Have you ever dreamt of an airport with an attractive, yet functional design? An airport with beautiful and innovative food outlets, great shopping? Or what about an occasional live concert? And on top of it all speedy and efficient operations? Dream no longer, this airport actually does exist: It’s called Terminal 5, the dedicated JetBlue terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York (IATA: JFK, LD hub page).
Alright, we admit it, not everything is perfect – you still have to queue when dropping off your bag at check-in, but hey, you can’t blame them for that, as this is mainly due to Federal Aviation Administration issues. The agency still doesn’t allow passengers to check-in themselves (already a common practice in a number of countries i.e. Australia on domestic Qantas routes). But, once the FAA is ready for this, JetBlue can simply convert the existing area; and fear not, even if you have to wait a bit, the terminal offers free WiFi, so surely you’ll find heaps to do on your phone while you queue.
Once through security you will be greeted with a large open area, the centre of the 635,000 square feet (60,000 square meters) terminal that opened in 2008. This is also the area where you will see promotional events and if you are really really lucky, you’ll see a pop star performing live. JetBlue’s event series “Live from T5” has previously featured amazing talent such as James Blunt, Robyn or Taylor Swift.
From that central area, affectionately called ‘marketplace’ lead three wide concourses to the various gates. Along those concourses you will find the usual shopping and dining outlets. Hang on a minute, did we say usual? Scrap that – rewind! If you know JetBlue then you know that they don’t do ordinary. Period. What you actually find along these corridors are carefully selected shops, a food corner that provides a trillion options for every appetite and a chef-driven dining program. Dining program? Yes, you read right, at T5 you will find a number of restaurants that you would normally expect to find in a swanky Manhattan area!
Featured local chefs include: Mark Ladner (Aeronuova), Roberto Santibanez (Revolucion), Alex Raij (Piquillo), Lee Hanson & Riad Nasr (La Vie) and Michael Schulson (Deep Blue). Year-after-year, the T5 dining program, which is managed by OTG, are recognized with Customer Care Awards by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for their outstanding contribution to customer service.
What else? Well, there’s plenty more to discover – here a few of our favourites:
- Check out the old, iconic TWA Flight Center building right next to T5 – best views are from the check-in area or the bridge to/from the Air Train.
- After security, walk to gates 14/15 and lounge in one of the Italian designer chairs while watching planes take off and land, talk about luxury!
- Get your kids tired at the playground near gate 12
- Try to find gate 13 (send us a photo proof once you found it!)
- Love your quiet spot in the morning? Walk to gate 2 and have breakfast at the Horizon Bakery Cafe
- If you’re short for time or simply want to hang around your gate area, you can order food to eat in or take away from one of the many “revive” stations – you should get it within 10 minutes
- Hungry and have a little more time? Pick one of the great restaurants, you won’t be disappointed!
Hopefully we got you excited for experiencing T5 yourself. The only draw back of the terminal is that in order to experience it all, you will need an actual JetBlue ticket. So when you fly through JFK the next time, make sure you choose the right airline!
| Airport Name | John F. Kennedy International Airport – Terminal 5 |
| Website | http://www.jetblue.com/flying-on-jetblue/t5/ (JetBlue) http://www.panynj.gov/airports/jfk.html (Port Authority) |
| IATA Code | JFK |
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[Photo from JetBlue – all rights reserved]
The story reads like a marketing piece. I’m also guessing that you never been to an Asian airport.
Well, it is a really good airport and definitely stands out from many other US airports/terminals. Don’t you agree? In regards to Asia, I have been to many Asian airports. Singapore is still my all time favourite (see the review here http://www.latedeparture.com/airports/sin).
This review was written by someone who apparently walked through the terminal but did not actually travel through it. Anyone who has been a traveler has experienced (a) one of the loudest terminals on the planet – CNN blaring over background music several decibels over normal, over airport announcements over employees’ walkie-talkies turned to MAX so they can hear them over the other noise; (b) the most uncomfortable seating to be found in any airport, anywhere – its impossible to get comfortable unless you have the posture of a military Tomb Guard; and (c) the waiting areas were designed too small for the capacity of Jet Blue’s jets, meaning you will be standing shoulder to shoulder with 100 of your best friends for a hour prior to boarding.