Connecting at New York JFK: changing terminals, customs and security again

At JFK, each terminal is a separate building, and they are not connected inside security. If your two flights leave from different terminals, you take the free airport train and go through TSA security again at your next terminal. The airport itself tells connecting passengers to budget additional time for that. Arriving from another country, you also clear customs, collect and recheck your bags before you get that far.

How much time does the airport say you need?

JFK doesn't publish a minimum connection time, but it gives you the pieces:

• Airport train between terminals: under 10 minutes, with trains every 5 to 15 minutes.
• Security again at your departure terminal if you change terminals.
• Walking from security to your gate: 1–5 minutes in Terminals 1 and 7, 3–10 minutes in Terminal 5, and up to 14 minutes in Terminals 4 and 8.
• Customs: processing time depends on how many passengers arrive from abroad at the same time as you.

On one ticket, your airline sold you a connection that meets its minimum and must rebook you if you miss it. Read is a 1-hour layover enough?

Which terminal?

JFK's terminals are assigned by airline. Check the terminal on your boarding pass, in your airline's app or on the departure screens before you land. If you booked with one airline but the flight is operated by another, go to the terminal of the airline that operates the flight.

Changing terminals

1. Follow the signs to the airport train. It's free between terminals.
2. Ride to your departure terminal, in under 10 minutes.
3. Go through TSA security at that terminal.
4. Walk to your gate.

Terminal 4 is large, with two concourses. Inside it, a free airside shuttle runs between concourses without a new security check, though waits can make it slower than walking.

Arriving from another country

The airport's steps for an international arrival connecting to another flight:

1. Immigration and customs. Show your passport and answer a few questions.
2. Collect your checked bags at baggage claim, even if they're tagged to your final destination.
3. Recheck them at the baggage recheck area just outside customs.
4. Go through security again.
5. Change terminals if needed, for example from Terminal 1 to Terminal 5.

Precleared flights (from Canada, Ireland, Aruba, Bermuda, the Bahamas and Abu Dhabi) arrive like domestic flights, but changing terminals still means security again.

Separate tickets: you may need to go through full arrival procedures: claim your bags, check in again with the next airline and go through security. Read international to domestic connections.

What's changing

JFK is being rebuilt. A new Terminal 1 and a new Terminal 6 are under construction. The Port Authority now expects the first phase of the new Terminal 1, with new arrivals and departures halls and its first 14 gates, to open in 2027, and still lists the first five gates of the new Terminal 6 for 2026. On November 1, 2026 the airport's terminal list still showed Terminals 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8, so neither new terminal had opened. With terminals changing, always check your terminal on the day of travel.

Customs wait times

From October 2025 to September 2026, passengers arriving from abroad at JFK waited 22 minutes on average to clear passport control, according to CBP: 13 minutes for US citizens and 34 minutes for visitors. 7.4% waited more than an hour. The slowest arrival hour was 6 a.m.–7 a.m., averaging 29 minutes. These times don't include collecting bags or walking to your next gate. See US customs wait times by airport.

On-time record

From September 2025 to August 2026, 73.4% of scheduled arrivals at New York (JFK) reached the gate on time, rank 23 of the 30 busiest US airports. 74.2% of departures left on time and 4.0% of departures were canceled. The largest share of delay minutes came from late-arriving aircraft. See the full US airport on-time ranking.

Follow the first flight

Add both flights to FlyingOver before you travel. You'll follow the first flight offline and see its estimated arrival, and with Premium, connection guidance shows whether your layover looks comfortable, whether you need to keep moving or whether you should go directly to the gate.