"Upgrades To JFK Continue Despite Economic Downturn"

Friday, June 20, 2003

Upgrades To JFK Continue Despite Economic Downturn
by Bryan Joiner 
The Queens (NY) Chronicle


When Terminal 4 opened in 2001, it was hailed as the new model for air
terminals in the 21st century.(Chronicle file photo)
 
If you were a traveller just passing through John F. Kennedy Airport, you
might not notice the comprehensive changes that are being made to the
facility. That's because $10.3-billion worth of changes are being phased in
over a period of 10 years so as not to disrupt service at the area's busiest
and largest airport. 

So far, it's working. More than half of the projected work at the airport
has already been finished without any significant delay for the 30 million
travellers who use Kennedy each year. That staggeringly high number is why,
despite the lagging airline industry, virtually every area of the airport
has been or will be renovated, which benefits both the airport and
surrounding areas of south and southeast Queens.  

"There's no question the industry is having a hard time right now, but our
three airports are important to the region. The jobs they provide have an
overall impact on the airport and elsewhere in the communities, are used to
pay rents. We understand that," said Pasquale DiFulco, a Port Authority
spokesperson. 

The largest single improvement to the airport is the brand-new JFK AirTrain
(see story), a $1.9-billion light-rail project opening later this year that
will have an estimated annual ridership of 34,000 people. 

Many of the terminals at the airport are also being renovated or completely
upgraded as well, including historic Terminal 5, the gull-shaped former TWA
terminal designed by Eero Saarinen. The Port Authority is determined not to
compromise the historical integrity of the building, which was constructed
in 1962 at the beginning of the jet age. 

"As beautiful as it is, it has an outdated use as an airline terminal,"
DiFulco said. "But we will have an airport-based use for it. We recognize
its place as an airport icon and centerpiece. We're not going to endanger
the building." 

The Port Authority is currently planning to build a crescent-shaped terminal
around the existing building that would allow modern jetliners to use the
terminal, which they cannot currently do. The plans are to build 15 new
gates, a new Customs and Immigration area, and add new ticketing and baggage
areas. 

But the plans for Terminals 5, 8, and 9 are on hold because American
Airlines, which recently filed for bankruptcy, has applied to the Port
Authority to defer completion of parts of the renovation projects until its
financial situation improves. 

When the work is finally completed in 2007, Terminals 8 and 9 will be
combined into one 55-gate terminal with enough check-in space to hold Giants
Stadium. It will cost $1.4 billion and be the largest terminal at the
airport. American Airlines still plans on finishing the central portion of
the terminal by 2005. 

British Airways' Terminal 7 opened earlier this year, complete with lounges
where passengers can watch television while waiting for a flight and has
many high ceilings and open spaces. The terminal is meant to celebrate "the
sheer wonder and and power of flight," said Lord Colin Marshall, chairman of
British Airways, at its opening. 

The new terminal complements terminals 1 and 4, which were completed in 1998
and 2001, respectively, and which were the first two visible indicators of
the $10.3-billion project. Terminal 1 opened after six months of
construction with a glass facade international terminal. With its views of
Jamaica Bay and the city skyline, it was immediately deemed the centerpiece
of the airport. 

Terminal 4 is another international terminal that can process over 3,200
arriving passengers per hour, 1,200 more than its predecessor. For that
reason, it was dubbed a new Ellis Island when it opened at a ceremony
attended by Governor George Pataki in 2001. Delta Air Lines plans to move
into the terminal in 2005 as part of its plan to rebuild Terminals 2 and 3.
 
The work on the terminals is staggered to allow the airport to function
normally during their reconstruction. "Ideally, we'd love to be able to
complete in a heartbeat, but we can't close the airport to do the work,"
DiFulco said. 

Nonetheless, much of the infrastructure upgrades to the airport are already
finished or are close to being completed. Most of the roadwork is done, and
two new parking structures are open. Work is still being done on the runways
and taxiways, which will be completed over the next several years. "The
runway work is important, but we have to do it on off-hours," DiFulco said. 

There are other ideas which are not yet in the works but have been discussed
to bring people to the airport. DiFulco said a one-seat ride from Penn
Station to the airport via the Jamaica AirTrain was a possibility, and
Pataki said earlier this year he supports a ferry service to the airport
from Manhattan. 

Attached Photo:

When Terminal 4 opened in 2001, it was hailed as the new model for air
terminals in the 21st century.

13132_O503.jpg