New York Governor George E. Pataki and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg joined officials from the Port Authority and JetBlue Airways at John F. Kennedy International Airport to mark the start of construction on a new 26-gate, 635,000-square-foot passenger terminal that is being built behind the existing TWA Flight Center. The landmark TWA building, an icon of American architecture, will be rehabilitated and restored concurrent with construction of the new terminal. The new passenger terminal is being built by the Port Authority and JetBlue on a 72-acre tract in JFK's Central Terminal Area. The Port Authority will finance $795 million of the $875 million project, with JetBlue contributing $80 million. The investment also includes a new parking garage with at least 1,500 spaces; a new connecting bridge to the nearby AirTrain JFK station; work needed to incorporate the connecting tubes of the TWA Flight Center, also known as Terminal 5, into the new terminal; new roadways; and related infrastructure. The project is the largest infrastructure investment undertaken by JetBlue since the airline began flying in February 2000, and will more than double the airline's JFK capacity by 2009. JetBlue currently operates approximately 100 flights a day out of 14 gates from JFK's Terminal 6. When the Terminal 5 construction project is completed by 2009, the low-fare airline will have 26 gates, capable of up to 250 daily flights. "New York and JFK are the heart of our operation, and with our new terminal, we will be able to offer more flights and low fares," said JetBlue's CEO David Neeleman. "The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey made this project possible," said Dave Barger, president of JetBlue Airways. "We share a vision for the future that includes making air travel affordable for more people, and making the experience of travel pleasant again. On behalf of JetBlue's crewmembers, I extend my personal thanks to all of our business partners and JetBlue's Corporate Real Estate team for their dedication to this project." Highlights of the project include:
. $875 million budget; $80 million funded by JetBlue
. Three year project
. New 635,000 square foot terminal designed around the customer's airport experience
. 26 gates capable of up to 250 daily flights
. Capacity for 20 million customers per year
. Connection to the historic Eero Saarinen terminal
. A 1,500-space parking garage
. A 30-year lease with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Southwest Airlines quietly made history, flying its first airplane from Dallas Love Field to St. Louis. The trip was the first commercial nonstop flight in Southwest's history from Love beyond the original boundaries of the Wright Amendment. Beginning March 2, American Airlines will resume its head-to-head battle with Southwest Airlines at Dallas Love Field, armed with 16 new nonstop flights to St. Louis; Kansas City, Mo.; Austin and San Antonio. Dallas-based Southwest runs 36 daily nonstop flights from Love to those cities, including eight departures to Missouri. The Love Field expansion for Fort Worthbased American will come at the expense of a reduced schedule at its largest hub, Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. American will eliminate nine daily nonstop flights to six cities from D/FW, including Long Beach, Calif., and Lima, Peru.

March," he said, but declined to elaborate. Kommersant quoted sources at the company as saying Aeroflot had recently amended the tender and could buy as many as 28 aircraft instead of 22.