Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport has witnessed exponential year-by-year growth since its opening in 2001. In 2016, T4, the home to 32 international and domestic airlines, surpassed 20 million annual passengers – a major milestone for the terminal.
One of six active terminals at JFK, T4 accounts for one-third of all traffic at one of the world’s largest airports. In fact, if T4 were a standalone airport instead of one terminal at JFK, in 2015 it would be the 14th most trafficked airport in the United States.
“The growth of our terminal has been remarkable to witness,” said Gert-Jan de Graaff, President & CEO of JFKIAT, LLC., the company that operates Terminal 4. “Beginning with less than 5 million when we began operations 15 years ago to now hosting 20 million annually is quite an incredible feat. The credit for such success is undoubtedly shared amongst our airlines, business partners, retail and food vendors and – most importantly – the 13,000 employees who work tirelessly to move the more than 70,000 daily visitors seamlessly through the terminal. Everyone works together to create an exceptional passenger experience and we remain truly grateful for the enduring partnerships.”
In December 2016, Terminal 4 employees celebrated the milestone with surprise gift bags, games and prizes for the tens of thousands of daily air travelers.
JFKIAT, LLC was selected by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 1997 to redevelop and manage the former International Arrivals Building at JFK. Work began soon thereafter on replacing the 44-year-old international terminal. Terminal 4, a then-16 gate terminal opened in May of 2001 with five million passengers per year. Fifteen years, 20 gates, and an additional $1.4 billion investment later, the first-of-its-kind venture has a clear record of success of which to be proud.
Today, Terminal 4 is one of the world’s most modern and efficient airport terminals with an expanded facility - to accommodate the increased passenger growth. Features include a CTX 9800 in-line state-of-the-art baggage system capable of processing more than 6,000 bags per hour and a centralized security checkpoint. The installation of 66 Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks – the most at JFK Airport – has dramatically reduced wait times.
The only terminal at JFK Airport with a Queue Monitoring System, T4 is able to advise passengers of predicted wait times at three locations: the TSA checkpoint, Customs and Border Protection area, and the indoor taxi stand.
Terminal 4's expansive retail lounge – with more than 122,200 square feet devoted to shopping and dining features 48 retail shops and 28 restaurants – offers an unparalleled shopping experience for travelers with a wide range of retail options from chic, upscale boutiques, to convenience stores, electronics, accessories and gifts. Representative brands include: Coach, Guess, Hugo Boss, Kiehl’s, Michael Kors, Swarovski, Thomas Pink, Brooks Brothers,, Victoria’s Secret, Hudson News, XpresSpa and The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store. Restaurants include The Palm, Danny Meyer’s Blue Smoke and Shake Shack, Uptown Brasserie by Marcus Samuelsson and innovative, original food and beverage t concepts line the Terminal’s retail lounge.
