John F. Kennedy International Airport: New York

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Airports in New York

John F. Kennedy International Airport

Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Serves New York, New York
Elevation AMSL 13 ft (4 m)
Coordinates 40°38′23?N, 73°46′44?W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
4L/22R 11,351 3,460 Asphalt/Concrete
4R/22L 8,400 2,560 Asphalt
13L/31R 10,000 3,048 Asphalt
13R/31L 14,572 4,442 Asphalt/Concrete

John F. Kennedy International Airport (IATA: JFK, ICAO: KJFK) is an international airport located in Jamaica, Queens, in south-eastern New York City.

JFK is the top international air passenger gateway to the United States and is also the leading freight gateway to the country by value of shipments. It is the home airport for JetBlue Airways, whilst being a major international gateway hub for Delta Air Lines, and a major secondary hub for American Airlines.

The airport is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages the three other major airports in the New York metropolitan area, Newark Liberty International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Teterboro Airport. Of these, JFK is the largest.Contents [hide]

Airport statistics

An Air India 747 landing at JFK, with El Al Israel and Swiss International jets at Terminal 4. JFK is a major entry point for international arrivals in the United States.
Although JFK is known as the premier international hub for both New York City and the United States, it also handles domestic flights, mostly to the West Coast. In 2005 the airport handled 41 million passengers; Newark International handled about 33 million and LaGuardia about 26 million, making for a total of approximately 100 million travelers using New York’s airports as the city’s airspace surpassed Chicago’s to become the busiest in the United States.

JFK’s outbound international travel accounted for 17% of all U.S. travelers who went overseas in 2004, the largest share of any U.S. airport. In 2000, JFK handled an average of about 50,000 international passengers each day. The JFK-London Heathrow route is the leading U.S. international airport pair with over 2.9 million passengers in 2000. Other top international destinations from JFK are Paris, Frankfurt, and Tokyo. Nearly 100 airlines from over 50 countries operate regularly scheduled flights from JFK.
A 2006 survey by J.D. Power and Associates in conjunction with Aviation Week found JFK ranked second in overall traveller satisfaction among large airports in the United States, behind McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

JFK is undergoing a US$10.3 billion redevelopment, one of the largest airport reconstruction projects in the world. The airport recently opened a new Terminal One, Terminal Four and Terminal Seven. Construction has begun on a new Terminal Five, while leaving the current landmark building in place. Terminals 8 and 9 are currently undergoing redevelopment as one single terminal. Terminals Eight, Two, and Three are slated for demolition or reconstruction.

History

An Airbus 320 taking off at JFK airport

The airport has been operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey under a lease with New York City since 1947. About $60 million was spent on the construction of the airport. Currently, estimates predict some $6.6 billion of economic activity and 207,000 jobs in the New York metropolitan region thanks to JFK International.
Construction of the airport began in 1942 with modest ambitions. Only 1,000 acres (4 km²) of land on the site of Idlewild golf course were earmarked for use. The golf course provided the airport’s original namesake, Idlewild Airport.

The airport saw its first commercial flight on July 1, 1948. 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 official IATA airport code was IDL.
As aviation grew, so did Idlewild. New York’s importance as an international center of business and commerce meant there was an ever-greater need for more and more capacity. 4,000 acres (16 km²) and eight terminals were eventually added to the original airport. Over the years many illustrious airlines made the airport a major hub, including Pan Am, TWA, Eastern, National, Tower Air, and Flying Tiger Line.

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 designed by one of the airport’s main airlines.

A British Airways supersonic Concorde passenger jet.
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. Designed by Eero Saarinen, it was sculpted as an abstract symbol of flight. It is considered one of the most architectually distinguished airport terminal designs in the world. With the demise of TWA, however, it is no longer in use. The main building will be kept as a part of jetBlue Airways’s new reconstructed Terminal 5.

The airport was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1963, one month after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The airport received the new IATA airport code of JFK, and since then the airport has become widely referred to by this abbreviation.
As air traffic in New York continued to grow, both Terminal 5 and Terminal 3 were modified in the 1970s to accommodate new Boeing 747s. The supersonic Concorde, operated by Air France and British Airways, provided scheduled trans-Atlantic supersonic service to JFK from 1977 until 2003, when the Concorde was retired by both carriers. JFK had the most Concorde operations annually of any airport in the world.

In 1998, the airport began construction of the AirTrain JFK rapid transit system. Completed in December 2003, the rail network links each airport terminal to New York City subways and regional commuter trains at Howard Beach and Jamaica.
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 11, 2001 attacks, JFK was one of the first airports in the United States to be temporarily closed.

Ground transportation

Main article: Transportation to New York City area airports
Map showing New York City and the locations of JFK (1), LaGuardia (2) and Newark (3).

Rail

JFK is connected to New York’s subway and commuter rail system by the recently-constructed AirTrain. AirTrain stops at all terminals, car rental lots, and two subway stations. It is free within the airport, but the fare is $5 to reach the subway stations. Using AirTrain and the Long Island Rail Road at Jamaica Station, travel time between JFK and Midtown Manhattan is about 45 minutes.

Bus

Various city buses connect to the New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road, with free transfers provided for Subway connections. The buses are handicapped accessible, but connections may not be.

Taxi

New York City’s yellow cabs, operated by the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission, offer a flat rate service of $45 (as of 2006) from JFK airport to Manhattan, excluding tips and tolls. This flat rate is in effect only inbound to Manhattan from the airport; from Manhattan to JFK, taxi passengers pay the metered rate.

Helicopter

The fastest mode of travel between lower Manhattan and JFK airport is with US Helicopter, which has scheduled helicopter flights every hour from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. The flights last 8 minutes and costs $159 each way. Included in the price is the luxury of avoiding long security screening lines at the airport. Passengers travelling by helicopter pass through X-ray and bomb-detection machines at a security checkpoint operated at the heliport.

John F. Kennedy International Airport: New York :: New York Travel Guide

John F. Kennedy International Airport: New York

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John F. Kennedy International Airport: New York ::New York Travel Guide