Enough time between flights at JFK?

If ticketed on one ticket take the 3pm, if you miss they will put you on the 5pm. We have connected through JFK a couple of times and it is fine. It can be a little hectic but two and half hours should be more than adequate unless something unusual happens. You have time, apply for Global Entry. It is worth it for quickly getting through immigrations and customs.

We already have our BA tickets - purchased with travel miles so we couldn't do any other tickets - we are purchasing our domestic tickets separately.

Heather

Then you don't have any choice. You book the 5pm. If you miss the 3pm it is a dead ticket and you are at the mercy of Delta to whether or not they would honor the ticket for 5pm or make you buy a last minute, expensive ticket. In all probability you will not have any problem making the 3pm but if something goes wrong who knows. Last summer we came into Chicago, with a four hour window. Chicago is generally pretty smooth and quick but when we hit the immigration hall we knew had problems. It was packed, and they would creating lines down obscure corridors and into side rooms. All the computers used for immigration process were down. It was hot stuffy and people were screaming about short connections but nothing moved for over an hour except for more people coming into the area. Obviously we and a lot of others missed connections. Absolutely apply for Global entry if you do not have it.

Yes I am not sure you'd get much sympathy from Delta if you turned up late after using a competitor's transatlantic service. Maybe if you were flying American within the same alliance, but that is goodwill only on 2 tickets.

You absolutely should book the later Delta flight, not the earlier one. As everyone above is saying, since you're on different tickets, Delta is under no obligation to help you if you're late for their flight - for any reason.

You cannot know how long immigration and customs will take. And British Air uses Terminal 7, while Delta uses Terminal 2, so you must allow for time to get between them (the Airtrain is fastest, but you have to get to and from it at each end). And then there's check-in and security, as you said, and how long these will take cannot be predicted either. Everything might go fine - or it might not. JFK is always busy, and delays can happen for all kinds of reasons.

Thanks everyone for your advice! We'll go with the later flight. I've never heard of Global Entry so I'll start the research now.

• Heather