NEWS |
152-00: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE , October 30, 2000
The state-of-the-art terminal will offer the latest in customer amenities - including additional gates, improved check-in areas and baggage-handling facilities, dual-level frontage for easier access, roomier concourses and natural lighting.
Port Authority officials also announced that the plan is the first phase of a $1.2-billion public-private partnership to redevelop Terminals 5 and 6. The project pushes the total investment in Kennedy Airport's redevelopment - already the largest airport construction program in U.S. history - into the range of $10 billion.
"Kennedy Airport is New York's portal to the world, and the investment of United Airlines, other major airlines and the Port Authority is restoring JFK to its rightful place as the world's premier international airport," said New York Governor George E. Pataki.
New Jersey Governor Christie Whitman said, "The region's airports are benefiting from the most ambitious aviation reconstruction program in this nation's history. Airports around the country are looking to our region for the latest innovations in design and passenger convenience."
"United is excited about the opportunities this expansion at JFK will afford our customers today and in the future," said Jim Goodwin, United's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "This project will allow us to continue to provide the high level of service our customers should expect from United Airlines, and give our employees an exciting, new work environment."
Port Authority Chairman Lewis M. Eisenberg said, "Kennedy Airport alone pumps more than $20 billion into the regional economy of New York and New Jersey. The record redevelopment of JFK is a major part of the Port Authority's $15 billion program to rebuild all three commercial airports, which will continue to be a key engine driving the region's unprecedented economic expansion."
Port Authority Vice Chairman Charles A. Gargano said, "This project will provide a tremendous boost to the economy of the Borough of Queens, New York City and the surrounding area. The first phase of construction will create 1,400 construction jobs, generating $210 million in salaries and wages as well as $800 million in regional economic activity."
Port Authority Executive Director Robert E. Boyle said, "United's commitment to Kennedy Airport clearly demonstrates the aviation industry's faith in the future of JFK - and in the Port Authority's stewardship of the airport."
JFK's public-private redevelopment program features:
ˇ $1.9 billion for AirTrain, which will provide fast, reliable travel between Manhattan and JFK by 2002;
ˇ $1.8 billion for Port Authority infrastructure improvements throughout the airport, including new roads, new parking garages and taxiway improvements;
ˇ $600 million to rebuild more than 1.3 million square feet of space to accommodate JFK's growing air-cargo industry; and
ˇ nearly $6 billion in private funds to redevelop JFK's passenger terminals.
In the project's first phase, United Airlines plans to invest $350 million to build a new terminal on part of the Terminal 5 site - while preserving the integrity of the Main Terminal, also known as the Saarinen Building, where TWA operates, which is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The work, which will be completed in 2005, will include 15 new gates, additional ticketing and baggage areas, and a new Customs and Immigration area for international passengers.
United Airlines has hired William Nicholas Bodouva & Associates, the architects who designed JFK's award-winning Terminal 1 - which features high ceilings, natural lighting and easy-to-find gates, check-in counters and baggage carousels.
The Port Authority will invest $240 million in additional improvements adjacent to Terminals 5 and 6 - including better roads and 1,500 new parking spaces, as well as new gates and baggage facilities for TWA. The agency will invest an additional $20 million to plan and design later phases of the redevelopment.
Subsequent phases of the project will improve Terminal 6 and further redevelop Terminal 5. "These improvements will include new facilities that will provide great opportunities for TWA and JetBlue Airways, the terminals' other major tenants, to respond to their business requirements," said Port Authority Director of Aviation William R. DeCota.
All nine of Kennedy Airport's passenger terminals have been recently rebuilt or are in some phase of redevelopment.
The Port Authority also has launched a series of initiatives to ensure the highest level of airport customer service - such as brightly colored signs, new cleanliness standards for airport restrooms, and more than 100 red-jacketed Customer Service Representatives at JFK who provide quick, courteous service on a wide range of subjects.
Kennedy Airport's renaissance has been recognized in several recent surveys of passengers and aviation industry leaders.
In the International Air Transport Association's most recent Global Airport Monitor survey of 60,000 passengers worldwide, JFK was named the second-most improved airport in the world, among airports that handle more than 25 million passengers a year.
A recent independent poll of 1,000 New York voters, conducted by the research firms of Peter D. Hart and Robert M. Teeter, found 83 percent of frequent JFK users said the airport is well run. Another poll, by Quinnipiac College, found that most New York City and New Jersey voters approve of the Port Authority's management of JFK.
Kennedy Airport collected two first-place awards and one second-place finish in the prestigious Airport Retail News Best Concessions 2000 competition. Reader surveys in the British editions of Business Traveller and Condé Nast Traveller in 1998 ranked Kennedy among the best airports in North America and the world.
Kennedy Airport welcomed 31.7 million passengers in 1999 - including 18.1 million international passengers, more than any other airport in the United States. JFK's large passenger market enables it to provide frequent flights to many destinations with highly competitive air fares, and offer flights to cities not served by many other U.S. airports. Travelers using the airport can choose from more than 90 carriers to 125 destinations worldwide.