Connecting at JFK: why changing terminals means security again

Last checked 24 September 2026

JFK works less like one airport and more like several terminals that share runways. Each terminal has its own security checkpoint, and you can't walk between them inside security. So the first question for any JFK connection is simple: do both flights leave from the same terminal?

At a glance

• Same terminal: stay behind security and walk to your gate.
• Different terminal: leave security, ride the free AirTrain, and go through TSA screening again.
• Delta in Terminal 4: a free shuttle bus links the A and B concourses, with no second security check.
• Arriving from abroad: clear immigration, collect your bags, recheck them and go through security again.

Who flies from where

The main US airlines each have a home terminal at JFK. Delta is in Terminal 4, JetBlue in Terminal 5, American and Alaska in Terminal 8, and Frontier in Terminal 7. Terminal 1 has international airlines such as Air France, Lufthansa and Korean Air. Sun Country and Cape Air share Terminal 5 with JetBlue.

These lists change, and codeshares are common. A flight sold by one airline may be operated by a partner in another terminal. Before you land, check your boarding pass or the airline's app for the terminal your next flight leaves from.

Connections that stay behind security

If both flights leave from the same terminal, you won't go through security again. In Terminal 4, Delta runs a free shuttle bus between the A and B concourses, so you don't need to leave the secure area. It stops at gates B23 and B54 and near gate A9.

Changing terminals

This is where JFK connections get tight. To change terminals, you leave the secure area and take the AirTrain, which is free between terminals. The airport says the ride takes under 10 minutes and trains run every 5 to 15 minutes. Then you go through TSA screening again at your new terminal.

The train is the predictable part. The security queue at the next terminal isn't. That's why GateCast treats a terminal change at JFK very differently from a same-terminal connection with the same amount of time. The time budget has to cover the wait for a train, the ride and a second security check.

Arriving from abroad

If your first flight is international, you'll clear US immigration at JFK even if your next flight is domestic. You then collect your checked bags, even if they're tagged through to your final destination, and drop them at the baggage recheck facility. After that you go through security again at the terminal your next flight leaves from. If that's a different terminal, take the AirTrain there first.

What's changing

JFK is in the middle of a major rebuild:

• Terminal 6 is due to open its first five gates in 2026, connected to JetBlue's Terminal 5. The airport's terminal page doesn't list it yet.
• The New Terminal One is expected to open its first phase in 2027, on the site of today's Terminal 1.

Terminal assignments will shift as these open, so always check the terminal on the day.

Tips

• Check the departure terminal for your next flight before you land, especially on a codeshare.
• If you're changing terminals, keep your boarding pass and ID handy for the second security check.
• If you're arriving from abroad, collect your bags even if they're tagged through.

Checked 24 September 2026. Terminals and airlines change, so confirm with your airline before you travel.