JFK's stunning new Terminal 5 is the first post-9/11 airplane terminal in the United States to incorporate passenger-friendly elements that recognize the vast changes in how we conceptualize airports, flying and security. With free Wi-Fi, customer service zones in every concourse, food ordering capability at the gates, and a visual paging system for a quieter terminal, the bold colors, abundant natural light, and both lounge-like and traditional seating at gates make for a great traveling experience.
Terminal 5 or T5 will see roughly 20 million passengers a year and 10 flights per gate every day. Situated behind the landmark Eero Saarinen TWA terminal, the new 635,000-square-foot, 26-gate T5 accounts for more than 30 percent of JFK’s traffic, making it the airport’s busiest. Built in collaboration with Arup, Turner Construction, DMJM Harris/AECOM and Rockwell Group, Gensler's design for T5 offers self-service options for customers and easily navigated security areas. 40 ticket counters and 65 e-ticket kiosks line both sides of the ticket hall. Right in the center of the departure hall, a massive 20-lane security checkpoint—in fact, the largest single checkpoint in the country—eliminates bottlenecks and features efficient, customer-friendly details such as self-select lanes for families, casual travelers and expert travelers. Soft rubber flooring and a 225-foot-long bench to put on those shoes after passing through security actually make the quick trip through security relatively pleasant.
The 55,000-square-foot Marketplace is located at the juncture of the three concourses and throughways to and from security and baggage claim. The Marketplace features a four-foot-tall grandstand and a 2-foot tall platform for seating or performances and exhibitions, and a dramatic 44-foot-wide ring of LCD monitors suspended by stainless steel cables and visible from all concourses. The Marketplace is home to a majority of the terminal’s nine full service restaurants, bars, and cafes; eight quick-serve eateries; three coffee bars; six bars/lounges and 25 retail stores. You can read more about those venues here.
The in-line baggage system efficiently delivers luggage from check-in, screening and sorting to planes, and can process up to 4,000 bags per hour; this also contributes to the terminal’s industry-leading 30-minute plane turnaround time.
A new parking garage and the AirTrain are connected to the terminal by a skywalk. Following the renovation of the historic Saarinen terminal, travelers will also have the option of entering through the historic terminal and reaching T5 via two renovated ‘flight tubes.’
There are no events taking place on this date.