Adieu Terminal City: The Future JFK is Coming Soon

Passengers at a futuristic information kiosk in Terminal 8

JFK A 21ST CENTURY GLOBAL GATEWAY?

In October 2018, the Port Authority announced a plan to fix JFK.  The plan included a terminal that will be developed by JetBlue and connect to Terminal 5, the airline’s current terminal and the newest terminal at JFK, having opened in 2008. The $3 billion terminal will replace the current Terminal 7 building.

This terminal will have 12 international gates, all designed for large, wide-body aircraft as well as 30,000 square feet (2,790 square meters) of airport lounge space and 15,000 square feet (1,400 square meters) of recreational space.

Last month, American Airlines and British Airways began construction on a $344 million plan to expand Terminal 8, which is operated by American, and relocate BA to Terminal 8 from Terminal 7, its current home. Terminal 8 was opened in several phases from 2005 and 2007, replacing American’s original terminal at JFK, Terminal 8, and Terminal 9, built for United Airlines but later taken over by American.

Terminal 1 Security Checkpoint

The project will add 70,400 square feet (6,540 square meters) of additional space including 33,000 square feet (3066 square meters) of public space and the refurbishment of 57,000 square feet (5,341 square meters) of existing space. Travelers will see five wide-body gates, four hard stands or coach gates, new lounges, a new state-of-the-art baggage system, new premium check-in areas, and new shops and restaurants.

The modernization of John F. Kennedy International Airport will continue as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages the airport, announced an agreement between JFK International Air Terminal, the operator of Terminal 4, and Delta Air Lines, to expand the terminal and consolidate all Delta operations there.

The $3.8 billion project was the one remaining piece of the puzzle that was required to transform JFK into a twenty-first century global gateway.

Shortly after takeoff from JFK

The scope of the work includes the addition of 16 new gates, an expansion of the terminal’s arrivals and departures halls, the renovation of the existing concourses, and roadway upgrades to improve vehicular access. The work, with the exception of the roadway improvements, is expected to be completed in early 2023, at which time Delta will be able to move its remaining operations from Terminal 2, which is slated to be demolished, to Terminal 4.

The demolition of Terminal 2 is part of a project to create a new Terminal One at the airport. The 23-gate terminal will span the sites of the current Terminal One, Terminal 2, and the former Terminal 3.  That terminal will be developed by the Terminal One Group, a consortium of four airlines, Air France, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, and Lufthansa.  Construction will begin this year and is expected to be completed by 2025.

Terminal 2, one of the two remaining original terminals of the original Terminal City concept at the airport in operation (the other is Terminal 7), opened in 1962 as the home of Northeast and Northwest airlines. It was later used by Pan Am and is currently used by Delta.

Terminal 3 was the iconic Pan Am Worldport. Built by the World’s Most Experienced Airline, the Worldport ushered in the Jet Age upon its opening in 1960.  Its demolition was preceded by protests by preservationists and former Pan Am employees at the start of the 2010s.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)

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