of curiosity I just checked the flights with Norweigan in their premium cabin and it came out just over £100 less than flying Virgin Upper Class and just over £700 cheaper than flying BA First Class for four passengers.

Personally for £25 per person I'll certainly be choosing Virgin Upper Class over Norwegian Premium every time. Perhaps they're not so low cost after all.

Posted by
11946 posts

If faced with your choices, I would do the "other option ", (fly to MIA and drive to your Orlando resort)

August does have its random thunderstorms which can mess with airport operations.