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John F. Kennedy International Airport
IATA: JFK – ICAO: KJFK – FAA: JFK
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		City of New York[1]
Operator		Port Authority of New York and New Jersey[1]
Serves		New York City
Location		New York City
Hub for		American Airlines Delta Air Lines JetBlue Airways Polar Air Cargo
Elevation AMSL		13 ft / 4 m
Coordinates		40°38′23″N 073°46′44″W / 40.63972°N 73.77889°W / 40.63972; -73.77889Coordinates: 40°38′23″N 073°46′44″W / 40.63972°N 73.77889°W / 40.63972; -73.77889
Website		[2]
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 (2008)
Aircraft operations			471,482
Enplanements (FAA)[3]			23,601,779
Passengers (ACI)[4]			47,807,816
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[5] FAA airport diagram as of 20 Nov 2008

Map showing New York City and the locations of JFK (1), LaGuardia (2) and Newark (3) airports

John F. Kennedy International Airport (IATA: JFK, ICAO: KJFK, FAA LID: JFK) is an international airport located in Queens County, New York in southeastern New York City about 12 miles (19 km) from Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States^[6] and is also the leading freight gateway to the country by value of shipments.^[7]

JFK airport is the base of operations for JetBlue Airways and is a major international getaway hub for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. It also serves as a focus city for Avianca. Over ninety airlines operate out of JFK.^[8] The airport is named after John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States.

The airport is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which also manages the two other major airports in the New York metropolitan area, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia.

History

Construction

JFK Airport was originally known as Idlewild Airport (IATA: IDL, ICAO: KIDL, FAA LID: IDL) after the Idlewild Golf Course that it displaced. The airport was originally envisioned as a reliever for LaGuardia Airport, which was already showing signs of insufficient capacity in the late 1930s. Construction began in 1943; approximately $60 million was initially spent, but only 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land on the site of the Idlewild golf course were earmarked for use.^[9]

The project was renamed Major General Alexander E. Anderson Airport in 1943 after a Queens resident who had commanded a Federalized National Guard unit in the southern United States and who had died in late 1942. In March 1948, the New York City Council again changed the name of the airport to New York International Airport, Anderson Field, but the name "Idlewild" remained in common use until 1963.^[10]

The Port Authority leased the airport property from the City of New York in 1947 and maintains this lease today.^[1] The first commercial flight at the airport was on July 1, 1948; the opening ceremony was attended by President Harry Truman.^[9] Upon opening Idlewild, the Port Authority cancelled foreign airlines' permits to use LaGuardia, effectively forcing them to move to the new airport.^[11]

The airport was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport on December 24, 1963, one month after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.^[12]

Development

The Port Authority originally envisioned a single 55-gate terminal for the airport, but the major airlines of the time did not agree with this plan, arguing that the terminal would be far too small for future traffic.^[13] Architect Wallace Harrison then designed a master plan under which each major airline at the airport would be given its own space to develop its own terminal design.^[14] This scheme made construction more practical, made terminals more navigable and introduced incentives for airlines to compete with each other for the best design.^[13] The revised master plan met airline approval in 1955.^[10]

• The International Arrivals Building was the first new terminal project at the airport. It was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and featured perpendicular "finger" piers to allow a greater number of aircraft to park, a major design innovation at the time.^[10]
• United Airlines opened Terminal 9, a Skidmore design similar to that of the IAB, in October 1959. Eastern Airlines opened its Chester L. Churchill-designed Terminal 1 one month later.^[10][15]
• American Airlines opened its Terminal 8 in 1960. The terminal was designed by Kahn and Jacobs^[10] and became known for its 317 feet (97 m) stained glass facade designed by Robert Sowers, which was the largest stained glass installation in the world until 1979. The facade was removed in 2007 as the terminal was demolished to make room for the new Terminal 8; American cited the prohibitive cost of removing the enormous installation.^[16]
• Pan American World Airways opened the Worldport (now Terminal 3) in 1960. It featured a large, elliptical roof suspended by 32 sets of radial posts and cables; the roof extended 114 feet (35 m) beyond the base of the terminal to cover 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.^[17]
• Trans World Airlines opened the TWA Flight Center in 1962, designed by Eero Saarinen with a distinctive winged-bird shape. With the demise of TWA in 2001, the terminal remained vacant until 2005 when JetBlue Airways and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) financed the construction of a new 26 gate terminal partially encircling the Saarinen building. Called now Terminal 5 (or simply T5), the new terminal opened October 22, 2008. T5 will be connected to the Saarinen central building through the original passenger departure-arrival tubes which connected the building to the outlying gates; the Port Authority is working on renovations of the remaining original Saarinen terminal, also known as the head house.^[18]
• Northwest Airlines, Braniff International and Northeast Airlines opened a joint terminal in 1962.^[17]
• National Airlines opened the Sundrome (now Terminal 6) in 1970. The terminal was designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. In 2001, United Airlines planned to redevelop this terminal and the TWA Flight Center as a new United terminal,^[19] but the airline later reduced its operation at JFK and abandoned plans for a future JFK hub.^{[citation needed]} Terminal 6 was used by JetBlue Airways from 2001 through 2008 and vacated when JetBlue moved to Terminal 5.

JFK was designed to accommodate aircraft no larger than a Douglas DC-6 and had to be significantly modified in the late 1960s to accommodate Boeing 747s.^[20]

By the mid-1980s, JFK had overtaken Newark International Airport to become New York City's busiest airport.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[21] JFK had the most Concorde operations annually of any airport in the world.^{[citation needed]}

JFK is currently undergoing a $10.3 billion redevelopment. The airport began construction of the AirTrain JFK rapid transit system in 1998; 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. The airport opened a new Terminal 1 in 1998, and 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, while Terminals 8 and 9 are undergoing redevelopment as one single Terminal 8 for the American Airlines hub. In 2008 the Port Authority Board of Commissioners approved a $20 million planning study for the redevelopment of Terminals 2 and 3, the hub of Delta Air Lines.^[22]

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.^[23] This service was suspended indefinitely in 2009, due to poor passenger demand.^[24]

Terminals, airlines and destinations

JFK has eight passenger terminals containing 151 gates. The terminal buildings are arranged in a deformed U-shaped wavy 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. Wayfinding signage throughout the terminals was designed by Paul Mijksenaar.^[25] 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.^[26]

Terminals

The airport has eight terminals (nine until the early 2000s), seven of which are currently in use.

Terminal 1

Terminal 1

The original Terminal 1, built as a hub for Eastern Airlines, was demolished.^[27]

The current Terminal 1 was opened in 1998, 50 years after the opening of JFK, at the direction of the Terminal One Group, a consortium of four key operating carriers: Air France, Japan Airlines, Korean Air and Lufthansa.^[28] This partnership was founded after the four airlines reached agreement that existing international carrier facilities were inadequate for their needs.^[29] Terminal One has the capability to handle the Air France A380 route from Paris Charles De Gaulle. Terminal 1 has 11 gates.

Terminal 2

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. Delta hopes to merge its two terminals at JFK (2 & 3) into a single modern terminal in the future.^[22] It has 7 jetway-equipped gates (20-22, 26-29) and 17 stands for Delta Connection carriers (23A-H, 23J, 25K-N, 25P-S).

Terminal 3

Terminal 3 was built as the Worldport in 1960 for Pan American, and substantially expanded for the introduction of the 747 in 1970. Delta Air Lines currently uses the entire terminal, and has a connector to Terminal 2, its other terminal at JFK. Terminal 3 has 16 jetway equipped gates: 1-10, 12, 14-18 with two hardstand gates (Gate 11) and a helipad on Taxiway 'KK'. Delta is seeking a plan to replace Terminal 3, and unconfirmed rumors claim the company has recently announced plans to employees to demolish Terminal 3 and rebuild it, with a supposed target time for demolition of late summer 2010.^[30]

Terminal 4

Terminal 4 replaced the former International Arrivals Building in May 2001

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 and replaced JFK's old International Arrivals Building, or simply IAB, which opened in 1957. Terminal 4 has 17 gates in two concourses: A2-A7, B20, B22-B31.

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. Four chapels are located on the fourth floor (departure level).

Terminal 5

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 5 has 26 gates: 1-12, 14-27

Terminal 6

Terminals 6 and 7

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. Terminal 6 is now closed. It had 14 gates and is the former home of JetBlue Airways. United Airlines used it for its transcontinental flights until JetBlue came to the terminal. Its future is unknown at this point, but the seven temporary gates were demolished.^[31]

Terminal 7

Terminal 7 was built for BOAC and Air Canada in the early 1970s. It is currently owned and operated by British Airways. In 1997, the Port Authority entered an agreement with British Airways to expand the terminal. The renovated terminal has 12 gates.^[32] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Terminal 8

In 1999, American Airlines began an eight-year program to build the largest passenger terminal at JFK to replace terminals 8 and 9. The new terminal was built in four phases, which involved the construction of a new midfield concourse, demolition of the old Terminal 9, and finally demolition of the old Terminal 8. It opened in stages between 2005 and its "official" opening in August 2007.^[33]

The terminal is about 50% larger than Madison Square Garden. It 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.^{[citation needed]} It has two American Airlines Admirals Clubs and a Flagship Lounge for premium class passengers.

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).^[34] Gate 31 is further subdivided into 5 regional service gates for small jets, 31A-31E. Gate 32 is subdivided into 4 regional service gates for small jets, 32F-32I. The total number of jetbridges is, therefore, 36. Concourse C is unusual in that to reach the concourse, passengers must descend on an escalator (or elevator) and walk through a short tunnel, then ascend another escalator to the concourse. Of interest are a history of American Airlines logos on display between the security checkpoint and the concourses.

Airlines and destinations

Cities served by direct flights from JFK

Infrastructure and services

Runways and operational infrastructure

Four runways (two pairs of parallel runways) surround the airport's central terminal area.^[35]

Plane queue on the taxiway

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.^{[citation needed]} The Air Traffic Control Tower, designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and constructed on the ramp-side of Terminal 4, began full FAA operations in October 1994.^[37] 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.^[38]

Aircraft service facilities include seven aircraft hangars, an engine overhaul building, a 32-million gallon aircraft fuel storage facility, and a truck garage.^{[citation needed]}

Information services

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.^[39] 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.

A 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.^[40]

Traffic and statistics

In 2008, JFK handled 47,807,816 passengers.

The airport 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.^[41]

By passengers carried, the five largest airlines at JFK are:^[42]

1. JetBlue Airways (25.5%)
2. Delta Air Lines (including the Delta Connection carriers) (21.9%)
3. American Airlines (including American Eagle) (16.7%)
4. British Airways (2.8%)
5. Air France (1.9%)

Nearly 100 airlines from over 50 countries operate regularly scheduled flights from JFK. The JFK-London Heathrow route is the leading U.S. international airport pair with over 2.9 million passengers in 2008. Domestic travel also accounts for a large share of airport traffic, particularly transcontinental and Florida service.^[6]

Busiest International Routes from JFK (2008) [42] Rank City Passengers Top Carriers 1 London-Heathrow, United Kingdom 2,928,307 American, British Airways, Delta, Virgin Atlantic, Kuwait Airways 2 Paris-Charles de Gaulle, France 1,177,019 Air France, American, XL Airways France 3 Frankfurt, Germany 646,900 Delta, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines 4 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 579,954 American, Delta, JetBlue 5 Rome-Fiumicino, Italy 564,110 Alitalia, American, Delta, Eurofly 6 Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic 556,668 American, JetBlue, Delta 7 Tokyo-Narita, Japan 552,504 American, ANA, Delta, JAL 8 Tel Aviv, Israel 546,135 Delta, El Al 9 Amsterdam, the Netherlands 533,667 Delta, KLM 10 Seoul-Incheon, South Korea 516,414 Asiana, Korean Air 11 Mexico City, Mexico 464,775 Aeroméxico, Delta, Mexicana 12 São Paulo-Guarulhos, Brazil 461,064 American, Delta, JAL, TAM 13 Madrid, Spain 459,613 Air Europa, American Delta, Iberia 14 Dublin, Ireland 455,706 Aer Lingus, Delta 15 Dubai, UAE 418,665 Emirates 16 Zürich, Switzerland 367,214 American, Delta, Swiss 17 Hong Kong, China 341,418 Cathay Pacific 18 Cancún, Mexico 327,252 American, JetBlue, Mexicana 19 Montego Bay, Jamaica 315,301 Air Jamaica, American, JetBlue 20 Milan-Malpensa, Italy 283,637 Alitalia, American, Delta 21 Oranjestad, Aruba 272,291 American, Delta, JetBlue 22 Istanbul-Atatürk, Turkey 270,832 Delta, Turkish Airlines 23 Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago 246,789 Caribbean Airlines, Delta 24 Athens, Greece 245,551 Delta 25 Moscow-Sheremetyevo , Russia 229,873 Aeroflot, Delta 26 Bogotá, Colombia 228,443 Avianca, Delta 27 Brussels, Belgium 222,413 American, Delta, Jet Airways 28 Munich, Germany 218,166 Lufthansa 29 Cairo, Egypt 216,870 Delta, EgyptAir 30 Mumbai, India 215,477 Air India

Busiest Domestic Routes from JFK (2008) [42] Rank City Passengers Top Carriers 1 Los Angeles, California 1,898,020 American, Delta, JetBlue, United, Virgin America 2 San Francisco, California 1,551,630 American, Delta, JetBlue, United, Virgin America 3 Orlando, Florida 1,183,270 American, Delta, JetBlue 4 Las Vegas, Nevada 1,066,390 American, Delta, JetBlue, Virgin America 5 San Juan, Puerto Rico 1,033,010 American, Delta, JetBlue 6 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 1,009,000 Delta, JetBlue 7 Miami, Florida 927,640 American, Delta 8 Tampa, Florida 665,750 American, Delta, JetBlue 9 Buffalo, New York 624,820 JetBlue, Delta 10 Boston, Massachusetts 573,530 Delta, JetBlue, American 11 West Palm Beach, Florida 536,640 JetBlue 12 Washington-Dulles, District of Columbia 471,730 American, Delta, JetBlue, United 13 San Diego, California 462,360 American, Delta, JetBlue 14 Seattle-Tacoma, Washington 459,150 American, Delta, JetBlue 15 Phoenix, Arizona 447,600 Delta, JetBlue, US Airways 16 Chicago, Illinois 439,470 American, Delta, JetBlue 17 Atlanta, Georgia 386,100 Delta 18 Long Beach, California 360,300 JetBlue 19 Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota 360,180 Delta 20 Fort Myers, Florida 337,390 Delta, JetBlue 21 Burbank, California 334,030 JetBlue 22 Salt Lake City, Utah 326,500 Delta, JetBlue 23 Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina 307,720 American, JetBlue, Delta 24 Houston-Intercontinental, Texas 296,140 Delta 25 Rochester, New York 275,540 Delta, JetBlue 26 Oakland, California 257,580 JetBlue 27 Charlotte, North Carolina 235,540 JetBlue, US Airways 28 Denver, Colorado 224,990 Delta, JetBlue 29 New Orleans, Louisiana 214,630 Delta, JetBlue 30 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 209,910 American, Delta, JetBlue

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.^[7]

The JFK air cargo complex is a Foreign Trade Zone which legally lies outside the customs area of the United States.^[43] 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.^[7] 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.^[7]

Nearly 100 cargo air carriers operate out of JFK,^[7] among them: Air China Cargo, ABX Air, Air Atlanta Icelandic, Asiana, Astar Air Cargo, Atlas Air, CAL Cargo Air Lines, Cargolux, Cargoitalia, Cathay Pacific Cargo, Centurion Air Cargo, China Airlines, DHL, EVA Air, Evergreen International Airlines, Nippon Cargo Airlines, FedEx Express, DHL Air UK, Kalitta Air, Korean Air, 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%).^[44]

Most cargo and maintenance facilities at JFK are located north and west of the main terminal area. DHL, FedEx Express, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, Nippon Cargo Airlines and United Airlines have cargo facilities at JFK.^[7][45] In 2000, Korean Air Cargo opened a new $102 million cargo terminal at JFK with total floor area of 81,124 square feet (7,536.7 m²) and capability of handling 200,000 tons annually.^[46] In 2007, American Airlines opened a new priority parcel service facility at their Terminal 8, featuring 30-minute drop-offs and pick-ups for priority parcel shipments within the US.^[47]

Ground transportation

Rail

The Howard Beach-JFK Airport subway station in Howard Beach

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, 2 subway stations & the Long Island Rail Road. It is free within the airport. 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; or approximately 75 minutes between JFK and Downtown Manhattan using AirTrain and the New York City Subway A train at Howard Beach-JFK Station or the E (to Midtown Manhattan), J and Z (to Downtown Manhattan) trains at Sutphin Boulevard Station.^[48]

A Lower Manhattan-Jamaica/JFK Transportation Project has been proposed to connect the AirTrain to Lower Manhattan.

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.

Taxi

New York City's yellow cabs, licensed 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 the Van Wyck Expressway (I-678), which can be accessed from the Belt Parkway, the 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.^[49]

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.^[50] 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 departing from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport

US Helicopter operated regularly scheduled flights every hour between Terminal 3 and the East 34th Street Heliport. Passengers traveling by helicopter to the airport passed through a security checkpoint at the heliport, not at JFK. On May 14, 2007, US Helicopter moved its operations from Terminal 9 to Terminal 3.^[51] US Helicopter announced that it was temporarily suspending operations on September 25, 2009 due to financial difficulties.^[52]

New York Airways provided helicopter service from JFK to other area airports and heliports from 1955 to 1979, and Pan American World Airways continued Manhattan helicopter service during the 1980s in order to feed its JFK flights. During the 1970s, New York Helicopter offered JFK flights from the top of the Pan Am Building in midtown Manhattan, but this service was cancelled after a major accident in 1977.^[53]

Accidents and incidents