American Airlines and British Airways say construction has begun on a $344 million refurbishment of JFK Terminal 8.
BA is set to move from Terminal 7 to Terminal 8 following the completion of work in 2022.
The joint venture partners say the shared terminal will provide new co-branded lounges, a larger variety of retail and dining options, an enhanced baggage system and co-located long-haul aircraft gates, enabling easier connections.
Works will add 6,500 sqm to the terminal, as well as five widebody aircraft gates and four “widebody hard stands” (parking which allows customers to be transported by bus – meaning longer trips to/from the aircraft).
Terminal 8 is already the largest terminal at JFK, and can currently handle 13 million annual passengers.
In October last year, BA finished a long-awaited refurbishment of its first class lounge at Terminal 7, part of a £52 million investment in facilities. It has said it “remains committed to improving its customer experience at JFK” ahead of the move.
Between them, American Airlines and British Airways offer 14 daily flights from JFK to London.
British Airways CEO Alex Cruz said:
“This is an exciting development in our move to Terminal 8, alongside American Airlines, our Atlantic joint-business partner.
“We are one step closer to offering an even better customer experience for passengers travelling to, from and through JFK. We look forward to our continued work with the Port Authority and American Airlines in order to build a world-class transatlantic travel experience.”
JFK is undergoing various renovation and expansion works as part of a $13 billion project to allow it to handle 75 million annual passengers by 2030.
These include new amenities, a redesigned airport traffic layout, centralised ground transport options, new taxiways and gate capacity and new amenities.
Airports across the US have unveiled ambitious (and expensive) expansion plans as they prepare to handle rising passenger numbers over the coming years.
