American Airlines moves International services at JFK to new Terminal

With the opening of Concourse B, American increases its number of gates in the new facility from 18 to 28, with 15 able to handle arriving international flights. When all of the USD1.3 billion terminal is complete in early-08, the facility will have 36 gates, with 19 capable of handling international arrivals.

The latest efforts are part of Phase II of the construction of American's terminal, the newest and largest airline terminal at JFK, which is designed to serve the needs of millions of domestic and international travelers for decades to come.

"The new 82,000 square-foot Customs and Immigrations facility has 32 Immigration positions and 10 Customs positions capable of processing 1,600 travelers per hour, compared to just 1,200 per hour previously. That is just one of the ways customers will realize the benefits of American's new terminal," said Dan Garton, American's Executive Vice President - Marketing. "This terminal represents one of the biggest, boldest and most expensive projects in American Airlines history, and it underscores our commitment to JFK and New York and our determination to preserve New York's status as one of the world's premier domestic and international gateways. It also reaffirms our commitment to provide our customers with the best possible travel experience."

American's new terminal has been built to provide world-class convenience and comfort. The facility is bright and airy and significantly improves passenger flow through increased usage of moving walkways, broader corridors, and larger passenger hold rooms. American serves about 8.5 million customers at JFK Airport annually.

"New York is important to American Airlines for many reasons," Garton said. "A huge number of our customers live here; it's one of the world's top tourist destinations; and as a gateway from the United States to the rest of the world, it plays a very strategic role in our global network. In addition, we have 8,500 members of the AA team in the area, so New York has a very special place in our hearts and minds."

The new Concourse B will offer an extensive concessions program that will include duty-free shopping and popular retailers and service providers such as Tumi, Hugo Boss, Estee Lauder, Lacoste, Oakley, Metropolitan Museum of Art, In Motion Entertainment, and 10 Minute Manicure. It will also offer an exciting variety of food and beverage services, including O'Neals, a well-known New York theater-district, full-service restaurant; Vino Volo, a wine tasting bar and retail shop; a New York Sports Bar; and authentic New York pizza from New York City-based restaurant, Abitino's. Parking for the new facility is greatly improved with the completion last fall by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey of a new four-level parking garage with 1,960 spaces, nearly four times the spaces of the former lot. And the new facility has a new state-of-the-art inline baggage screening system with eight CTX 9000 machines, which can process 3,200 bags per hour.