JFK International Airport comes somewhere on the top in the list of USA’s busiest international airports. Situated in Jamaica, the neighborhood of Queens – a borough of USA’s New York City (NYC) – JFK International has been serving as the primary airport to NYC since its establishment.
JFK International Airport comes somewhere on the top in the list of USA’s busiest international airports. Situated in Jamaica, the neighborhood of Queens – a borough of USA’s New York City (NYC) – JFK International has been serving as the primary airport to NYC since its establishment.
According to official data, JFK International served more than 61 million passengers in 2018. Moreover, the airport has more than 80 airlines operating under its roof.
History Of JFK International Airport And Its Name
JFK International was initially (in 1942) named as ‘Idlewild Airport’ replacing the ‘Idlewild Beach Golf Club.’ It was in 1948 that its name was changed to ‘New York International Airport, Anderson Field.’ However, the most popular and common name of the airport remained ‘Idlewild’ until 1963.
After that, the name of the airport finally changed to ‘JFK International’ following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy at the end of 1963. This time the name change was proposed by the then Mayor of NYC, Robert Ferdinand Wagner II.
Facilities Offered At The Airport’s Terminals
- The airport offers facilities including hotel reservations, baggage storage, and travelers aid at its first terminal.
- At the second terminal of JFK International, passengers can avail facilities like shoe shining, hotel bookings, paging, etc.
- The fourth terminal of the airport is the information counter.
- Terminal 5 of JFK International is the welcome center. Also, it offers facilities like paging, baggage storage, etc.
- The seventh terminal of JFK International offers facilities like mobile phone rental and baggage storage.
- Terminal 8 of the airport also offers facilities inclusive of paging and baggage storage.
Other Facilities Offered By JFK International
- The airport offers Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) internet services to the passengers across its premises.
- The airport has trained medical experts available 24×7 for emergencies.
- There is also a private medical building within the airport’s premises, and it remains open 24×7.
- The airport has information booths located on the arrival level of all its terminals for the ease of tourists.
- The airport has numerous telephone booths. Also, it has at least one amplified phone for people with hearing impairment at every box.
- All the terminals of the airport have a feature wheelchair-accessible restrooms.
Some Additional Information About JFK International
- The building of JFK International covers a sprawling land of 5,200 acres.
- JFK International has four runways in total, and one of these four runways is the third-longest in North America.
- The airport has over 40 kilometers of taxiways for moving the aircraft.
- JFK International has six terminals in total, including 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8.
- The North American Airlines once had its headquarters at JFK International. It was one of the tenants in the airport’s building.
- Numerous renowned airlines like Air Europa, Air Italy, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, etc. operate from JFK International.
