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There’ll be more delays
If you fly to or from it
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New York, New York
Yes, the delays will be even worse over the next four months at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, which closed its main runway March 1 to start widening and repaving it in an effort to eventually reduce delays. This will create a ripple effect at airports throughout the nation and overseas because so many flights originate at JFK. Airports in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orlando are expected to be particularly hard hit by the delays at the New York airport, says Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com.
Flights to and from JFK also will be more expensive as a result of the runway closing. Banas says several airlines have reduced the number of flights to that airport by 10% to 12%.
So what’s a traveler to do? Unfortunately, it won’t necessarily be cheaper to fly in and out of nearby LaGuardia or Newark Liberty International airports, Banas says.
--If you’re flying overseas or to other East Coast cities, look for flights that do not connect at JFK.
--Weigh paying more for nonstop flights versus the possibilities of long delays and missing connecting flights at JFK. Your sanity might be worth an extra $100.
--If you have to book a connecting flight through JFK, make sure there is a wider window for the layover so you won’t miss a connection.
--If you must fly in or out of the city that never sleeps over the next four months, sign up for e-mail alerts from several sites -- such as Airfarewatchdog.com, TripAdvisor.com and Farecompare.com -- to be notified when fares to or from New York drop.