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John F. Kennedy International Airport

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John F. Kennedy International Airport (IATA: JFK, ICAO: KJFK), formerly Idlewild Airport and New York International Airport, is the primary international airport in New York City, and is one of the largest airports in the world. It is located in the borough of Queens, straddling Jamaica and Howard Beach on the coast of Jamaica Bay. It is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which also administers LaGuardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and Teterboro Airport.

JFK is best known as the city's international hub, but flights to other airports in the United States (especially on the West Coast) also use JFK. In 2004, the airport handled 20.1 million domestic passengers and 17.4 million international passengers.

JetBlue Airways has been headquartered at JFK since 2000, and carries 23.1% of the airport's passenger traffic. American Airlines' hub accounts for 20.9%. In recent years, Delta Air Lines has increased its domestic and international presence at the airport; along with its subsidiary Song, it carries 14.1% of the airport's passenger traffic. [1] In previous years, the airport has been a hub for Pan Am, TWA, Eastern, National, Tower Air, and Flying Tiger Line.

History

The airport was first known as Idlewild Airport, as crews began to build it partly on Idlewild Golf Course. Construction of the airport began in 1942, and at that time, they thought they would need only 1,000 acres (4 km²) to build it: however, as aviation grew, so did Idlewild, and since then, 4,000 acres (16 km²) have been added.

July 1, 1948 was the date the airport saw its first commercial flight. It was dedicated as New York International Airport on July 31 of that same year, although the name "Idlewild" remained in common use and the airport's IATA code was IDL.

The 1948 Temporary Terminal was the sole terminal until 1957, when the International Arrivals Building opened. Eight other "Unit Terminals" were constructed from 1958 to 1971: each was designed by one of the airport's main airlines.

The Pan Am Worldport (now Terminal 3) opened in 1962. It featured a large, elliptical roof suspended by 32 sets of radial posts and cables. The roof extended far beyond the base of the terminal and covered the passenger loading area. It introduced special bridges that connected to the terminal and that could be moved to provide an easy walkway for passengers from the terminal to a docked aircraft.

The TWA Flight Center (now Terminal 5) also opened in 1962. It was designed by the famous architect Eero Saarinen and became one of the most famous airport terminal designs in the world.

On December 24, 1963, the airport was renamed "John F. Kennedy International Airport" to honor the memory of the late President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated on November 22 of that year. The airport then received the new IATA airport code of JFK.

The Beatles were welcomed into the United States in 1964 at this airport, creating a historic moment in time both for music and the airport.

Both Terminal 5 and Terminal 3 were modified in the 1970s to accommodate Boeing 747s. The Concorde SST, operated by Air France and British Airways, provided scheduled trans-Atlantic supersonic service to JFK from 1975 until 2003, when the Concorde was retired by both carriers, ending civilian supersonic travel. JFK had the most SST operations annually of any airport in the world.

In 1998, the airport began construction of a rapid transit system called AirTrain JFK, designed to link JFK's passenger terminals to New York City's general mass transit system at Howard Beach and Jamaica. After over a year of delay, caused by the death of an employee during testing, the system opened on December 17, 2003. AirTrain provides connections to the New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road.

The $1.4 billion replacement for the International Arrivals Building, Terminal 4, opened in 2001. Replacements for other original terminals have since been completed or are under development.

After the September 11th attacks in 2001, JFK was one of the first airports to be temporarily closed.

Disasters

JFK has been the site of several notable air disasters.

Other disasters involving JFK include:

Several aircraft based at JFK were also targets of the failed Project Bojinka terrorist plot in 1995.

Terminals, airlines and destinations

File:JFK airport map.png
FAA diagram of JFK Airport

Four runways in two parallel pairs surround the central terminal area. Runway 13R-31L is the second longest commercial runway in North America, at a length of 14,572 ft (4,441 m). There are also numerous large facilities north and west of the central terminals for air cargo handling and loading.

Further information: Transportation to New York City area airports

Terminal 1

The site was originally occupied by Eastern Airlines' 1958 terminal. The original terminal was demolished and replaced by a new terminal, financed by a consortium of four international airlines (Air France, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, and Lufthansa), which was completed in 1998 and has eleven gates.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 was completed in 1962 for Northwest Airlines, Northeast Airlines, and Braniff Airways. It later evolved as an extension of the Pan Am terminal (see below) for domestic flights. Delta Air Lines acquired the terminal in Pan Am's wake and now uses it primarily for its low-fare subsidiary, Song. T2 has eleven gates, numbered 19 through 30.

Terminal 3

Terminal 3, which opened in 1960, was constructed for Pan American World Airways and was originally known as the Pan Am Terminal. In 1971 it was expanded and renamed as the "Pan Am Worldport". It is particularly famous for its "flying saucer" roof and noted for its rooftop parking facilities: upon its expansion in 1972, it was also briefly the world's largest airline terminal. Delta Air Lines purchased the terminal lease from failing Pan Am in 1991, and announced plans to demolish the terminal entirely in 2000, but later opted to refurbish the terminal instead. T3 has seventeen gates.

Terminal 4

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Passport control for incoming passengers in Terminal 4.

Terminal 4 opened in 2001 to replace the former International Arrivals Terminal. (The International Arrivals Terminal was an international style building that was built in the 1950s, and was one of the airport's earliest terminals.) It is the only 24-hour terminal at the airport, and features a modular design that will allow it to be expanded further if necessary. The terminal is run by a private consortium comprising Lehman Brothers, real estate developer LCOR Inc. and Dutch-based airport operator Schiphol USA. It currently has sixteen gates.

Terminal 5 (closed)

Terminal 5 was formerly the TWA terminal. It was designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1962. It is the airport's most famous landmark.

Following American Airlines' buyout of TWA in 2001, Terminal 5 went out of service. Its unique architectural features prevented the installation of modern security and ticketing facilities. The Port Authority had proposed converting the main portion of the building into a restaurant and conference center, but some architectural critics opposed this move.

In December 2005, JetBlue, which occupies the adjacent Terminal 6, began construction of an expanded terminal facility, which will utilize the front portion of Saarinen's Terminal 5 as an entry point. The peripheral air-side parts of Terminal 5 are expected to be demolished to make space for a mostly new terminal, which will have 26 gates and is expected to be complete by 2008.

Terminal 6

Terminal 6 was originally built for National Airlines in 1969: TWA procured the building lease after National was sold to Pan Am. During the late 1990's, TWA leased part of the terminal to United Airlines who used it to fly to Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. Following TWA's demise, T6 was partly renovated for the use of JetBlue Airways, requiring $7.5 million of capital investment for new terminal facilities and roadway upgrades. JetBlue's main operations hub is now housed in Terminal 6. It has fourteen gates.

  • JetBlue Airways (Domestic) (Aguadilla, Austin (starts Jan. 19, 2006), Boston, Buffalo, Burbank, Burlington, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Oakland, Ontario, Orlando, Phoenix, Ponce, Portland (OR), Richmond (VA) (starts March 31, 2006), Rochester (NY), Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Jose (CA), San Juan, Seattle/Tacoma, Syracuse, Tampa, West Palm Beach)
  • JetBlue Airways (International Departures) (Nassau and Santiago (DR))
File:IMG 0873r.jpg
Terminals 7 and 8 with Air China landing.

Terminal 7

Terminal 7 was originally known as the British Airways Terminal. It was completed in 1970 and extensively expanded and refurbished in 1991 and again in 2003. It is shaped like a rectangle, and has twelve gates around its airside perimeter.

Terminal 8

Terminal 8 was completed in 1960 and originally known as the American Airlines Terminal. It is easily recognizable by its colorful stained-glass façade created by the American artist Robert Sowers. It has fifteen gates on two concourses, A (gates 1-10) and B (gates 20-24).

Terminal 9

Terminal 9 is a mid-field satellite terminal connected to the landside by underground walkway. The current concourse opened on August 24, 2005, completing a phase-out of the old Terminal 9, which was completed in 1959 and previously known as the United Airlines Terminal. Both Terminal 8 and Terminal 9 will eventually be replaced by a $1.4 billion, 2.2 million square foot (200,000 m²) "mega-terminal," which will accommodate American Airlines' international and domestic passengers in one facility, in 2007: the next step is to demolish Terminal 8 and the old Terminal 9 to make way for the rest of the new terminal, which will eventually consist of two piers and a satellite [2].

Other facilities

JFK has dedicated cargo terminals for Continental Airlines, Emirates SkyCargo, EVA Air, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Nippon Cargo Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and United Airlines. Most cargo and maintenance facilities at JFK are located north and west of the main terminal area.

JetBlue Airways built a central maintenance and operations base at JFK, which was completed in May of 2005.

Notes

People who fly from Kennedy usually arrive at least an extra hour earlier than travellers going through other airports due to traffic congestion and security checkpoints. This can, in some cases, mean passengers may have to arrive three hours before their estimated departure time.

The police have reported that some drivers that take people from Kennedy overcharge passengers. AIso, it is illegal for drivers to ask for passengers.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has asked that no one give money to panhandlers, beggars, homeless persons, etc., at any of its facilities, and that if one wishes to help these persons, he or she should do so by contributing to a charity organization.

Interstate 678 feeds directly into the airport. The airport's boundary is the official southern terminus of the interstate, although the road itself continues southward (providing four additional unnumbered exits) before finally ending at a traffic light.

JFK Airport in film

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John F. Kennedy International Airport.

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