Which airlines use which terminal?

Summary

• From the 130 gates at JFK Airport, more than 90 airlines fly to over 200 destinations.
• The airport has five active terminals. A new Terminal 6 will come into operation in 2025.
• There are currently numerous renovation projects and airline relocations underway.

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York is one of the busiest airports in the United States. From its 130 gates, more than 90 airlines fly to over 200 destinations in the United States and around the world.

The airport opened in 1948 and was renamed after the 35th President of the United States in 1963. Since then, several expansions and renovations have taken place, some of which are still ongoing.

The situation of the country

The terminals at JFK are arranged in a circle around a central area that contains parking lots, a power plant, and other airport facilities. All terminals are connected by the AirTrain system and access roads.

There are currently five active terminals at JFK: Terminal 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8. Construction on the new Terminal 6 will be completed next year.

It is obvious that Terminals 2 and 3 are missing from this list, so what happened to them?

• Terminal 2 was an 11-gate terminal, originally home to Northeast Airlines, Braniff International Airways and Northwest Orient, and later Delta Air Lines. However, with the expansion of Terminal 4 nearly a decade ago, Delta moved much of its operations there and moved out of Terminal 2 entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The terminal was eventually demolished in 2023 to make way for the expansion of Terminal 1.
• Terminal 3 was originally the Pan Am Worldport, built in the 1960s. By 2013, the terminal had exceeded its useful life and ceased operations. In 2015, it was demolished to create additional aircraft parking for Delta at Terminal 4.

So let’s take a closer look at the terminals at JFK and the airlines that fly from there.

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 was built on the site of the original Eastern Airlines terminal and is now a hub for a variety of international airlines. It is one of two terminals at JFK that can accommodate the Airbus A380 and was also used for Air France’s Concorde aircraft until 2003.

The terminal is currently undergoing a major renovation called New Terminal One (NTO), which began in 2022 and is expected to be completed by 2030.

NTO will be built on the sites of the existing Terminal 1, the old Terminal 2 (demolished last year) and the former Terminal 3 (demolished in 2013). The new 2.4 million square meter facility with 23 gates will be built in several phases:

• The opening of the first 14 gates on the east side as well as the departure and arrival hall is planned for 2026 on the site of the old Terminal 2.
• The current Terminal 1 will then be demolished and the next five gates on the west side of the terminal will be opened in its place in 2028.
• The final four gates will open in 2030, although an additional expansion of the terminal on the west side to eight gates (including an additional A380 gate) is being discussed.

Terminal4

Terminal 4 is primarily the hub for Delta Air Lines, which is the largest airline at JFK in terms of passenger numbers, with a 30% market share. As a result, the terminal is heavily populated by Delta’s SkyTeam and codeshare partners such as KLM, LATAM and Virgin Atlantic, although Air France is notably absent.

However, it is also the home base for other airlines not affiliated with Delta, such as Emirates, Avianca and Singapore Airlines.

Terminal 4 has been extensively renovated in recent years and the number of gates has been significantly increased.

This made it the largest terminal at JFK and ultimately created enough space for Delta to consolidate its operations from Terminals 2 and 3 into one location.

Terminal5

Terminal 5 is home to JetBlue, the second-largest airline at JFK, and only one other airline, Cape Air. The terminal was redesigned and built behind the iconic TWA Flight Center, which closed in 2001 after Trans World Airlines ceased operations.

However, since the building was declared a landmark of the city of New York, it was not demolished but integrated into today’s Terminal 5 and converted into the TWA Hotel.

The facility opened in 2019 with its jet-age theme and famous rooftop pool overlooking the JFK runways.

Terminal7

Terminal 7 was originally built as the headquarters of BOAC and later taken over by British Airways. British Airways’ Concorde aircraft arrived and took off from here until 2003.

Unfortunately, that rich legacy is long gone: BA moved to Terminal 8, and Terminal 7 is now the smallest and oldest terminal at JFK Airport, the last refuge for international airlines that could not find space in a better terminal.

The terminal is to be demolished and replaced by the new Terminal 6.

Terminal8

Terminal 8 is home to American Airlines, the third-largest airline at the airport. American Airlines built it to replace the old Terminals 8 and 9, which formerly separated American’s international and domestic flights.

It subsequently became a hub for Oneworld operators at JFK to allow easier connections between the partners. British Airways and Iberia moved into the terminal in 2019, and Japan Airlines moved here in 2023.

Coming soon: Terminal 6

Construction of the new Terminal 6 began last year. The first gates are scheduled to open next year and the terminal is scheduled to be completed in 2028.

The terminal will be connected to Terminal 5 and will replace Terminal 7, which will be demolished after the first phase of construction is completed. So far, Lufthansa has announced that it plans to move here from Terminal 1, bringing with it the rest of its group’s airlines – Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and SWISS.