New York's major airport is finally getting some much-needed upgrades. We have already written about some of these, e.g. LaGuardia Airport's rebuilt Terminal B, JFK Airport’s upcoming new Terminal 1and Alternative Terminal A at Newark.
Of the many large-scale projects underway, few are bigger than JFK Terminal 6, which is slated to open in the first half of next year. The team behind the $4.2 billion project invited us to visit the construction site where work is underway. We loved seeing a behind-the-scenes look at a major terminal, and we got a better idea of what passengers can expect once the terminal is completed.
The passenger experience will be vastly improved compared to the old terminal at JFK. T6 will showcase JFK's status as a world airport, hosting long-haul international airlines from multiple continents as well as a number of domestic and low-cost carriers. The building will be equipped with a host of high-tech features, some to improve the passenger experience and others to increase the sustainability and efficiency of behind-the-scenes operations. Importantly, there will be plenty to keep people entertained, including a series of outstanding lounges, outposts of several of New York City's famous restaurants, and some great aircraft spotting potential.
Read on to learn more about what you can expect when JFK Terminal 6 opens in a few months.
Getting ready for the new Terminal 6
JFK Airport has had several iconic terminals throughout its long history. An early version of Terminal 6 was known as the Sundrome. Originally built for National Airlines, it was designed by I.M. Pei, opened in 1969, and eventually demolished in 2011.
Since then, there has been no full-fledged Terminal 6 between JetBlue-dominated Terminal 5 and the hodgepodge of multiple airlines called Terminal 7:
Terminal 7 (pictured above, left) is operated by JFK Millennium Partners, the entity responsible for the upcoming Terminal 6. This operational overlap is convenient because Terminal 6 will eventually annex Terminal 7's footprint.
Overall terminal design
The new Terminal 6 has relatively little space to work with since there isn't much space between the roads and runways in this part of the airport. As such, it will have a modest 10 gates, although nearly all of them are designed and optimized for wide-body aircraft.
The terminal will be connected to JetBlue Airways Terminal 5 before and after security. We wonder if this proximity will improve the prospects of codesharing between JetBlue and some of the long-haul international airlines moving to Terminal 6.
Visit the terminal
Recently we had the opportunity to visit the Terminal 6 construction site, entering from the side of Terminal 7 which is currently in operation.
We'll follow the flow of departing passengers and guide you through the key takeaways from the trip.
The front security section of the terminal prioritizes functionality, and its design struck us as stylish but not particularly unique or memorable.
To be fair, there isn't much room on the front to make a bold architectural statement. The area in front of the terminal has a lot to offer, including three levels of roadways, a ground transportation center, AirTrain lines and parking.
T6 is one of the largest departure-restricted areas in JFK terminals and is designed to address a major pain point in regular airport terminals and is designed to prevent car congestion in drop-off areas.
Since there is not much space between roads and ramps within the terminal, the check-in area must make efficient use of the limited area. The terminal's check-in area is very flexible, with screens allowing different airlines to use any given counter at different times. It's not a novel concept, but the T6 relies on it more than most other terminals we've seen.
One of the key design advantages of Terminal 6 is the full use of natural daylight. The entire building has a set of huge circular skylights that dazzle passengers with daylight.
Another cool design feature: Walking to the TSA checkpoint gives you a glimpse of the ramp. Being able to see the plane and get excited about flying before the drudgery of security is one of many subtle ways in which the T6's design impresses with its thoughtfulness.
In our opinion, the terminal design shines most brightly in the post-security transfer lounge. The highlight is the epic central space you enter after the security checkpoint. Even in its current work-in-progress state, we can see how great this part of the terminal looks.
Here’s a rendering of the finished product, which includes some sculptural elements that will enliven the passenger experience:
Since there are only ten gates in the terminal, you don’t have to walk a long way from security to your gate. Much of the terminal has floor-to-ceiling views of the ramp. The terminal building faces runway 13L/31R. This runway is not always in use, but even if 13L/31R is not used as an active runway, there is still plenty of interesting aircraft taxiing.
T6 lounge view
In the picture above you can see some seats that are higher than the main departure level. This is one of the premium lounges planned in Terminal 6. Some will be operated by specific airlines, including Lufthansa Group, Aer Lingus and Cathay Pacific. For its part, Cathay Pacific, its Terminal 6 lounge will be its first at JFK. Lufthansa lounges will offer direct boarding from the lounge, as will Cathay Pacific lounges. One of the terminal's lounges will be a terminal-operated shared lounge for airlines that do not have their own dedicated Terminal 6 lounge.
The terminal’s most innovative lounge will be its planned arrivals lounge, located in the arrivals area after incoming passengers pass through customs and immigration. Arriving passengers can take a shower and grab a bite to eat before entering the city, helping them start their day in a more efficient way. The lounge will open in one of the later stages of the terminal’s rollout, and as the opening date nears, we’re interested in learning more details about this unique concept.
Focus on local flavor
There is no doubt that the dining options are one of Terminal 6's greatest strengths. Many airport terminals in the U.S. are focused on national chains, but Kennedy Millennium Partners went to great lengths to recruit popular terminals in its hometown in the New York area, including some that had never been at an airport before. These include a “finely marinated” chicken sandwich blessingAmerican mainstay PJ Clark's, Di Fara's Pizzeria, Serves five coffee, and a cup brooklyn brewery Taproom, to name a few.
Execution is a make-or-break factor when it comes to airport food quality, as logistics can be much more complex than within a city. But given that there are already many brands in Terminal 6, we still plan to come hungry.
Focus on technology and sustainability
Passengers will enjoy cutting-edge technology at multiple points throughout their terminal journey, including state-of-the-art security technology at TSA checkpoints. One feature we're particularly excited about is the design of the gate area. The entire area around each gate will be a giant display with larger text and unique images, instead of the one or two monitors that typically require squinting to read.
Behind the scenes, we focus on sustainable operations. The biggest carbon culprit at most airport terminals is the large number of inefficient ground support vehicles. In contrast to the norm, Terminal 6 will feature all-electric ground support vehicles. To further improve efficiency, all airlines at the terminal will use a shared pool of vehicles, rather than each airline operating its own ground vehicles.
The terminal’s design also features rooftop solar arrays, advanced transparent insulation to reduce heat loss through large skylights, and sustainably sourced building materials. LEED certification is ongoing, but designers are aiming for the terminal to achieve LEED Silver or Gold status.
Airlines in Terminal 6
So far, 15 airlines have announced plans to operate from Terminal 6. Overall, the variety of airlines is impressive, spanning multiple categories including long-haul European airlines, Asian airlines, Middle Eastern airlines, and Frontier and Norse representing short-haul and long-haul low-cost carriers respectively. Some of the airlines listed below will move to Terminal 6 from day one, while others will relocate following the phased rollout of the terminal.
IcelandAir and Avianca are recently announced additions but are not yet included in the chart above.
Perhaps the biggest airline-related Terminal 6 news involves an airline that currently doesn't operate at JFK at all. United Airlines left the airport years ago to consolidate at its Newark hub but has been considering a return. Earlier this year, it announced a Blue Sky Partnership with JetBlue Airways That includes giving United some JFK slots starting in 2027. It looks like it will operate out of Terminal 6, which would put it very close to JetBlue's JFK flights.
timeline
Terminal 6 will open in phases. The first phase includes six gates and will open in the first half of 2026. Final completion of the terminal is expected in 2028. The adjacent Terminal 7 will initially continue to operate but will eventually be decommissioned and its footprint will be taken over by Terminal 6 as it expands in size. The final version of the terminal (pictured below, left) will connect to Terminal 5 (pictured, below, right) before and after security.
If all the photos in this story aren't enough for you, check out this video featuring final terminal renderings provided by JFK Millennium Partners:
We can’t wait to see the finished terminal in person! Until then, we'll end this story with some forward-looking questions about the future of Terminal 6:
- If the United and JetBlue partnership launches smoothly, will United have enough headroom (in terms of JFK slots and T6 gate space) to further expand its JFK operations in the coming years?
- Credit card lounges have become extremely popular, especially in the past few years. American Express, Chase and Capital One have lounges at JFK Terminal 4. But they are known to have huge capacity issues and are difficult to get to if you fly out of another terminal. Is it possible that the Credit Card Lounge is occupying one of the unclaimed T6 Lounge slots? Another possibility is that one of the lounges already announced, including shared lounges initially operated by the terminal management, could become a Priority Pass lounge.
- Once this phase of terminal construction is completed, JFK will have Terminals 1, 4, 5, 6 and 8, but no Terminals 2, 3 or 7. Will the terminals eventually be renumbered? It's unclear whether the renumbering will be worthwhile, but until then, the absence of these three numbered terminals is somewhat noticeable.
- JFK's terminal division also doesn't explicitly follow airline alliances. For example, Terminal 6 will have quite a few Star Alliance operators, but also oneworld's Cathay Pacific and some domestic airlines (Frontier and JetBlue) that are not part of the three major international alliances. How will airlines adjust between terminals at JFK over time? In particular, the new Terminal 1 also hosts a number of international airlines and we could imagine seeing some airlines moving from T1 to T6 and vice versa.
- How will the terminal coordinate airlines' competing demands for a shared pool of ground vehicles, especially if demand increases or operations are irregular?
