Airport Press - Serving New York Airports

Vol. 27 No. 2	Serving New York Airports	February 2005

WHAT'S INSIDE

JFK NEWS

SIGNIFICANT MILEPOSTS REACHED BY TERMINAL 4

2004 MOST-TRAVELED YEAR EVER FOR TERMINAL 4

Passenger traffic at JFK International Airport’s Terminal 4 surged by 33 percent in 2004, surpassing pre-9/11 volume for the first time. In fact, the 6.2 million passengers traveling through set all time records for the terminal. “This is an important milestone for Terminal 4. For the first time since 9/11, passenger traffic has rebounded,” said Henk Guitjens, chief marketing officer of JFK IAT LLC, which operates Terminal 4. “Now we can say with certainty that passengers have regained their confidence and the skies are crowded again. And, new airlines continue to make Terminal 4 their terminal of choice.” This year’s numbers mark

the first double-digit increases ever for Terminal 4. Passenger traffic at Terminal 4 decreased 4 percent from 2001 to 2002 following the downturn in travel after 9/11. The terminal experienced a modest 6 percent increase in passenger traffic from 2002 to 2003, as consumers began to return to the skies. The significance of the 33-percent gain over 2003 is reflected in 2004 flight activity, which increased by 18 percent. In addition, the

average passenger load per flight increased from 170 to 188 passengers, and average daily checked luggage volume increased 21 percent to more than 12,000 pieces a day. The average check in time decreased nearly 13 percent to 2.7 minutes per passenger. With the completion of The Shops at Terminal 4, all retail

sectors outperformed last year’s numbers with a 42-percent increase in sales over 2003, also reflecting the boom in passenger traffic. Duty Free sales and Food & Beverage reflected vigorous sales and the favorable exchange rate of the dollar to many foreign currencies was also a contributing positive factor. Virgin’s move to Terminal 4 in February kicked off the year followed by several airlines inaugurating New York service at Terminal 4 including, Emirates, Copa, Israir, Mexicana and new start-up Independence Air. Low-cost carrier, Jet- Blue Airways utilizes Terminal 4 for its international flights arrivals from the Dominican Republic. Terminal 4 also

renewed contracts with nine partner airlines including Asiana, Egypt, Ghana, Kuwait, LAN, Pakistan, Universal, Uzbekistan and World. Terminal 4 completed a new ground level boarding gate that accommodates both a regional jet and busing operation. Additionally, the terminal purchased two airport-designed Cobus 3000 buses, supported by a covered stair truck and handicap lift vehicle, providing the highest level of customer service to/from Terminal 4’s hardstand positions, the only

such operation at JFK today. In addition, eight mobile ticketing counters were added to the mix of 144 permanent counters for additional check-in capacity. As the largest terminal at JFK, Terminal 4 continues to have capacity for additional carriers.