Inside JFK’s new Terminal 6, set to open early subsequent 12 months

The transformation of New York Metropolis’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) continues to surge forward. This week, the airport reached a considerable milestone when the brand-new Terminal 6 completed its curtain partitions and enclosed the brand new terminal for the primary time.

It is a main milestone, and the airport is on observe to carry a grand opening this coming January — forward of schedule.

TPG was one in all solely two media retailers that bought a tour of the brand new terminal, which shall be a significant step ahead for airport infrastructure within the Northeast.

We additionally bought our first take a look at a newly unveiled artwork set up that can greet passengers as they arrive on the airport. You may see what that spectacular mural will seem like within the illustration beneath.

The 12,000 sq. foot “JFK World Panorama” is a custom-designed, 3D ombre art work that includes iconic New York Metropolis-based imagery and flight routes illustrating international connectivity.

A remodeled JFK Airport and brand-new Terminal 6

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs JFK, is in the midst of a $19 billion venture to rework the airport. When it is finished, there shall be a number of brand-new terminals, in addition to new roads and ramps to make attending to and from the airport a lot simpler.

The crew behind the fabulous Terminal B at New York Metropolis’s completely redone LaGuardia Airport (LGA) can also be constructing Terminal 6 at JFK.

JFK Millennium Companions gave TPG a tour of the brand new Terminal 6 and informed us about how Terminal 7 subsequent door will finally get torn down. In its footprint, one other 4 gates for the second section of the venture will turn into a part of an expanded Terminal 6. The second section is anticipated to open in 2028.

The brand new terminal shall be a whopping 1.2 million sq. toes and provide 10 new gates, a number of of which shall be constructed to deal with wide-body jets. You may get a good suggestion of the dimensions of the house once you look out over the brand new central hub of the brand new terminal.

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“This success helps different upcoming milestones, together with including everlasting energy and stay testing the constructing,” JFK Millennium Companions stated in a press launch.

The press launch continued: “Greater than 1,200 native staff are at present on web site to make sure a clean opening for greater than a dozen carriers that shall be relocating to the brand new terminal, amongst them: Aer Lingus, Air Canada, ANA, Austrian Airways, Avianca, Brussels Airways, Cathay Pacific, Condor, Frontier, JetBlue, Kuwait Airways, Lufthansa, Norse Atlantic, and SWISS.”

The brand new Terminal 6 at JFK

Starting at departures, passengers can look ahead to the brand new terminal’s digital-first visitor expertise, with an enormous light-filled corridor full of digital billboards and blond wooden accents.

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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

The departures space will characteristic one of many longest departures curbs at JFK, with airline-branded passenger drop-off zones.

They’re utterly reconstructing the roadway system in entrance of the terminal, too. It’ll have extra logical entry and exit spots, in addition to easy accessibility to 2 completely different AirTrain stations.

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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

In the long run, it will likely be lower than a five-minute common stroll from the TSA safety checkpoint exit to all gates.

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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

As soon as by way of safety, it is possible for you to to enter the large welcome corridor, the Grand Corridor, which is able to characteristic an enormous skylight and 100,000 sq. toes of New York Metropolis-inspired procuring and eating retailers.

It is an awe-inspiring house, even when it nonetheless appears to be like like a development zone.

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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

You may inform how wonderful it’s going to finally be. Listed here are some renderings of what the ultimate product would possibly seem like.

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New Terminal 6 rendering. JFK MILLENNIUM PARTNERS

Terminal 6 may have 5 airline lounges airside, plus an arrivals lounge. JFK Millennium informed me there’s not but a confirmed airline to host the first-ever arrivals lounge at JFK Airport (so in case you’re an airline, there’s nonetheless time to seize the house).

It is arduous to inform within the photographs beneath, however that is the place Lufthansa is opening an enormous new lounge in Terminal 6, which may have a devoted entrance through escalators. Whereas we do not but have all the small print, we anticipate it’s going to embody devoted Lufthansa first-class, business-class and Senator lounges.

Cathay Pacific goes to open its first-ever JFK lounge on this house, too. An enormous announcement about one in all that lounge’s cool options ought to come quickly.

Aer Lingus has additionally confirmed that it’s going to have a devoted lounge in Terminal 6; it will likely be reachable through a set of stairs you may see within the photograph beneath.

Within the photograph above, you may see that the left aspect is the place you will stroll towards Terminal 5 as soon as development is full.

The brand new terminal shall be related each land- and airside to the adjoining Terminal 5, which is dwelling to JetBlue Airways’ JFK hub. By the point the venture is completed, you can commute between terminals 5 and 6 for procuring and even lounge hopping.

Terminal 6 and JetBlue’s Terminal 5 will truly share a customs corridor. You may see the photographs of the brand new customs space within the gallery beneath; it’s going to characteristic wide-open areas and pure mild coming from the partitions and ceiling above.

The luggage system is spectacular. It begins with biometric bag drops at check-in. From there, baggage will get carried by way of a fancy system of conveyer belts and scanned by robots.

One other factor to notice concerning the venture is its environmental focus. The terminal makes use of sustainably sourced constructing supplies, rooftop solar energy, and energy-efficient techniques and working practices all through. JFK Millennium Companions informed me it’s aiming to have LEED Silver or Gold certification for the venture.

Backside line

When completed, the remodeled Terminal 6 shall be a sight to behold. From the dramatic skylights to the large Grand Corridor, the biometric screening and bag drops to the robotic baggage handlers, this airport terminal shall be fairly a revelation.

It may find yourself being one of many nation’s finest airport terminals — and can give the opposite LGA and Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport (EWR) an actual run for finest tri-state airport as soon as it is all finished.

For extra concerning the revamped JFK, you’ll want to take a look at the newest beneath.