Once at the AirTrain platform I learned that Delta and KLM are in the same terminal (4). I was very happy about this.
You'll recall the Sunday night drama of my flight being changed and the helpful Delta guy who got me onto a Monday flight JFK > Amsterdam > Madrid. On our chat he specifically said "It's KLM". And the email updating my reservation showed KLM.
I know that airlines have banded together in cooperative relationships. For instance Star Alliance - United, Air Canada, LOT, TAP, 25-ish airlines that work together to cover routes. You may book with United, but actually fly on an Air Canada plane... Each flight may have 6 different flight numbers, indicating the site where you booked, but it's actually the same plane going to the same place.
[Helpful tip: Sometimes these alliance partners will sell the seats at vastly different prices. It's not unheard of to save $200 by choosing to book through Air France instead of Delta. So once you find a flight that meets your schedule, it's smart to check the other partner sites for bahgains.]
So I exected KLM to be in the Skyteam Alliance with Delta (it is), along with Alitalia, Aeroflot, and 18 others. But for him to specifically state on the chat "It's KLM" made me think, is he telling me something more that what he said... (Remember, I'm a female, I'm always analyzing male conversations for underlying meaning. As if.)
When I got to Terminal 4 I looked around in shock, fearing I'd entered the Far Side... It was empty. JFK is never empty, but it was empty. Further consideration has me thinking that I arrived (3:30 pm) at a particularly slow time for this terminal. Make a note of that time for future travel!
I stepped up to the check-in kiosk, but the system couldn't find my reservation. An older gentleman was helping people at the kiosks, and he had a hand-written list that he checked when I showed him my documentation. Ah, that's KLM, he said, and directed me to one aisle over. So my hunch had been correct, the chat agent was telling me more than he actually was saying.
I got to KLM and again, there is no one there. I was in line behind one person. In JFK. It was Bizarro world.
The customer rep was personable and helpful. She quickly found my reservation, and when she learned my final destination she started explaining about the health disclosure form required by Spain. I'd already done this online. We chatted about how taxing it is to wear a mask all day -- it is, btw... by this time I've been wearing it non-stop 4 hours and I was exhausted. She tagged my bags, confirmed that they'd be checked through to my final destination, and sent me on my way.
Once at TSA I was confused because there was no one there. There were maybe 10 people in line ahead of me. So imagine, all the noise in the TSA line, with people having different accents than you, and they're wearing masks so you can't see their mouths. Plus, the TSA rules are different in NY than CLT... backpacks go in the bin not on the belt... laptop must be flat... I was constantly cupping my ear and shouting "I can't hear you".
But then, voila, I was through and headed to my KLM gate, where I realized that even though all the tasks since arriving in JFK were smooth like buttah, I'd killed 2.5 hours and it was only 45 minutes until we begin boarding. No rushing, no stress, and time to board.
I popped to a bar across the aisle from my gate, where I was told that eating is allowed inside the restaurant, but drinking only requires to go... So, I got a local artisan draught in a plastic solo cup (feels like college up in here), and went to my gate. Here there were some people who "didn't notice" that their mask had dropped below their nostrils, but not as many as in CLT.
While sitting there with my beer I overheard some travelling coworkers talking about how their flight had been switched. They didn't know until they showed up on Monday, but the agents quickly put them into this flight. SOOOO, I wasn't the only one, other people didn't catch it until they came to the airport, and it was no problem getting on this flight. Good to know.
I’m loving this super sturdy had box that hangs on the roller bag
Beer… to go