NY to Paris - questions, questions

Can you link those into one ticket? Air France and Delta are partners. This way, if there is a delay or cancellation of the first flight, the airline still has a commitment to get you to your destination. Otherwise, I'd overnight in NYC. Things can happen any time of year. I was on a Delta flight New Orleans to Minneapolis in June, that was delayed 7 hours due to staffing. Odds are low that there would be a hiccup, but still it can happen.

Usually with those deals you can input other cities, have you tried Atlanta? Otherwise trying to connect unrelated flights is risky, I try to allow an overnight between flights to be safe, especially on the outward leg since if you miss the Air France flight you are probably out of luck (well at least paying for the difference of a last minute ticket and a rebooking fee)

As convenient as flying to Europe from Atlanta would be, we almost always fly from JFK because the tickets are cheaper(because Delta has competition in NY and little if any in ATL) and upgrades are easier to obtain. You definitely need to book your flights from Atlanta to NY and NY to Paris together so they are linked. Based on the experiences of my family with numerous flights back and forth to NY and other destinations, on Delta, beginning in May of this year, delays have been more common than on-time flights. Maybe it will be different in Jan, but remember what the letters in Delta stand for and give yourself longer than you think you need for the connections. Better safe than sorry. And the distance from the gate to immigration when returning to the US is a hike. That 1 1/2 hr connection on the way home would make me feel very stressed, although my international flights on Delta this summer were ahead of schedule. It was the domestic legs that were a problem-and some of the delays my family members experienced were 3 or 4 hours, causing missed work and an unscheduled hotel night(not paid for by Delta).

I used to live in NYC and still go there often. In fact, I just spent 6 weeks near there this summer (including a couple of drives on the Van Wyck Expressway to and from JFK for my husband to leave for and return from business trips). I would never and I do mean never fly into LaGuardia in order to get to JFK. Even the 1:41 arrival is cutting it too close for a 4:40 PM departure between delays at LGA and the possibility of delays on the Van Wyck. And forget about it for the arrival back from France, especially if you will have checked luggage unless you can teleport. Take a look at LGA’s on time flight arrival record. Read up about NYC traffic. Check when you need to be at JFK for an international departure. After you look at those things, I think you will agree with me that you should fly directly from Atlanta or get the flights linked.

IMO, your whole schedule is very risky to impossible. I have flown frequently into both. There are so many variables in this schedule. If any variable goes wrong you are screwed in more ways than one. First one --- JANUARY - WEATHER -- if doesn't take much weather to cause problems at LGA. JFK less so. And it doesn't have to be weather that day. Some weather problems two or three days earlier can leave ripples behind.

Second, TIME OF DAY -- my experience is that LGA can easily get backed up by mid afternoon. Rarely found PM flights to be on time. Not exceptional late -- maybe 30 minutes to an hour late. You don't have fifteen minutes to spare.

Third, there is LGA itself -- it is currently under going a massive remodeling so have no idea about how that could affect your flights. While LGA and JFK are "only" ten miles apart, these are not country miles and it could easily be an hour or more at that time of day between the two via taxi. The last time through LGA the taxi ques had been combined so it was a 45 min wait for a taxi and that is you only viable connection between the two airports.

Fourth, most international flights like to see you around the three hour mark prior to departure. Personally have cut it to two hours without any problems but I would be reluctant to go under two hours so that means you need at check-in by two pm or so. Don't see how you can do that under any situation.

And finally, since you would have to clear immigration even with Global Entry, there is no way in the world to could make the LGA connection on return. Even the president with a police escort could not make it. This is not a workable plan. The only way I would consider it would be to fly in a day early and book a much later Atlanta flight. Too many dices rolls.

Absolutely do not book two separate tickets, arriving at one NYC airport and departing from another, the same day. Heck, I wouldn't even book 2 separate tickets that arrive and depart at the same NYC airport on the same day! As others have said, if there is the slightest problem with your Atlanta - NYC flight, then you will miss the connecting international flight, which is the last one of the day being overnight, and thus you're stuck in NYC for the night, the airline won't compensate you or help you because you booked separate tickets. Definitely fly in the day before and you can use Newark, La Guardia or JFK. But, the cost of a hotel in NYC may negate any savings you might have achieved on the flight unless you have hotel points, or you're trying to cash flow the ATL - NYC portion and use points for the international parts (which I hope to do on an upcoming trip).

Knowing the NY area airports well, I would never, ever do what you are proposing. And you are booking flights in January so snow is a possibility. You could stay overnight in the city and fly to Europe the next day.

Thank you, everyone, for your replies. It's sounding like paying the extra $175 or so to fly directly from Atlanta would be a better choice.

My son lives in NYC so I fly there often. I have used all three airports.

I would never, ever fly into LGA to catch a flight out of JFK. And why are you considering this? I checked the Delta website for dates in January and there are plenty of flights from ATL to JFK, and they weren’t very expensive. And I tried ATL TO CDG and found non-stop flights for under $800. (I wish I could get a price like that from my home airport!) By the time you add in the cost of a cab from LGA to JFK (and back), a possible hotel room (or two) and lots of mental stress, how much would you really save?

10 miles doesn’t seem like much. At my midwest home, it would take me 30 minutes or less for such a trip. NOT SO in NYC. It easily could take an hour or more, especially on a winter weekday at rush hour. (And Saturday morning is no guarantee of fast-moving traffic.) And once you are stuck on a highway in bumper-to-bumper traffic, you are really STUCK. And you don’t just quick, hop into a cab. You sometimes have to wait for some time in line. (Of course, you can arrange a private car for more dollars.)

Even when I change planes right at JFK, I allow a very bare minimum of 2 hours, and prefer lots more time. Both JFK and LGA are really busy, and not always the most efficient. You have to give yourself lots of time.

So do yourself a favor. Fly all on one ticket to/from ATL.

As a southerner, I try to fly out of The South. And ATL is showing January flights some days @ under $500 nonstop. See Matrix ITA. That's hard to beat.
I've also been known to fly out of Orlando to Europe as Norwegian Air Shuttle's flying from there.

...It's sounding like paying the extra $175 or so to fly directly from Atlanta would be a better choice. ..... Are you kidding??? That is a no-brainer !! I could understand, slightly, if we were discussion three or four hundred dollars but something less than $100 (deducting taxi costs both ways). This is an easy one.

Only $175! You would have been paying almost that for the taxis back and forth—and you never would have made your flights.

I do a lot of non-protected connections, I am glad you have decided not to do this.

But of future reference. Delta will "link" your flights so that offers "some protection" if you do have two flights, but even with that you need a minimum of 4 hours for each connection and that's when they are at the same airport. For this you would have needed MORE time not less. I looked at one out of Boston and was going to fly into Boston the night before... (By the time I added it all up, I just spent the extra funds and flew in and out of ATL)

I am considering a NY to CDG trip since Air France has some good deals
right now. My home airport is ATL, so I'd have to fly to NY. I am
eyeing a 4:40 pm flight out of JFK and a Delta flight from ATL to LGA
earlier same day. Google says LGA to JFK is only 10 miles. Question:
Would arriving at LGA at 2:33 be cutting it too close? (I have Global
Entry so I would be in the TSA security line.) Would the 1:41 arrival
be better? BTW, this would be on a Thursday in January and I would
plan on taking a taxi.

Ok.........DO NOT DO THIS.

I am a New Yorker who travels on business weekly. I cannot stress this enough -- avoid LGA unless you are taking an early morning flight out.

LGA is a hell-hole of construction. Whether you take a taxi, Lyft or the bus ---it's all the same. There will be horrific traffic. Google maps telling you the mileage between LGA & JFK is of no use whatsoever. You could have global entry or CLEAR; it doesn't matter. In January or July, the backups can be so bad that people abandon their taxis and walk on the highway ramps to get themselves to the LGA terminals. You won't have that "luxury" of abandoning the taxi as you sit in non-moving traffic at LGA en route to JFK.

Delta has many flights between ATL and JFK. Avoid LGA. Fly to JFK directly. Why do this to yourself?

Additionally, I would be returning on a Saturday around 10:30 am at
JFK. Would a 12 pm LGA flight back to ATL be cutting it too close? I
do have Global Entry, as mentioned above, but I am unfamiliar with JFK
international.

Yup, way too close! Kiss that LGA flight goodbye as it could depart long before you arrive at LGA even if there weren't construction.

Fly directly between JFK & Atlanta. Air France is a code-share. Look into getting the itinerary of ATL -- JFK -- CDG/ORY -- JFK -- ATL on one ticket.

It's sounding like paying the extra $175 or so to fly directly from Atlanta would be a better choice.

By far. It's a bargain compared with buying a walk-up ticket at JFK after you've missed your Paris-bound flight.