April 26, 2025

Malpensa Airport (Milano), Italy > JKF (New York) > SFO (San Francisco), CA USA

Travel Day. It is going to be a long, long day. I was up early enough to take one more nice long bath. Then I went down to the restaurant in the hotel and had a cappuccino and brioche, it was included with Mary’s premier status with Marriott.

It was just before 08:00 when we left the hotel and walked through the passageway to the airport. We were at the end of the line for checking in just before 08:10, which is when they open the check-in stations. Check-in 18 – 22 are separate from the main terminal. Not a bad walk but not sure why it was to be different, but it is.

Fortunately, as premium flyers and business class there wasn’t an actual line at the check-in counter. It had just gone 08:30 when we walked away from the counter and headed to security, which is on the other side of the main terminal. B Gates. Again, premium status as managed to get through both security and passport control before it has gone 09:00.

We were in the premium business class lounge and resting by 09:00. We stayed there until 10:00 when we left for the gate. Using the magic cane, we walked by all the people in line and were admitted to the pre boarding area.

After a few minutes we were passed down the gangway to start the boarding process. A short wait just at the end of the gangway, and then we boarded the plane. No fighting over luggage space is one of the perks of business class. Nice seats.

About 45 minutes after take off they served the meal. Then I watched the Humphrey Bogart story. Napped. Watched Wicked the musical. Napped. We landed on time just after 14:00. Deplaned, walked, walked and walked. Got to passport control. Just a few minutes at Global Entry and then to baggage claim.

It took longer for the bags to arrive than it took to get there from the plane. Got the bags, walked them over to the recheck-in/luggage area, dropped them off and headed to Terminal 7. American changed the flights on us. Normally it would have been American all the way, but the second leg is Alaska Airlines.

Not a big hassle to go from terminal 8 to Terminal 7. However, there is nothing in Terminal 7 compared to Terminal 8. We have access to the Alaska Lounge, but it really isn’t much either.

It is not 17:00, which for us means it is 23:00. I should be asleep. Instead we are sitting in Brindle Restaurant. Mary got a mushroom burger and fries. I abstained from eating. While I know they will try and feed us once we board, I probably will forgo that as well. Just not hungry at 23:00. Boarding starts in an hour and a half. Hopefully we will still be awake.

We finished at Brindle and walked around to find some Tylenol for Mary. Found some at a completely ridiculous price, bought it anyway. Headed to the gate and found a couple seats. Terminal 7 at JFK was built for BOAC Nw British Airways) and Air Canada in 1970. It is the last of the original Jet Age terminals to remain in operation at JFK. The terminal was officially dedicated on September 24, 1970 with HRH Princess Alexandra unveiling a commemorative plaque.

JFK is undergoing complete modernization and updating. Terminal 7 is due to close next year and by 2028 will be replaced by a new Terminal 6.  Honestly, it needs it.

American Airlines used to have a good connecting flight, it did still require changing Terminals but somehow it was easier. It was a four-hour layover. Arrive at Terminal 1 and depart from Terminal 8. However, there were good food options at both places. Four-hour layover is just about right. By the time you get through passport control, baggage claim, send your bags on to the connections flight and get to the correct terminal, you have enough time for a nice meal before going on.

Tonight, we are on Alaska Airlines. Mary was a little concerned that the 737 on Alaska wouldn’t have nice seats in First class. However, the plane was either new or recently refurbished and the seats were great. The service was also very good. The food was ok.

I opted for something to eat. It was a pulled pork pappardelle pasta tossed with herbs, cherry tomatoes, lima beans and parmesan cheese. This was topped by a basil ricotta. The written description probably does the dish better than the visual that was presented. The pork as ok, the noodles were limp. Overall, I ate about a third of it. The chocolate mousse in the plastic container got one bite. Fortunately, I had a bottle of water on standby. The roll and butter were very good!

Thankfully, I was wearing a mask. The guy in the seat behind me coughed throughout the entire flight. The guy in front of me was coughing as well, but once he fell asleep he quieted down. Mary seemed to get quite a bit of sleep. I managed a few hours but just couldn’t get comfortable.

The flight arrived at 22:50. The distance between the gate and the baggage area seemed like a long way. We landed at the new Terminal 1. Now this is a really nice terminal but extremely large making the walking a long way. However, being that it as 23:00 it was probably shorter than it seemed.

The bags came up reasonably quickly. Then we walked to the Air Train and took the red line to the hotel. The Grand Hyatt SFO is “attached” to the airport so it was just a couple of stops on Air Train to get there. Check-in was quick and easy. Not many people checking in at this hour. We got to the room, found our PJs and were in bed very quickly. Sleep came quickly. Nice comfortable bed and pillows helped.

Buonanotte e Ciao, Enrico e Maria