Travel question of the day: Is my flight connection at JFK too tight?

Have a travel question that needs answering? Ask our expert Simon Calder

The AirTrain shuttle connects the terminals at JFK (Getty)

Q In December we are flying from Heathrow to Miami via New York JFK. The first flight on Virgin Atlantic goes to JFK Terminal 4. Our onward flight to Miami is on Delta from JFK Terminal 2. The time between flights is 3 hours 5 minutes. Is it easy to get from one terminal to the other? Also, will it be necessary to go through security at JFK before transferring to the other terminal? And will our luggage be checked through all the way to Miami?

Mary McLaughlin

A Thank you for getting in touch. You’ve chosen an interesting routing – presumably because the journey via New York saved a couple of hundred pounds compared with the non-stop fare. But one reason for the price advantage is the extra hassle it entails, with a terminal switch added to the normal complications.

Given that Virgin Atlantic and Delta are partners (the latter owns 49 per cent of the former) it’s a shame that they are not co-sited at JFK; neither are they at Heathrow, though that will end soon and they will both be at Terminal 3.

At the New York airport, you need to take the well-signposted Airtrain shuttle from Terminal 4 to Terminal 2; this map shows the relatively easy journey.

While your cases will be tagged through to Miami, you must collect your baggage at the first point of entry to the US, which of course is New York. You must clear customs with it before re-checking it to your onward flight. You should be able to do that as soon as you leave the customs area, rather than lugging it from Terminal 4 to Terminal 2.

Before your onward flight to Miami, you will need to go through security at JFK. With lines really long this summer, the airport is recommending at least two hours check-in for domestic flights. Assuming a relatively smooth path through passport control and customs, you should have plenty of time to reach the departure gate. But in the unlikely event that you miss the booked flight, Delta has departures almost hourly between JFK and Miami and it is normal practice for delayed passengers to be re-booked onto the next service.

Every day, our travel correspondent, Simon Calder, tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder