Interview: JFK Terminal 4’s CEO on Making Flying Into New York Better
Photo Credit: The shopping concourse at JFK's Terminal 4. Skift
Skift Take
It's astounding that the battle for a better airport experience in New York City has to happen one terminal at a time. But if it has to be that way, airport leaders should look to what's been done at Terminal 4 to lift the experience out of the doldrums.
Outside of a small group of masochists, nobody really likes flying in and out of New York City's three airports.
As managed by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey — a two-state agency that many would argue specializes in incompetence and political patronage above all else — Laguardia, John F. Kennedy, and Newark Liberty airports are both a joke-writer's dream and object of shame.
But despite the Port Authority's intentions, things are getting better on a terminal-by-terminal basis. Terminal C at Newark, as run by United Airlines, is light-years ahead of terminals A and B. At JFK, JetBlue's terminal 5 is something the airline can be proud of. And Laguardia will be torn down and rebuilt from scratch in the coming years.
Terminal 4, or JFK International Air Terminal (JFKIAT) is another story altogether. As the only non-airline and privately owned terminal in the U.S., it has a different operating structure than its peers. It also benefits from the knowledge of it
