[Idyllchat] RE: JFK, Alitalia, Delta

Thu Sep 27 10:37:12 EDT 2007

In response to the query about connecting flights, our advice is: stay away 
from Delta and JFK. We usually drive to BWI or Dulles to get international 
flights, but we flew out of Pittsburgh last month to get flights at the 
times we wanted. Here's what happened to us on the return from a wonderful 
time on the Tuscany South Untour:

Outbound, regional Continental Pittsburgh-Newark, Alitalia 
Newark-Milan/Malpensa, and Alitalia Milan-Florence were all satisfactory, 
and economy class seats/legroom on the Newark-Milan 767 was superior to any 
aircraft we've been on in years (and much better than BA's World Traveler 
Plus couple extra inches upgrade).

Returning, Alitalia Florence-Rome and Alitalia Rome-New York JFK service was 
okay. Seat/legroom on the Rome-NY flight's 777, however, was way tighter 
than what we'd enjoyed on the 767 two weeks earlier.

The trip's only horrors emerged at JFK and specifically with Delta. AZ got 
us into JFK about 5:20 p.m., nearly an hour and a half before our 7:05 Delta 
regional to PIT.

However, while customs processing and luggage retrieval was quite efficient, 
nowhere in JFK's international arrivals Terminal 1 did we see monitors for 
connections with other airlines at other terminals. And only by accident did 
we find out that while our bags were checked through from Florence to PIT, 
we still had to recover them before finishing with JFK Customs, then give 
them to Delta when we got boarding passes for PIT (not issued by AZ even 
though Delta's one of its code-share partners). We might easily have left 
customs with our checked suitcases back there on te carrousel wearing PIT 
tags.

We then learned, from a limo driver awaiting a passenger, that Delta uses 
Terminals 2 and 3 -- but after hiking next door to 2 discovered that its 
attractive lobby, nearly deserted and peaceful, is only for First and 
Business class check-ins, so it was off again, to Delta's Terminal 3 next 
door.

When we entered this dingy and incredibly chaotic terminal we found several 
hundred harried, sweaty and anxious people in a single line before no more 
than 8 attendants checking bags and issuing boarding passes -- so many 
people that we could barely get in the door. On the plus side, a truly 
frazzled supervisor was trying to get those with tight connections -- and 
ours was suddenly looking impossible to make -- into a separate line. As 
several other hoping-to-be passengers for various flights noted, it seemed 
that each Delta staffer in this hell-hole offered different, confusing  
instructions.

Our helpful supervisor did get us to another counter spot, where we were 
checked in quickly -- can you imagine what it was like to jump a line of 
hundreds of other very stressed people? --  and told to deposit our bags 
with "the nice gentlemen around the corner." This was a small semi-screened 
area where two attendants seemed as confused as we and  first asked whether 
our two 21-inch suitcases were carry-ons before rather tentatively accepting 
them and sending them into an X-ray machine. At that point we assumed we 
wouldn't see those bags for days, if ever. We dashed around another corner 
to find another single line of perhaps 75-80 people, this one leading to 
Security.

A couple hoping to make a 7 p.m. flight to Chicago let us jump into mid-line 
with them. Only two security stations were operating. After crawling through 
there, our next discovery was that our Gate 23 was yet another lengthy dash, 
through long corridors -- where not one but both of two moving walkways were 
out of commission -- into the adjacent Terminal 3, back there where Delta 
keeps Economy classsers out of the nice more convenient lobby.

Nevertheless, we got to the gate at about 6:45, only to discover that an 
Indianapolis flight was still boarding there. Our own 7:05 flight began 
boarding at about 7:10 -- requiring yet another long walk, this one down 
stairs and across the tarmac -- and pulled away before 7:30.

As we taxied, it was announced that because this was the hour when evening 
international flights depart, 30 aircraft were in front of us and we would 
not take off for 1 or 2 hours. The plane stopped, engines shut down, just 
turbine running for lights and AC, smell of burning kerosene fumes sucked in 
from other aircraft. A couple of passengers -- about half the seats were 
emply and now we knew why -- said this was early-evening routine at JFK, 
stimulating conversations about why Delta schedules departures then rather 
than an hour or two later -- and whether this practice might constitute 
consumer fraud on Delta's part.

Fortunately, our wait out on the line was only about 45 minutes, the flight 
itself was fine, and we arrived at PIT at about 9:20 -- and our bags came 
with us!

It was a heck of a way to conclude the final leg of a lovely trip. Lesson 
learned: Stay away from JFK, and stay away from Delta, an airline that at 
least at JFK demonstrates incredible on-purpose mistreatment of its 
customers.

John & Shelby Ruch

>From: Sue and Eric <milliron at mindspring.com>
>Reply-To: Sue and Eric <milliron at mindspring.com>
>To: Jay Cloidt <jayclimbs at gmail.com>,Joan Herriges 
><joanherriges at sbcglobal.net>
>CC: Idyllchat new <idyllchat at lists.untours.com>
>Subject: [Idyllchat] ?? connecting airport to Venice
>Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2007 12:58:48 -0400 (EDT)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Hello everybody-we just booked our April 2008 Untour to Venice, and I am 
>already looking at flights-I found the recent thread about connections came 
>at just the right time, and hope I can get some feedback.
>
>We live in Richmond, Va.   The flight options that we are considering, and 
>would book ourselves are :
>
>RT RIC to VCE via JFK on Delta. My concern is that we have always avoided 
>JFK, so are unfamiliar with the airport.  Is it the zoo we have heard??  
>Our connection time would either be 1 1/2 hrs or 7hrs, depending on which 
>flight we took out of RIC.  We would probably choose the longer time, just 
>to be on the safe side, but that sure does make for a long day.
>
>Our second option is to  drive to Washington Dulles, which we have done 
>many times, and take United or Lufthansa  to FRA, MUC, or ZUR, connecting 
>to VCE-however, in order to arrive in Venice at a reasonable time for the 
>escort to our apt, our connection time at either of these airports would be 
>minimal-from 50 minutes to 1 1/2 hrs.   Would that be enough time to go 
>through customs and immigration and make our connecting flight??   Claiming 
>luggage is not a problem, as we always only travel with carry ons .  We 
>have flown into and out of Zurich and Munich, but never connected at 
>either.
>
>would welcome responses from any  of you familiar with these airports.
>
>Thanks in advance for what I know will be many helpful replies.
>
>Sue and Eric Millirons
>
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Jay Cloidt
>Sent: Sep 9, 2007 10:04 PM
>To: Joan Herriges
>Cc: Idyllchat new
>Subject: Re: [Idyllchat] It's Not Just the Destination, It's the 
>Connection-Munich
>
>Thanks for the article. Living in the NYC metro area, I can usually get a 
>direct flight to wherever I'm going. However, I've been looking into flying 
>into some smaller airports in Europe (especially, Italy) and this will be 
>great to keep in mind.
>
>  - Jay
>
>
>On 9/9/07, Joan Herriges <joanherriges at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>
>Good article--and confirms a recent string of Idyllchat posts regarding the 
>importance of connecting airports when traveling abroad.  Munich has become 
>a favorite of our traveling friends departing from S.F. to all European 
>destinations.   We chose to book our own travel with Idyl in 2006 
>(Castle/Austria), thus avoiding Heathrow and it was a good decision.  On 
>the return trip we had to return our car rather early, but had a fabulous 
>time at the Munich airport.  They have good restaurants--even a 
>Hofbrauhaus.  Excellent shopping and comfortable lounges.  Joan.
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Barbara Roy
>To: Idyllchat new
>Cc: Idyll Untours Culture Chat
>Sent: Sunday, September 09, 2007 8:52 AM
>Subject: [Idyllchat] It's Not Just the Destination, It's the 
>Connection-Munich
>
>
>Thought you might all like to see this article in today's travel section of 
>the NYTimes.
>We recently returned to Switzerland, via Munich on a flight from Boston and 
>thought it
>was great, as the article indicates. Happy travels.
>
>
>Barbara Crowell Roy
>Sachseln 
>Switzerlandhttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/travel/09headsup.html?8td&emc=td
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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