Anybody out there married to a Russian woman, or speaks Russian and lives near JFK Airport in New York?
My Russian in-laws have to change planes at JFK at 4:00 pm, Thursday, August 24, on their way to visit us in California. They speak no English, but will have to go through JFK’s Immigration and Customs, get from the International terminal to the domestic one, re-check their luggage, get to the right gate for their connecting flight.
They only have one hour and 25 minutes between the time their flight from Kiev is scheduled to land and their connecting flight to LAX is scheduled to take off. (I bought them with my frequent flyer miles, where beggars can’t be choosers.) If they miss the connection there is another flight to LA about three hours later.
Also, the same thing in reverse on their way back to Ukraine a month later on Monday, September 25th, coming through JFK at 4:00 pm again.
Naturally, my wife, Olga and I are worried about them having to navigate this. We are hoping to locate some kind souls to help them through. Or, in the absence of kind souls; we are willing to pay for “VIP services” to this effect.
Doug,
Contact the airline(s) they are travelling with and ask for 'special assistance'. Explain to the airline(s) that they are non English speakers and can someone 'meet & greet' and point them in the right direction.
The airline(s) should then put a note in the reservation to 'meet & greet, it should work but nothing is guaranteed, good luck!
yes, best way is to arrange assistance with the airlines. I also gave text to show to custom officers, and to airport people to my mother in law when she had to go through this too. it helped.
Thanks for the ideas. The airline is Delta, and we have talked to them about it. They say they can't promise anything. They may or may not have a Russian speaking employee at JFK that can help my in-laws. They (Delta) didn't exactly give me a warm and fuzzy feeling about their willingness to help. IN the even no kind souls come forth, I guess we will arm Mom & Ppp with a letter explaining who they are, what their situation is, where they are gpoing, what flights they are supposed to be on, the back-up flight, etc., and our phone numbers.
Doug,
Arming them with a mobile phone and perhaps a US sim card might be useful, then with the click of a button they have a translator at hand in the shape of your wife.
Doug: I would try someone else at Delta. Last month I had a lady and child travel Moscow to Chicago. She flew Moscow to Atlanta, cleared customs and immigration then connected to Chicago and Delta helped. Same thing on the return flight except the connection was at NY Kennedy. I booked through Expedia and they called the airline and were helpful so it might be just finding the right person to help.
Doug,
A word of advise. An hour and 25 minutes is minimal to make connection, specially for elderly folks. Any "blip" in the schedule and they would miss the connecting flight. Missing the flight would be much more stressful to them than having to wait for a later one. I know about JFK and international flights, I am in the airline industry. I am always amazed that people always make their connection so short. The worst offenders are travel agents or the reservation airline personel, they ought to know better.
As for having someone meet them at the airport, the best bet is to talk to the airline. They have a program for unacompanied minors so there is no reason why they cannot assign someone to meet them at the plane and guide them through. Demand it! ....you may have to pay a small fee.
Doug,
I agree with Jetson one hour twenty five minutes is cutting it very close. Twice I have had around a 2 hr differnce and have missed my connection both times and lines at immigration are much shorter for Citizens Vs foreign nationals. It seems flights are commonly late leaving Kyiv. I am familiar with the fights your are speaking about and would strongly recomend the delta 8:45 flight to LAX. It would be a real nightmare for a non English speaker to arrange for the next flight and it would most likely cost $100 per ticket. I am bringing Lena on the same Delta flights on the 18th of August. I am positive she would never make the earlier flight.
Regardless of a late departure if, across the Atlantic, the winds are blowing stronger than the norm, which is normally easterly, then the flight could depart Kiev on time but still arrive JFK late, of course if the winds were blowing less than the norm or indeed blowing westerly then the flight could arrive JFK early whilst still departing on time or late from Kiev.
Ihr 25mins is not, ideally, enough particularly passing through US immigration in JFK but are the tickets from JFK to LAX changeable or non-changeable, if they miss their flight then what happens?
Of the two times that I missed my connections, once I had to pay a $100 fee to be put on a flight the NEXT day. The other time the agent waived the charge, however I think that was unusual. Probably because there was work being done on the concorse from the Air Train to the terminal and I had to go outside in the pouring rain and walk a 100 yds to the terminal. By the time I got to the ticket counter I was completly soaked and probably looked like I could go "Postal" at any moment.
Oh the joys of air travel, 'time to spare then go by air' :)
I'm off to Amsterdam & Dusseldorf on Sunday, to Romania on Monday and then returning Romania/Dusseldorf/Amsterdam/UK on Wedenesday, I get totally bored by flying :)
This time of the year, the head winds are not as strong.....winter time is when you have to worry...but then it is already figured into the flight plan and the scheduled is adjusted accordingly in time for the season.