Carriers are signing up fast to move to New York JFK’s New Terminal One, slated to open in June 2026
In sales, the ability to create a feeling of ‘get in quick while it’s available’ is a strong lure to entice customers to sign up.
This was exactly the sense of urgency the team at the New Terminal One at New York’s JF Kennedy Airport was seeking to generate at the IATA Annual Meeting, held in Dubai in early June.
And for newly appointed CEO Jennifer Aument and Chief Revenue Officer Carl Schultz it appears time well spent, for in the weeks following the visit to the United Arab Emirates both Air China and SAS put pen to paper on deals to move to the New Terminal One when it opens in 2026.
The New Terminal One is a flagship, dedicated international terminal being constructed in partnership with The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s US$19 billion redevelopment of JFK Airport.
It is the anchor point of several projects to upgrade and revitalise New York’s premier gateway, which has long been criticised for outdated terminals and a poor customer experience.
Other projects at JFK include the newly refurbished Terminal 4 opened by Delta Air Lines in early 2023.
“It has been a great opportunity to spend time with our new partners,” said Aument of the IATA event. “People have seen this project as something very conceptual and faraway, but the feedback we have had is that this is real.
“It’s moving forward very quickly to opening in June 2026 and partners are thinking now is the time to get on board, make route plans, design facilities and work on world-class lounges,” explained Aument.
“Now is the time to make concrete plans to be part of something that’s going to be unmatched in the US market,” she added.
Aument is aiming to welcome 30-40 airlines into the new terminal by the time it is completed. Already confirmed to operate at the New T1 are Air France-KLM, with the carriers planning to consolidate their JFK operations from the current T1 and T4.
Other carriers already signed up are Korean Air, Air Serbia, Etihad Airways, LOT Polish and EVA Air.
The new terminals give airlines a chance to find new homes at JFK. “We are going to see a reshuffle of airlines across the campus just because there are a lot of redevelopment projects,” said Schultz.
“Because we’re opening with more capacity than exists at the current T1, we anticipate that will pull in international carriers from other terminals, especially with the product that we’re offering,” he stated.
A new JFK
Today there are six terminals at JFK, which is a market dominated by origin and destination traffic (although carriers with their own terminals like American, Delta and JetBlue do have significant transfer flows).
The old T2 and T3, which catered primarily to domestic traffic and were little used, are being demolished to make way for the New Terminal 1. In its first phase, New T1 will have 14 international gates. It is a privately funded $9.5 billion project led by a consortium of labour, operating and financial partners such as Ferrovial, JLC Infrastructure, Ullico and Carlyle.
Aument’s team includes colleagues with deep experience of developing and operating some of the world’s best airports. “Our aim is to create a new gateway to New York and the US and to be one of the best airports in the world. We want to be SkyTrax top five,” she stated.
“The design of the terminal is inspired by Central Park. We have a very strong commitment to creating a sense of place that matches that legacy so travellers can feel that New York buzz and excitement.”
Starting with a clean-sheet design has enabled The New Terminal One to be developed with future-looking technologies. The common-use facility will begin operating with all-electric ground support equipment from day one.
“If you look at technology, and how that translates to our operations, whether it’s the latest biometric technology, or other solutions, we’re providing opportunities for our airline partners to save substantial operating costs,” said Aument, noting that her team has seen data that suggests the New T1 will save up to 40% on check-in operations compared to the existing terminals.
“Inefficiency drives cost and we’re opening a very efficient operation that is night and day different from what [our carriers] are getting currently,” said Schultz.
The terminal will also be partly powered by a microgrid providing electricity from rooftop solar panels, gas fuel cells and battery storage. It will also feature two ground service providers, with airlines complaining at other terminals of a lack of choice where some only have one handler, said Aument.
In addition, the team is putting high customer service levels at the top of its agenda. “We have a very deliberate procurement strategy around this. From day one we want every colleague to share the same vision as us for our customer experience,” she noted.
All service providers, including JFK’s Transportation Security Administration partners, will go through the same customer service training programme.
Construction plan
In the first phase of construction New Terminal One will open with 14 gates. When it opens in June 2026, the second construction phase will have already started. This will end up with a terminal of 23 gates in 2030.
“There will be continuous construction, which has been deliberately designed so we are able to provide an elevated experience with little disruption to operations,” said Aument.
While all the new terminal investment at JFK is aimed at delivering a transformed airport overall, as well as significant extra capacity, The New Terminal One team believe they will offer something special.
“We are in the unique position to be able to tailor both our operations and our customer offerings for the international customer,” said Aument.
“There’s a strong value proposition for customers visiting the terminal relative to not just the JFK campus but relative to anything that we see in the US market,” she said, referring to the retail and food and beverage offering that the terminal will feature.
“From an airline partner perspective, you’ve got an independent terminal, where we have equal partners across the board who can be served at a terminal that is designed specifically for international routes and international customers and avoid the chaos of domestic air travel.
“We are a premium market with the premier terminal – that’s what we are striving for,” added Aument.
“What we are seeing right now is real momentum where we have airline partners that want to be at the table today,” she said. “We are moving very quickly, and we are on time.”
