New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport

newyorkcity-queens.htm"--> The former TWA Flight Center, today part of Terminal 5 at JFK
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jfkairport.jpg
Author: pheezy
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) is the biggest of the three international airports in the New York City metropolitan area. It is located in the borough of Queens, about 12 mi (19 km) to the southeast of Lower Manhattan (downtown New York City). The airport was known as Idlewald Airport until December 1963, a month after the assassination of President John F Kennedy, in honor of the 35th President of the United States.



John F. Kennedy International Airport has seven operational terminals (down from a total of ten in the 1990s), with the number expected to drop further, as old terminals are demolished while existing ones expanded to occupy their space. Right now the terminals in use are Terminal 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8. They are lined up in anti-clockwise fashion beginning with Terminal 1 on the southwestern part of the central driveway. However, Terminal 3 is expected to be demolished with the expansion of Terminal 4 in the near future.

Terminal 1

This present terminal opened in 1998. It has 11 departure gates, and is used by Air France, Japan Airlines, Korean Air and Lufthansa. The terminal has aerobridges for the Airbus A380, presently operated by Air France for services from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Lufthansa from Frankfurt am Main Airport, and Korean Air from Seoul-Incheon Airport. It is one of only two terminals at JFK capable of taking the Airbus A380, the other being Terminal 4.

New York City Subway at Grand Central Terminal
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JFK_Terminal_1.jpg
Author: Doug Letterman

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 began operations in 1962. It is used by Delta Air Lines. This terminal will eventually be connected directly to Terminal 4, by 2015, after Terminal 3 is demolished.

Terminal 3

This terminal, originally built for Pan American World Airways in 1960, is now used by Delta Air Lines as well. It will however be demolished to make way for the expansion of Terminal 4.

John F Kennedy International Airport Terminal 3
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JFK_Terminal_3.jpg
Author: Ad Meskens

Terminal 4

Terminal 4 is the first airport terminal in the United States to be managed by a foreign airport operator, the Schiphol Group. Opened in 2001, it is the only other terminal at JFK capable of handling the Airbus 380 (the other being Terminal 1). The terminal presently has 17 departure gates, but the number will be increased when the terminal is expanded. When that is completed, all of the international flights by Delta Air Lines will be handled here. It also receives flights from many other non-US airlines.

John F Kennedy International Airport Terminal 4
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JFKNew_YorkTerm4-2.jpg
Author: Mike Powell

Terminal 5

Terminal 5 is one of the newest terminals at JFK, opening as recently as 2008. It includes the TWA Flight Center which was built in 1962 and is today linked and integrated to the new Terminal 5 complex. There are 26 departure gates at this terminal, numbered 1-12 and 14-27. The terminal is used by JetBlue Airways and Hawaiian Airlines, among others.

John F Kennedy International Airport Terminal 5
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TVRingJFKJet_BlueT5.jpg
Author: Michael Gray

Terminal 7

Originally built for BOAC and Air Canada in 1970, Terminal 7 is today operated by British Airways, and stands as the only airport terminal building to be owned and operated by a foreign carrier in the United States. Airlines within the Oneworld (British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Iberia and Qantas) and Star Alliance (United Airlines, US Airways, All Nippon Airlines) groups of carriers use this terminal.

Terminal 8

The present Terminal 8 is the biggest terminal at JFK. It was built by American Airlines to replace the original Terminal 8 and the now demolished Terminal 9, with the first phase opening in 2005 and the entire complex by 2007. It is used as American Airlines as well as other carriers in the Oneworld group. The terminal has 29 gates split between Concourse B and C. Concourse C is a satellite concourse connected to the main terminal building (Concourse B) via a subterranean passageway.

An Airbus A380 at the John F Kennedy International Airport
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A380_Estacionado.jpg
Author: G36

Airlines using the John F Kennedy International Airport

Listed here are the airlines at JFK, with the number in parenthesis showing the terminal used.

Aer Lingus (4), Aeroflot (1), Aeroméxico (1), Aerosvit Airlines (4), Air Berlin (8), Air Canada Express (7), Air China (1), Air Europa (4), Air France (1), Air India (4), Alitalia (1), All Nippon Airways (7), American Airlines (8), American Eagle (8), Arik Air (4), Asiana Airlines (4), Austrian Airlines (1), Avianca (4), British Airways (7), Brussels Airlines (1), Caribbean Airlines (4), Cathay Pacific (7), Cayman Airways (1), China Airlines (4), China Eastern Airlines (1), Copa Airlines (4), Delta Airlines (2, 3 & 4), Delta Connection (2), EgyptAir (4), El Al (4), Emirates (4), Etihad Airways (4), EVA Air (1), Finnair (8), Hawaiian Airlines (5), Iberia (7), Icelandair (7), Interjet (1), JetBlue Airways (4 & 5), KLM (4), Korean Air (1), Kuwait Airways (4), LAN Airlines (8), LOT Polish Airlines (1), Lufthansa (1), Meridiana Fly (1), Norwegian Air Shuttle (7), OpenSkies (7), Pakistan International Airlines (4), Qantas (7), Qatar Airways (8), Royal Air Maroc (1), Royal Jordanian (8), Saudia (1), Singapore Airlines (4), Sky King (7), South African Airways (4), Sun Country Airlines (4), Swiss International Air Lines (4), TACA Airlines (4), TAM Airlines (4), Transaero Airlines (4), Turkish Airlines (1), United Airlines (7), United Express (7), US Airways (7), US Airways Express (7), Uzbekistan Airways (4), Virgin America (4), Virgin Atlantic Airways (4), XL Airways France (4)

Entry Hall at Terminal 5, JFK
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JFKTerminal5EntryHall.jpg
Author: Doug Letterman

Destinations connected with John F Kennedy International Airport

The following destinations/airports receive regular flight connections with JFK.

Abu Dhabi, Accra, Aguadilla, Albuquerque, Amman-Queen Alia, Amsterdam, Antigua, Aruba, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Barbados, Barcelona, Beijing-Capital, Berlin-Tegel/-Brandenburg, Bermuda, Bogotá, Boston, Brussels, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Buffalo, Burbank, Burlington (VT), Cairo, Cancún, Caracas, Cartagena, Casablanca, Charleston (SC), Charlotte, Chicago-O'Hare, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Dakar, Dallas/Fort Worth, Delhi, Denver, Detroit, Doha, Dubai, Dublin, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Frankfurt am Main, Geneva, Georgetown, Grand Cayman, Grenada, Guayaquil, Halifax, Hartford, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Houston-Hobby, Indianapolis, Istanbul-Atatürk, Jacksonville, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kansas City, Karachi, Kiev-Boryspil, Kingston, Kuwait, La Romana, Lagos, Lahore, Las Vegas, Liberia, Lima, London-City, London-Heathrow, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Madrid, Manchester, Medellín-Córdova, Memphis, Mexico City, Miami, Milan-Malpensa, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St Paul, Monrovia, Montego Bay, Montreal-Trudeau, Moscow-Domodedovo, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Munich, Nashville, Nassau, New Orleans, Norfolk, Oakland, Orlando, Osaka-Kansai, Oslo-Gardermoen, Panama City, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Ponce, Port-au-Prince, Port of Spain, Portland (ME), Portland (OR), Providenciales, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Raleigh/Durham, Reykjavík-Keflavík, Richmond, Riga, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Riyadh, Rochester (NY), Rome-Flumicino, St Kitts, St Lucia, St Maarten, St Thomas, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Samaná, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), San José (Costa Rica), San Juan, Santiago de Chile, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo-Las Américas, Sarasota, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Seattle/Tacoma, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Singapore, Sydney, Syracuse, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tampa, Tashkent, Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion, Tobago, Tokyo-Haneda, Tokyo-Narita, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver, Venice-Marco Polo, Vienna, Warsaw-Chopin, Washington-Dulles, Washington-National, West Palm Beach and Zürich.

Shopping mall at Terminal 4, JFK
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JFK_Terminal_4_Mall.jpg
Author: Doug Letterman


Immigration at JFK International Airport
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USA_Immigration_at_JFK.jpg
Author: Beatrice Murch

Arriving at John F Kennedy International Airport

Due to the sheer volume of traffic passing through this highly congested airport, expect delays. Nonetheless, once you've cleared immigration and customs, you have a number of transport the following transport options:

AirTrain. This is a people mover system. There are three AirTrain lines. The first (All Terminals Line) makes a loop connecting all the terminals, the second (Howard Beach Line) stops at all the terminals and then proceeds to Howard Beach-JFK Subway Station, while the third (Jamaica Station Line) also stops at all terminals and then proceeds to Jamaica Station Subway Station. At the various stations that the AirTrain Howard Beach and Jamaica Station services stop, you can change to take the New York City subway or MTA Bus.

The JFK AirTrain
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JFK_AirTrain_01.jpg
Author: Ad Meskens


John F Kennedy International Airport Terminal 5
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Howard_Beach-JFK_Airport.jpg
Author: Pacific Coast Highway
New York City Airporter Bus is a shuttle service between the airport at the Grand Central Terminal and Port Authority Bus Terminal. Upon arrival, look for the NYC Airporter ticket counter, or their ticket agents wearing the Green NYC Airporter uniform. The bus stop is located just outside each terminal building. The fare is now (as of November 2012) $16.

NYC Airporter Bus
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gillig_Low_Floor_Airport_Shuttle.jpg
Author: Kevin.B


MTA NYC Bus is the public bus. It is the cheapest way to exit the airport, as the fare is as low as $2.25 if you use a MetroCard (or n$2.50 if you buy a single-journey ticket). It's really for the local commuters as there aren't much room for luggage space. (If you arrive with lots of luggage, I'd recommend that you take the New York City Airporter Bus or taxi).

MTA NYC Bus
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MTA_NYC_Orion_5_Q65_bus.jpg
Author: Mtattrain


Taxi will get you from door to door between any of the airport terminal and your hotel or home address in New York City. There's a flat rate of $45 to addresses in Manhattan, excluding tolls of $5.50 and tips. If you are going to an address outside Manhattan, the taxi will use the meter.

New York City taxi
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Volkswagen_Jetta_TDI_New_York_City_Taxi.jpg
Author: Adam E. Moreira

Transfers between Terminals

Avoid transferring from one flight to another that involves switching terminals, as it is difficult to ascertain the amount of time you would need to clear your flight. Give at least 2-3 hours for deomestic flights, 3-4 hours for domestic to international, 3-5 hours for international to domestic and 3-6 hours for international to international. Non-US citizens can expect longer time for immigration procedures.

To get from one terminal to another, take the AirTrain. The AirTrain All Terminals loop connects all the operational terminals at JFK namely Terminals 8, 7, 5, 4, 2/3 and 1, going in a clockwise direction. At Terminal 5 you can alight to take the local bus Q3, Q10 and B15.

The AirTrain People Mover approaching a terminal at JFK International Airport
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JFK_AirTrain_02.jpg
Author: Ad Meskens

Departing for John F Kennedy International Airport

By New York City Airporter Bus
You can take the bus from the Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station and Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. The buses run daily from 5:00 am to 11:30 pm with a frequency of 20-30 minutes each.

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