A recent episode of the Dots Lines and Destinations podcast discussed how there are quite a few late-night flights out of JFK (referring to departures after 23:00). Having done these late-night flights out of JFK several times, this made me think about my experiences and that there are indeed a few drawbacks to taking these late-night flights.
The podcast mostly touched on Terminal 7’s late-night situation, talking about how many departures there are after 23:00. Although I don’t have a lot of experience with that terminal, I thought I’d discuss the late-night Terminal 8 experience, which I’m quite familiar with.
(If you have time, I recommend listening to the Dots Lines and Destinations podcast. They’re fun to listen to, covering many ongoing topics in the aviation world.)
I like to take Japan Airlines flight JL3 when going to Tokyo, which departs at 01:40 in the morning, and arrives at 04:40 the next day. I love this flight in terms of scheduling, as I’m able to have myself a full day in New York City, fly to Tokyo, and arrive in the morning with a full day ahead of me. I still lose a day crossing the international date line, but I consider it a much better alternative to the midday departures to Asia, which arrive in the afternoon.
Flight JL3, however, might be a bummer for some travelers looking to enjoy the travel experience to the fullest extent, especially at the airport. This goes for other departures out of JFK’s Terminal 8 at similar times also, as there are a fair number of these days. In addition to my Japan Airlines flight, you’ll find a Cathay flight to Hong Kong, a Qatar flight to Doha, and a British Airways flight to London, all after 23:00.
1. TSA PreCheck Closes Early
My first dislike about departing from this terminal late at night is the TSA situation. TSA PreCheck closes at 21:00 (9:00pm), which is quite early considering the number of late-night departures.
I also find that TSA is less staffed during these late hours compared to during the day, leading to longer lines for both ID scans and bag screenings.
I’ve sometimes waited for 30 minutes to go through this checkpoint, despite it being after 23:00.
In terms of the number of passengers, the Cathay to Hong Kong can carry up to 334 passengers, the JAL to Tokyo can carry up to 239 passengers, and the Qatar to Doha can carry up to 327. All carriers utilize the Airbus A350-1000.
That’s 900 passengers going through a TSA checkpoint that is staffed like there’s just a couple of domestic flights left to go in the day. Additionally, I think the late departure time encourages passengers to go to the checkpoint earlier, all at a similar time. There isn’t much left to do for passengers on these flights aside from going to the gate or lounge and waiting. This is especially true for those just visiting New York.
I trick I’ve figured out for this 01:40 departure is to spend as much time in the apartment as possible, and then go to JFK as late as possible.
I imagine the situation isn’t much better for passengers going through the checkpoint at around 21:00, right after PreCheck closes for the day. After 22:00, there are American Airlines flights to London and two destinations in South America, another British Airways flight to London, and another Qatar flight to Doha. This is a lot of passengers to push through a Terminal 8 checkpoint that’s ready to go to sleep.
Terminal 4’s TSA PreCheck closes at 23:00, while Terminal 1 and 7’s PreCheck closes at midnight. I wish Terminal 8 would wake up and follow their steps; I think 21:00 is way too early.
2. The Limited Lounge Options
Another difficulty for flights after 23:00 out of Terminal 8 is the lounge options. The only lounge open after that time is the Greenwich Lounge, which is equivalent to a business class lounge. This won’t be bothersome for passengers in business class or Oneworld Sapphire status holders. However, passengers flying in First on the late-night Japan Airlines flight or those with Oneworld Emerald status might be bummed to see the Soho Lounge closed after 23:30.
If you’re flying first or have Oneworld Emerald and are looking to maximize the lounge experience, it might be a good idea to avoid these late flights.
That said, I don’t find the Greenwich Lounge to be busy at these hours, so there’s that.
Additionally, the Admiral’s Club closes at 22:30, but that one makes more sense since it’s timed with the last American Airlines departure of the day.
3. Most Businesses are Closed
If you do not have lounge access, there isn’t much to do before your flight. The only store that I’m aware of that’s open after 23:30 is this Hudson News right after TSA.
Almost, if not all, restaurants and businesses close at around 23:00. I can’t blame them for not being open for these late-night flights, as most of them won’t be able to reel in enough foot traffic to justify being open that late. Widebody aircraft depart from all parts of the terminal, sometimes on one end of the main building at gate 4, sometimes on the other end at gate 18, or sometimes in the satellite building at gate 47.
Bottom Line
There are definitely drawbacks to these late flights, especially TSA, which runs less smoothly compared to day departures for someone with PreCheck. However, I ultimately still prefer them over midday flights, as I’m able to maximize a full day in New York before departure, and it allows me to sleep better on board, which ultimately helps with jet lag.
All flights come with different airport experiences depending on terminal and departure time, and this is what you should keep in mind when departing late out of JFK’s Terminal 8.
All photos taken by the author.
