John F. Kennedy International Airport

John F. Kennedy International Airport
FAA airport diagram
IATA: JFK – ICAO: KJFK – FAA: JFK
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		City of New York
Operator		Port Authority of New York and New Jersey[1]
Serves		New York City
Location		Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New York
Elevation AMSL		13 ft / 4 m
Website		www.KennedyAirport.com
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
Helipads
Number	Length		Surface
	ft	m
H1	60	18	Asphalt
H2	60	18	Asphalt
H3	60	18	Asphalt
H4	60	18	Asphalt
Statistics (2007)
Aircraft operations			443,004
Passengers			47,810,630
Source: Airports Council International[2]

John F. Kennedy International Airport (IATA: JFK, ICAO: KJFK, FAA LID: JFK) is an international airport located in Queens County in southeastern New York City about 12 miles (19 km) from Lower Manhattan. It is the top international air passenger gateway to the United States^[3] and is also the leading freight gateway to the country by value of shipments.^[4] The airport is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages the two other major airports in the New York metropolitan area, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia. JFK airport is the base of operations for JetBlue Airways and is also a major international gateway hub for Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. 90 airlines operate out of JFK.^[5]

Contents 1 Location 2 History 3 Infrastructure and services 3.1 Traffic and statistics 3.2 Air freight 3.3 Runways 3.4 Passenger terminals 3.5 Redevelopment 4 Access 4.1 Rail 4.2 Bus 4.3 Taxi 4.4 Car 4.5 Helicopter 5 Airport Information 6 Terminals, airlines, and destinations 6.1 Terminal 1 6.2 Terminal 2 6.3 Terminal 3 6.4 Terminal 4 6.5 Terminal 5 6.6 Terminal 6 6.7 Terminal 7 6.8 Terminal 8 7 Accidents 7.1 Accidents at JFK 7.2 Other accidents and incidents involving JFK 8 In popular culture 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

Location

JFK Airport is located in the southeastern section of Queens County, New York City, on Jamaica Bay. The airport is about fifteen miles (24 km) by highway from midtown Manhattan.

History

The airport was originally known as Idlewild Airport and later it was renamed "Major General Alexander E. Anderson Airport." General Anderson was a Queens resident who had commanded a Federalized National Guard unit in the southern United States and who had died in late 1942. (IATA: IDL, ICAO: KIDL, FAA LID: IDL) In 1948, the airport was renamed New York International Airport, though the original name remained in common use. The airport was renamed in 1963 in memory of the late President John F. Kennedy. It is colloquially referred to simply as "Kennedy" or "JFK."

Construction of the airport began in 1943 with modest ambitions — approximately $60 million was spent for its construction, but only 1,000 acres (4 km²) of land on the site of the Idlewild golf course were earmarked for use. The connection with Idlewild Golf Course provided the airport's original commonly-used though unofficial name, Idlewild Airport. The airport is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, under a 1947 lease from the City of New York.^[1]. 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.

The Worldport (Pan Am), 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 was one of the first airline terminals in the world to feature Jetways that connected to the terminal and that could be moved to provide an easy walkway for passengers from the terminal to a docked aircraft, rather than having to board the plane outside via airstairs, which descend from an aircraft, via truck-mounted mobile stairs, or via wheeled stairs.

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 architecturally distinguished airport terminal designs in the world. With the demise of TWA, however, it became vacant. In 2005, JetBlue and the Port Authority financed the construction of a new 26 gate terminal behind the Saarinen building, branded as T5, which opened on October 22, 2008. T5 is the first airline terminal to be designed after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and contains 20 security lanes, one of the largest checkpoints in a US airline terminal. T5 is expected to handle as many as 20 million passengers each year. T5 is connected to the Saarinen building through the original tubes. The Saarinen building is being refurbished and will reopen at a later date as an entry point to T5.

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 KIA, short for Kennedy International Airport, but as the US death toll in Vietnam became a serious and emotional issue for Americans ("KIA", short for Killed In Action, was a shorthand in newsreports of US casualties in the war), it was changed in 1968 to JFK, and since then the airport has become widely referred to by the abbreviation "JFK".

In 1970, National Airlines opened their Sundrome, designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. It is known as Terminal 6 and is now vacant after JetBlue moved to Terminal 5. 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 Concorde was retired by both carriers. JFK had the most Concorde operations annually of any airport in the world.

The cargo operations at JFK were targeted in the 1978 Lufthansa heist and 1967 Air France robbery, inspiring the Nicholas Pileggi novel Wiseguy and Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas.

By the mid-1980s, JFK had overtaken Newark International Airport (now Newark Liberty International Airport) to become New York City's busiest airport.

In 1998, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of JFK Airport the Port Authority introduced a new airport slogan: “JFK: Where America Greets the World.” Later that year, 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, Queens.

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

On March 19, 2007, JFK became the first airport in the United States to receive the Airbus A380 with passengers aboard. The route-proving flight with more than 500 passengers was operated jointly by Lufthansa and Airbus and arrived at Terminal 1. On August 1, 2008, JFK received the first regularly-scheduled commercial A380 flight to the United States, operated by Emirates on its New York-Dubai route using Terminal 4.^[6]

Infrastructure and services

Traffic and statistics

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 2007, JFK handled an average of about 59,000 international passengers each day. The JFK-London Heathrow route is the leading U.S. international airport pair with over 2.9 million passengers in 2004.^[3]

Other top international destinations from JFK are Paris, Frankfurt, and Tokyo. Nearly 100 airlines from over 50 countries operate regularly scheduled flights from JFK. Although JFK is known for its historical role as an international gateway airport for the United States, it also handles a large number of domestic flights. In 2007 the airport handled 47.8 million passengers;^[2] Newark Liberty handled about 36.3 million^[2] and LaGuardia about 25.3 million, making for a total of approximately 111 million travelers using New York's airports. New York City's combined airport system is the busiest in the United States in terms of passenger numbers and second in the world after London.

The five largest airlines at JFK in market share are JetBlue Airways (27.3%), Delta Air Lines (18.6%), American Airlines (18.5%), British Airways (2.8%), and United Airlines (1.9%).

JFK contributes about $30.1 billion in economic activity to the New York City region, generating 229,000 jobs and about $9.8 billion in wages and salaries. About 35,000 people are employed at the airport.^[7]

Busiest International Routes out of JFK Airport (2006) ^[8]

Rank	City	Passengers
1	London, United Kingdom (Heathrow)	2,697,344
2	Paris, France	1,163,536
3	Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic	687,988
4	Frankfurt, Germany	677,931
5	Tokyo, Japan	638,502
6	Tel Aviv, Israel	576,386
7	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	564,055
8	Amsterdam, the Netherlands	479,658
9	Incheon, South Korea	455,091
10	Madrid, Spain	440,147
11	Rome, Italy	414,216
12	Dublin, Ireland	400,635
13	Mexico City, Mexico	386,079
14	São Paulo, Brazil	346,281
15	Zurich, Switzerland	298,980

Air freight

JFK is the nation’s busiest international air freight gateway by value of shipments and the second busiest overall by value including all air, land and sea U.S. freight gateways. Over 21% of all U.S. international air freight by value and 11% by tonnage moved through JFK in 2003.^[4]

JFK is a major hub for air cargo between the United States and Europe. London, Brussels and Frankfurt are JFK's three top trade routes.^[4] The European airports are mostly a link in a global supply chain, however. The top destination markets for cargo flying out of JFK in 2003 were Tokyo, Seoul and London. Similarly, the top origin markets for imports at JFK were Seoul, Hong Kong, and Taipei, with London taking the fourth spot.^[4]

Some of the cargo imported and exported through JFK includes electrical machinery, woven and knit apparel, medical instruments, footwear, plastics and paper.

Nearly 100 cargo air carriers operate out of JFK,^[4] among them: ABX Air, Air China Cargo, Air France, Alitalia, Asiana, Astar Air Cargo, Atlas Air, CAL Cargo Air Lines, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific Cargo, China Airlines, DHL, EVA Air, Evergreen International Airlines, Execaire, FedEx Express, Japan Airlines, Kalitta Air, Korean Air, Polar Air Cargo, Royal Jordanian, Lufthansa Cargo, , Prince Edward Air, United Cargo, UPS, , Southern Air. Top 5 carriers together transported 33.1% of all “revenue” freight in 2005: American Airlines (10.9% of the total), FedEx Express (8.8%), Lufthansa Cargo (5.2%), Korean Air Cargo (4.9%), China Airlines (3.8%).^[9]

Most cargo and maintenance facilities at JFK are located north and west of the main terminal area. The following airlines have dedicated cargo terminals at JFK: Continental Airlines, DHL, EVA Air, Evergreen International Airlines, FedEx Express, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, United Cargo, and UPS.

In 2000, Korean Air Cargo opened a new $102 million cargo terminal at JFK. It was the largest air freight facility on the East Coast with total warehouse floor area of more than 55,000 sq ft (16, 764 m²) and capability of handling 200,000 tons annually.

In October 2007, American Airlines's cargo division has opened a new state-of-the-art priority parcel service facility at their Terminal 8. The facility features 30-minute drop-offs and pick-ups for priority parcel shipments within the US.

Runways

Two pairs of parallel runways, four in all, surround the airport's central terminal area: 4L-22R, 4R-22L, 13L-31R and 13R-31L. Runway 13R-31L is the second longest commercial runway in North America, at a length of 14,572 ft (4,441 m). The longest runway in the United States is at the Denver International Airport which is 16,000 ft.

Runway 4R-22L is 8,400 feet (2,600 m) long and 200 feet (61 m) wide. It is equipped at both ends with Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), Approach Lighting Systems (ALS) with sequenced flashers, and touchdown zone (TDZ) lighting.

Runway 4R is a Category III A/L ILS runway, permitting landings with a visibility of 600 feet (180 m) or more by qualified aircrews. The first Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) in North America was installed at the northeast end of the runway in 1996. The bed consists of cellular cement material, which can safely decelerate and stop an aircraft that overruns the runway. The arrestor bed concept was originated and developed by the Port Authority and installed at JFK Airport as a joint research and development project with the FAA and industry. Runway 22L ILS is also a Category III runway. Runway 4L-22R is 11,351 feet (3,460 m) long by 150 feet (46 m) wide and is also equipped with ILS at both ends allowing landings down to three-quarters of a mile visibility. Takeoffs can be conducted with one-eighth of a mile visibility.

Runway 13L-31R is 10,000 feet (3,000 m) long by 150 feet (46 m) wide and is equipped at both ends with ILS and ALS systems. Runway 13L has two additional visual aids for landing aircraft, a Visual Approach Slope Indicator System (VASI) and a Lead-In Lighting System (LDIN). The ILS on 13L has Category II capability, and along with TDZ lighting, allows landings down to half a mile visibility. Takeoffs can be made with visibility of one-eighth of a mile. JFK has over 25 miles (40 km) of taxiways to move aircraft in and around the airfield. The standard width of these taxiways is 75 feet (23 m), with 25-foot (7.6 m) heavy-duty shoulders and 25-foot (7.6 m) erosion control pavements on each side. The taxiways have centerline lights and are generally of asphalt concrete composition 15 to 18 inches (460 mm) thick. An illuminated sign system provides directional information for taxiing aircraft.

The Air Traffic Control Tower, constructed on the ramp-side of Terminal 4, began full FAA operations in October 1994 and is 321 feet (98 m) tall. An Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE) radar unit sits atop the tower. A gas-fired electric cogeneration plant generates electricity for the airport, with an output of about 90 megawatts. It uses thermal energy from the capture of waste heat to heat and cool all of the passenger terminals and other facilities in the central terminal area.

Aircraft service facilities include seven aircraft hangars, an engine overhaul building, a 32-million gallon aircraft fuel storage facility, and a truck garage.

Passenger terminals

JFK has eight passenger terminals in operation arranged in a U-shaped pattern around a central area containing parking, hotels, a power plant, and other airport facilities. The terminals are connected by the AirTrain system and access roads. 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 which serves the Las Vegas metropolitan area.^[10]

Terminal 1 has 11 gates. The original Terminal 1, built as a hub for Eastern Airlines, was demolished, a new Terminal 1 was opened in 1998, 50 years after the opening of JFK.

Terminal 2 was opened in 1962 as the home of Northeast Airlines, Braniff and Northwest Airlines. After the demise of Northeast Airlines and Braniff the building was taken over by Delta Air Lines. The building has 11 gates. Delta hopes to merge its two terminals at JFK (2 & 3) into a single modern terminal in the future.

Terminal 3, built as the Worldport in 1960 for Pan American, and substantially expanded for the introduction of the 747 in 1970, has 17 gates. Delta Air Lines currently uses the entire terminal, and has a connector to Terminal 2, its other terminal at JFK.

Terminal 4, the international terminal, is able to handle the Airbus A380 and was developed by LCOR, Inc and is managed by the Schiphol Group. It was the first airport terminal in the United States to be managed by a foreign airport operator. Terminal 4 is the major gateway for International Arrivals at JFK. Opened in 2001, the new 1,500,000-square-foot (139,000 m²) building was built at a cost of $1.4 billion. The terminal has 17 gates on two concourses. Concourse A has six gates, numbered A2-A7. Concourse B has eleven gates, numbered B20-B31, excluding B21. As Terminal 4 was built during the construction of the AirTrain, the AirTrain station was built inside the terminal building. Other AirTrain stations are built across from terminal buildings. Terminal 4’s expansive shopping mall offers a wide range of retail options before security so passengers and their families can enjoy shopping and dining together.

Terminal 5, also known as the TWA Flight Center, is the new home of JetBlue Airways. The active 26 gate terminal sits behind the Eero Saarinen built terminal has been branded by JetBlue as T5. The Saarinen building is closed for refurbishment, it is unclear when the building will reopen and what purpose it will have.

Terminal 6, built in 1970 as the National Airlines Sundrome designed by I. M. Pei, has 14 gates. On June 1, 2006, JetBlue opened a temporary terminal complex that added seven gates onto the terminal and increased the capacity for more flights. The fate of Terminal 6 is unknown, but the temporary terminal gates will be demolished shortly.

Terminal 7 was built for BOAC and Air Canada in the early 1970s. In 1997, the Port Authority entered an agreement with British Airways to expand the terminal. The renovated terminal has 12 gates.^[11] On May 21, 2008, British Airways announced that it would undertake a $30 million, 18-month-long project to enhance its premium ground facilities at the terminal. Scheduled to launch in June 2009, the project will involve creation of a new premium check-in "pavilion" with dedicated curbside drop-off for first and Executive Gold Club customers, an enhanced and dedicated check-in area for Club World and Executive Club Silver customers and renovation of Terraces, First Class and Concorde Lounges.

In 1999, American Airlines began an eight-year program to build the largest passenger terminal at JFK to replace the very dated and cramped terminals 8 and 9. The new $1.3 billion Terminal 8 officially opened in August 2007, despite having already been handling some flights for two years. The final sections opened in August 2007 and featured two lounges and a private check-in area for first and business class passengers. The terminal, about 50% larger than Madison Square Garden, offers dozens of retail and food outlets, 84 ticket counters, 44 self-service kiosks, 10 security lanes and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility that can process more than 1,600 people an hour.

Redevelopment

JFK is undergoing a $10.3 billion redevelopment. The airport opened a new Terminal 1 in 1998. The $1.4 billion replacement for the International Arrivals Building, Terminal 4, opened in 2001. Construction has been completed on JetBlue Airways's new Terminal 5, which incorporates the historic landmark TWA FlightCenter terminal. The $800 million terminal will support 500 daily departures and arrivals, doubling JetBlue's current operating capacity at JFK. Delta Air Lines has undertaken a refurbishment of Terminals 2 and 3 (for its hub operation), while Terminals 8 and 9 have undergone redevelopment as one single terminal for American Airlines hub operation - Terminal 8.

Original plans called for the redevelopment of Terminal 6 for United Airlines^[12]. However, United has since dramatically reduced its operation at JFK and has abandoned any plans for a future JFK hub. As of August 2007, no plans have been released as to the future of Terminal 6.

Access

Main article: Transportation to New York City area airports

Rail

JFK is connected to New York's subway and commuter rail system by AirTrain JFK. AirTrain stops at all terminals, parking lots, hotel shuttle areas, car rental lots, two subway stations and the Long Island Rail Road. It is free within the airport and $5 to reach the subway stations outside the airport perimeter. Travel time between JFK and Midtown Manhattan is approximately 30-40 minutes (depending on the originating/terminating terminal at JFK) using AirTrain and the Long Island Rail Road at Jamaica Station ($8 to $12); or approximately 75 minutes between JFK and Downtown Manhattan using AirTrain and the New York City Subway A train at Howard Beach-JFK Station ($2) or the E (to Midtown Manhattan), J and Z (to Downtown Manhattan) trains at Sutphin Boulevard Station ($2). The AirTrain was built with the capacity for a future one-seat connection to Lower Manhattan, though final decisions on funding and construction are likely years away.

Bus

Several city bus lines link JFK to the New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road, including the Q3, Q6, Q7, Q10 (Local/Limited), and B15, with free transfers provided for subway connections. The buses are handicapped accessible. There are also many private bus lines operating express buses to Manhattan, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island.

In addition, China Airlines provides private bus service to the following destinations for its customers^[13]:

• Citibank in Fort Lee, New Jersey
• Top Quality Food Market 828 Rt. 46 in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey
• Kam Man Food Inc. at 511 Old Post Road in Edison, New Jersey
• Holy Redeemer Church in the Chinatown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Avianca operates a private bus service from JFK to Union City and Elizabeth in New Jersey for its customers.^[14]

Taxi

New York City's yellow cabs, operated by the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission, offer a flat rate service of $45 from JFK airport to Manhattan, excluding tips and tolls. Since November 30, 2006, this flat rate fare (excluding tips and tolls) applies to travel from Manhattan to JFK as well. Depending on the time of day, taxi travel from JFK to Midtown Manhattan can be as quick as 35 minutes. Door-to-door Car Service is another popular transportation option.

Car

JFK Airport is easily accessible by car and is located in southern Queens on Van Wyck Expressway (I-678), which can be accessed from Belt Parkway, Grand Central Parkway and Queens Boulevard. A ring road connects the airport terminals to the Belt Parkway and the Van Wyck Expressway. The airport offers customers over 17,000 parking spaces, included in multi-level parking garages, surface spaces in the Central Terminal Area, a long-term parking lot and valet parking^[15].

Van Wyck Expressway twists through the terminal nucleus and turns into the JFK Expressway. This four-lane expressway allows for more convenient access to the airport for Long Island users via the westbound Belt Parkway. Because it lies almost entirely within Kennedy Airport, the JFK Expressway was constructed, and is maintained by the Port Authority. The JFK Expressway was built as part of an ongoing, multi-billion overhaul of Kennedy Airport that began in the late 1980s. It was designed to relieve up to 30 percent of the traffic volume from the Van Wyck Expressway^[16].

Approximately 6 major rental car companies serve JFK Airport, with rental locations located on and off the airport. Each terminal's arrivals level (usually near the baggage carousel) has either a rental car counter or courtesy telephone for each of the car rental companies.

Helicopter

US Helicopter operates regularly scheduled flights every hour between Terminal 3 and the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. Passengers travelling by helicopter pass through a security checkpoint at the heliport, not at JFK. The flights last 8 minutes and cost $159 each way. On May 14 2007, US Helicopter moved its operations from Terminal 9 to Terminal 3.^[17]

Airport Information

Airport information can be obtained in several ways both before traveling to the airport and while there. In addition to the Web site listed below, travelers may call the airport at +1-718-244-4444.

In the immediate vicinity of the airport, parking and other information can be obtained by tuning to a highway advisory radio station at 1630 AM. A second station at 1700 AM provides information on traffic concerns for drivers leaving the airport.

Kennedy Airport, along with LaGuardia and Newark airports, uses a uniform style of signing throughout the airport properties. Yellow signs direct passengers to airline gates, ticketing and other flight services; green signs direct passengers to ground transportation services, and black signs lead to restrooms, telephones and other passenger amenities.

Former New York City traffic reporter, Bernie Wagenblast provides the voice for the airport's radio stations and the messages heard onboard AirTrain JFK and in its stations.

Terminals, airlines, and destinations

Destinations by Region

Domestic (U.S.A.) – Albany, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Bangor, Boston, Buffalo, Burbank, Burlington (VT), Charlotte, Chicago-O’Hare, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Eagle/Vail, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Hartford/Springfield, Houston-Hobby, Houston-Intercontinental, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nantucket[seasonal], Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk, Oakland, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland (ME), Portland (OR), Providence, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Rochester (NY), Sacramento[seasonal], Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Sarasota/Bradenton, Seattle/Tacoma, St. Louis, Syracuse, Tampa, Washington-Dulles, Washington-Reagan, West Palm Beach[seasonal] Africa – Accra, Cairo, Cape Town, Casablanca, Dakar, Johannesburg Asia Central Asia - Tashkent East Asia - Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan, Tokyo-Narita South Asia - Chennai, Delhi, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Mumbai Southeast Asia - Singapore Southwest Asia - Abu Dhabi, Amman, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Riyadh, Tel Aviv Europe – Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Bari[seasonal], Berlin-Tegel, Bologna[seasonal], Brussels, Budapest, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva, Helsinki, Istanbul-Atatürk, Kiev-Boryspil, Kraków, London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow, Lyon, Madrid, Málaga, Manchester, Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Munich, Naples[seasonal], Nice, Palermo[seasonal], Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly, Pisa, Prague, Reykjavik-Keflavík, Riga, Rome-Fiumicino, Rzeszów, Shannon, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw, Zürich North America – Aguadilla, Antigua, Aruba, Bermuda, Bonaire[Begins December 20], Bridgetown, Calgary, Cancún, Charlottetown[seasonal], Grand Cayman, Guatemala City, Halifax, Havana, Kingston, Mexico City, Montego Bay, Monterrey, Montréal, Nassau, Panama City, Ponce, Port au Prince, Port of Spain, Providenciales, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, San Jose, San Juan, San Pedro Sula, San Salvador, Santiago (DR)[resumes December 13], Santo Domingo[resumes December 13], St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Thomas, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver Oceania - Papeete[seasonal], Sydney South America – Barranquilla[seasonal], Bogotá, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza[resumes December 9], Cali, Georgetown, Guayaquil, Lima, Medellin-Cordova, Pereira, Quito, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Santiago de Chile, São Paulo-Guarulhos

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 has 11 gates: 1-11

Airlines and destinations out of Terminal 1

Airlines	Destinations
Aeroflot	Moscow-Sheremetyevo
Aeroméxico	Mexico City
Air China	Beijing
Air France	Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Alitalia	Milan-Malpensa, Rome-Fiumicino
Austrian Airlines	Vienna
Cayman Airways	Grand Cayman
China Airlines	Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuana
China Eastern Airlines	Shanghai-Pudong
Japan Airlines	São Paulo-Guarulhos, Tokyo-Narita
Korean Air	Seoul-Incheon
Lufthansa	Frankfurt, Munich
Olympic Airlines	Athens
Royal Air Maroc	Casablanca
Saudi Arabian Airlines	Jeddah, Riyadh
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul-Atatürk

Note^a: Stops in Anchorage; No traffic rights between New York and Anchorage.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 has 7 jetway equipped gates: 20-22, 26-29 and 17 stands for Delta Connection carriers: 23A-H, 23J, 25K-N, 25P-S

Airlines and destinations out of Terminal 2

Airlines	Destinations
Delta Air Lines	See Terminal 3
Delta Connection operated by Chautauqua Airlines	Columbus (OH)
Delta Connection operated by Comair	Albany (NY), Baltimore, Bangor, Boston, Buffalo, Charlottetown [seasonal], Chicago-O'Hare, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Detroit, Halifax, Kansas City [begins April 6], Memphis [begins April 6], Minneapolis/St. Paul, Montréal, Nantucket [seasonal], Nashville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, St. Louis, Toronto-Pearson, Washington-Dulles, Washington-Reagan
Delta Connection operated by Freedom Airlines	Albany (NY), Baltimore, Buffalo, Burlington (VT), Charlotte, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Dallas/Fort Worth, Hartford/Springfield, Indianapolis, Houston-Intercontinental, Nashville, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland (ME), Raleigh/Durham, Rochester (NY), Syracuse, Washington-Dulles, Washington-Reagan
Delta Connection operated by Shuttle America	Atlanta

Terminal 3

Further information: Terminal 3 Worldport

Terminal 3 has 16 jetway equipped gates: 1-10, 12, 14-18 with 2 hardstand gates (Gate 11) and a helipad on Taxiway 'KK'

Airlines and destinations out of Terminal 3

Airlines	Destinations
Delta Air Lines	Accra, Amman, Amsterdam, Antigua, Aruba, Athens, Atlanta, Barcelona, Berlin-Tegel, Bogotá [begins December 18], Bonaire [begins December 20], Boston, Brussels, Bucharest-Otopeni [seasonal], Budapest, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza [begins December 18], Cairo, Cape Town [ends May 31], Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Dakar [ends May 31], Denver, Dublin, Edinburgh, Fort Lauderdale, Frankfurt, Georgetown, Gothenburg [begins June 11], Istanbul-Atatürk, Kiev-Boryspil, Lagos [begins June 9], Las Vegas, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Lyon, Madrid, Málaga, Manchester (UK), Mexico City, Miami, Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Nice, Orlando, Phoenix, Pisa, Port of Spain, Portland (OR), Prague [begins June 19], Punta Cana, Rome-Fiumicino, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San José (CR), San Juan, Santo Domingo [resumes December 13], Santiago (DR) [resumes December 13], São Paulo-Guarulhos, Seattle/Tacoma, Shannon, St. Thomas, Tampa, Tel Aviv, Tokyo-Narita [begins June 4], Valencia [begins June 5], Venice, Washington-Reagan, Zurich [seasonal; begins June 9]
US Helicopter Gate 11	Bridgeport, Downtown Manhattan Heliport, East 34th St. Heliport, Newark

Terminal 4

Terminal 4 has 17 gates in two concourses: A2-A7, B20, B22-B31

Airlines and destinations out of Terminal 4

Airlines	Destinations
Aer Lingus	Dublin, Shannon
Aerosvit Airlines	Kiev-Boryspil
airberlin	Dusseldorf [seasonal]
Air India	Delhi, Mumbai
Air Jamaica	Bridgetown, Grenada, Kingston, Montego Bay.
Air Tahiti Nui	Papeete [seasonal]
Asiana Airlines	Seoul-Incheon
Avianca	Barranquilla [seasonal], Bogotá, Cali, Medellin-Cordova, Pereira
Caribbean Airlines	Port of Spain
Copa Airlines	Panama City
Czech Airlines	Prague
EgyptAir	Cairo
El Al Israel Airlines	Tel Aviv
Emirates	Dubai
Etihad Airways	Abu Dhabi
Eurofly	Bari [seasonal], Bologna [seasonal], Naples [seasonal], Palermo [seasonal], Rome-Fiumicino, Venice
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines	Amsterdam
Kuwait Airways	Kuwait, London-Heathrow
LAN Airlines	Lima, Santiago de Chile, Toronto-Pearson
LAN Ecuador	Guayaquil
LOT Polish Airlines	Kraków, Rzeszów, Warsaw
Northwest Airlines	Amsterdam, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Pakistan International Airlines	Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore1
Qatar Airways	Doha
Royal Jordanian	Amman
Singapore Airlines	Frankfurt, Singapore
Sky King (airline)	Havana [scheduled charters]
South African Airways	Dakar, Johannesburg
Sun Country Airlines	Minneapolis/St. Paul, West Palm Beach [seasonal; ends January 5]
Swiss International Air Lines	Geneva, Zürich
TACA	Guatemala City, San Pedro Sula, San Salvador
Lacsa	San José (CR)
TAM Airlines	Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, São Paulo-Guarulhos
Travelspan operated by North American Airlines	Georgetown, Port of Spain
Uzbekistan Airways	Riga, Tashkent
Virgin America	Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco
Virgin Atlantic	London-Heathrow

¹: Although most of Pakistan International Airlines flights to Pakistan stop in Manchester, PIA has no rights to transport passengers between New York and Manchester.

Terminal 5

Main article: TWA Flight Center

Terminal 5 has 26 gates: 1-12, 14-25

Airlines and destinations out of Terminal 5

Airlines

Destinations

JetBlue Airways

Aguadilla, Aruba, Austin, Bermuda, Boston, Buffalo, Burbank, Burlington, Cancún [departures], Charlotte, Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Houston-Hobby, Jacksonville (FL), Las Vegas, Long Beach, Nantucket [seasonal], Nassau, New Orleans, Oakland, Orlando, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Ponce, Portland (ME), Portland (OR) [seasonal], Puerto Plata [departures], Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Rochester (NY), Sacramento [seasonal], Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), San Juan, Santiago de los Caballeros [departures], Santo Domingo [departures], Sarasota/Bradenton, Seattle/Tacoma, St. Maarten [departures], Syracuse, Tampa, Washington-Dulles, West Palm Beach

Note: International JetBlue flights continue to arrive at Terminal 4. The only exceptions are flights from Nassau, Aruba, and Bermuda, which offer US Border Pre-clearance.

Terminal 6

Terminal 6 is now closed. It had 14 gates and is the former home of JetBlue Airways. Its future is unknown at this point, but it has been confirmed that the temporary gates will be demolished. ^[18]

Terminal 7

Terminal 7 has 12 gates: 1-12

Airlines and destinations out of Terminal 7

Airlines	Destinations
Air Canada	Calgary, Vancouver
All Nippon Airways	Tokyo-Narita
British Airways	London-City [begins September 2009][19], London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow
British Airways operated by OpenSkies	Amsterdam, Paris-Orly
Cathay Pacific	Hong Kong, Vancouver
Iberia Airlines	Madrid
Icelandair	Reykjavík-Keflavík
Qantas	Sydney2
United Airlines	Los Angeles, San Francisco
United Express operated by Shuttle America	Washington-Dulles
US Airways	Las Vegas, Phoenix
US Airways Express operated by Republic Airlines	Charlotte

²: Stops in Los Angeles. No local traffic rights between New York and Los Angeles.

Terminal 8

Terminal 8 has 29 gates: 12 gates in Concourse B (1-8, 10, 12, 14, and 16) and 17 gates in Concourse C (31-47)^[20]

Airlines and destinations out of Terminal 8

Airlines	Destinations
American Airlines	Aruba, Barcelona, Bermuda, Bridgetown, Brussels, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cancún, Caracas, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Eagle/Vail [seasonal; begins December 18], Las Vegas, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan-Malpensa, Montego Bay, Orlando, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Port-au-Prince, Providenciales, Punta Cana, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Rome-Fiumicino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan, Santiago (DR), Santo Domingo, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Seattle/Tacoma, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Tampa, Tokyo-Narita, Zürich
American Eagle	Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Halifax, Montréal, Pittsburgh, Raleigh/Durham, Toronto-Pearson, Washington-Reagan
Finnair	Helsinki
Jet Airways	Brussels, Chennai
Mexicana	Cancun, Mexico City, Monterrey

Accidents

JFK has been the site of several notable air disasters.

Accidents at JFK

• December 18, 1954 - a Linee Aeree Italiane Douglas DC-6 crashed on its fourth approach attempt to land at Idlewild (the former name of JFK), after circling for 2.5 hours. 26 of the 32 passengers on board were killed.
• December 16, 1960 - a United Airlines Douglas DC-8 collided with a TWA Super Constellation on approach to the airport; the United jet crashed in a Brooklyn neighborhood, the TWA plane on Staten Island, killing 127 people on board and five on the ground.
• March 1, 1962 - American Airlines Flight 1 [1], a Boeing 707 crashed on takeoff from Idlewild after its rudder separated from the tail. All 95 passengers and 12 crew members were killed.
• November 30, 1962 - an Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-7 crashed into the ground during a missed approach.
• February 8, 1965 - an Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-7 crashed off Jones Beach after takeoff when the pilots found themselves on an apparent collision course with an inbound Pan Am Boeing 707 and made evasive maneuvers.
• September 8, 1970 - a Trans International Airlines DC-8-63CF ferry flight to Dulles International Airport crashed on takeoff from runway 13R, killing all 11 crewmembers on board. The DC-8 freighter started rotating in a nose-high attitude 1,500 feet (460 m) into the take-off. After becoming airborne at 2,800 feet (850 m) down the runway, the aircraft climbed to about 300-500 feet, rolled 20 degrees to the left, crashed and caught fire. The loss of pitch control was caused by the entrapment of a pointed, asphalt-covered object between the leading edge of the right elevator and the right horizontal spar web access door in the aft part of the stabilizer.
• June 24, 1975 - Eastern Air Lines Flight 66, a Boeing 727 on final approach from New Orleans, crashed into the runway lights short of runway 22L, killing 112 passengers and crew. The cause of the crash was wind shear during a heavy thunderstorm.
• January 25, 1990 - Avianca Flight 52, a Boeing 707-321B arriving from Bogotá and Medellin, crashed at Cove Neck, Long Island, after a missed approach at JFK and subsequently running out of fuel.
• July 30, 1992 - TWA Flight 843, a Lockheed L-1011 departing for San Francisco, aborted takeoff shortly after liftoff. There were no fatalities among the 280 passengers, although the aircraft was destroyed.
• November 12, 2001 - The most recent disaster at JFK was American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300 that crashed while en route to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. During climb, the aircraft lost most of its vertical fin due to the co-pilot's overcontrol of the rudder while encountering wake turbulence, and crashed into the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens. The crash killed all 260 people on the plane and five people on the ground.
• On 6 September 2007, Tam Airlines Flight 8080 suffered a heavy landing due to the elevators not responding in the landing flare. An investigation revealed that #2 flight control primary computer did not match #1 and #3 computers, sending erroneous messaged to the actuators for the elevators.^[21]

Other accidents and incidents involving JFK

• Sabena Flight 548 (1961), outbound from JFK, crashed while trying to land in Brussels, Belgium
• Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 (1972), outbound from JFK, crashed while trying to land in Miami, Florida
• Pan Am Flight 1736 (1977), originated from LAX and stopped at JFK, collided with another 747 at Tenerife
• LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007 (1980), outbound from JFK, crashed while trying to land in Warsaw, Poland
• Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (1983), originated from JFK, shot down by Soviet jet interceptors off the coast of Sakhalin, believing it was a spy plane that had entered its airspace
• Pan Am Flight 103 (1988), bound for JFK, with continued service to Detroit, exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland
• TWA Flight 800 (1996), outbound from JFK, exploded soon after takeoff, and crashed off the coast of Long Island and East Moriches
• Swissair Flight 111 (1998), outbound from JFK, crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia
• EgyptAir Flight 990 (1999), outbound from JFK, crashed off the coast of Nantucket
• Air France Flight 4590 (2000), a Concorde bound for JFK, crashed in Gonesse, France

• Korean Air Flight 85 (2001), bound for JFK on September 11, was escorted by fighter jets to Whitehorse International Airport during Operation Yellow Ribbon on fears it may have been hijacked. This was not the case; the plane was low on fuel, and according to a public affairs official at the airport, there was also a communication problem with the air crew. When the plane landed, witnesses reported that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ordered the crew out at gunpoint. The entire incident was a misunderstanding caused by a malfunctioning transponder.
• On June 2, 2007, federal authorities announced that four people had been arrested in connection with an alleged terror plot to attack the JFK Airport. FBI officials say the men, one of whom was a former air cargo employee at the airport, planned to blow up terminal buildings and jet fuel infrastructure.^[22].

In popular culture

As one of the major international gateways in the United States, JFK possesses a high profile in popular culture. The British Invasion began with the arrival of The Beatles at JFK in 1964, who held their first American press conference at the airport.

Rapper Notorious B.I.G. references the airport's code name in the song "Going Back to Cali." The theme song of the 1960s comedy TV series Car 54, Where Are You? contained a line reading: "There's a scout troop short a child, [Nikita] Khrushchev's due at Idlewild," referencing the airport's previous name, Idlewild. In his one-man show Red diaper baby, Josh Kornbluth's eccentric communist father insists on referring to JFK as the "Bay of Pigs Memorial Airport". JFK is also mentioned in the U2 song, "Angel of Harlem", as well as the song "The City" by Joe Purdy. In the Simpsons episode "$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)" Mr. Burns builds the 'Spruce Moose' a parody of Howard Hughes's 'Spruce Goose' airplane, which he claims will fly from New York's Idlewild Airport to the Belgian Congo in seventeen minutes. A futuristic version of JFK was featured in The Fifth Element. In I Love Lucy, Lucy misses the USS Constitution bound for Europe and is forced to take a helicopter out of Idlewild Airport.

Many films have used JFK as a setting, including:

• Auntie Mame (1958) - Mame Dennis Burnside makes reference to "Idlewild" and "Pan American flight 100" near the end of the film.
• Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) - In the final scene of the movie, Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly is in a taxi with Paul Varjak (played by George Peppard) and tells the driver to go to Idlewild Airport, where she hopes to catch a flight to Brazil.
• Live and Let Die (1973)
• Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
• Zombi 2 (1979)
• Moonstruck (1987)
• Three Men and a Baby (1987)
• Big Business (1988)
• Coming to America (1988)
• Bonfire of the Vanities (1989) A complicated shot of the Concorde landing here was documented in the book The Devil's Candy
• Goodfellas (1990) (as Idlewild Airport) which shows the 1967 Air France Robbery and 1978 Lufthansa heist that are both unsolved major robberies conducted at the airport.
• Quick Change (1990)
• The Wedding Banquet (1993)
• Turbulence (1997)
• Red Dwarf (1997) - The episode Tikka to Ride makes reference to an alternative reality where Idlewild airport was not named after John F. Kennedy, owing to his 1963 assassination having failed.
• Final Destination (2000)
• Catch Me If You Can (2002)
• Kangaroo Jack (2003) (cameo appearance)
• The Terminal (2004)
• Taxi (2004)
• White Chicks (2004)
• Friends (2004) (series finale)
• School for Scoundrels (2006)
• Build It Bigger (2007)
• Bee Movie (2007) The plane carrying the roses lands at Terminal 4.
• Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

See also

• Busiest airports in the United States by international passenger traffic
• Thin-shell structure

References

External links

• JFK Eats: A terminal-by-terminal list of restaurants and food stands at JFK International Airport (from Newsday.com)
• John F. Kennedy International Airport travel guide from Wikitravel
• John F. Kennedy International Airport (official site)
• JFK Airport Monitor (from Passur.com)
• ATC Tower Ground and ATC Approach Departure (streaming audio from LiveATC.net)
• FAA Airport Diagram(PDF), effective 20 November 2008
• FAA Terminal Procedures for JFK, effective 20 November 2008
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KJFK
  • ASN accident history for JFK
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KJFK
  • FAA current JFK delay information
• New York State DOT Airport DiagramPDF
• How to get to JFK Airport via the Subway and other mass transit
• JFK WiFi Service Guide
• Our Lady of the Skies Chapel at JFK Airport (Terminal 4)
• Terminal4 JFK International Airport (official site)
• Getting to JFK Video
• JetBlue's New Terminal 5

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