John F. Kennedy International Airport

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John F. Kennedy International Airport
IATA: JFK - ICAO: KJFK
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Serves		New York City
Elevation AMSL		13 ft (4 m)
Coordinates		40°38′23″ N 73°46′44″ W (40.639722222222, -73.778888888889)
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
4L/22R	11,351	3,460	Asphalt/Concrete
4R/22L	8,400	2,560	Asphalt
13L/31R	10,000	3,048	Asphalt
13R/31L	14,572	4,442	Asphalt/Concrete

John F. Kennedy International Airport (IATA: JFK, ICAO: KJFK), originally known as Idlewild Airport, is an international airport located in Jamaica, Queens, in southeastern New York City about 12 miles (19 km) from Lower Manhattan.

JFK is the top international air passenger gateway to the United States^[1] and is also the leading freight gateway to the country by value of shipments.^[2]

The airport is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages three other airports in the New York City metropolitan area, Newark Liberty, LaGuardia and Teterboro. Of these, JFK is the largest. It is the base of operations for JetBlue Airways and is also a major international gateway hub for Delta Air Lines and American Airlines.

JFK's outbound international travel accounted for 17% of all U.S. travelers who went overseas in 2004, the largest share of any U.S. airport. In 2000, JFK handled an average of about 50,000 international passengers each day. The JFK-London Heathrow route is the leading U.S. international airport pair with over 2.9 million passengers in 2000.^[1] Other top international destinations from JFK are Paris, Frankfurt, and Tokyo. Nearly 100 airlines from over 50 countries operate regularly scheduled flights from JFK.

Although JFK is known as the premier international hub for both New York City and the United States, it also handles domestic flights, mostly to the West Coast. In 2005 the airport handled 41 million passengers; Newark Liberty Airport handled about 33 million and LaGuardia Airport about 26 million, making for a total of approximately 100 million travelers using New York's airports as the city's airspace surpassed Chicago's to become the busiest in the United States.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Future Plans 2 Infrastructure and services 2.1 Runways 2.2 Passenger terminals 2.3 Air freight 3 Ground transportation 3.1 Rail 3.2 Bus 3.3 Taxi 4 Airlines and destinations 4.1 Terminal 1 4.2 Terminal 2 4.3 Terminal 3 4.4 Terminal 4 4.5 Terminal 6 4.6 Terminal 7 4.7 Terminal 8 4.8 Terminal 9 4.9 New Destinations and Airlines 4.10 Helicopter 5 Accidents 5.1 Other incidents involving JFK 6 JFK Airport in popular culture 7 See also 8 References 8.1 Notes 9 External links

[edit] History

The airport has been operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey under a lease with New York City since 1947. About $60 million was spent on the construction of the airport. Currently, estimates predict some $6.6 billion of economic activity and 207,000 jobs in the New York metropolitan region thanks to JFK International.

Construction of the airport began in 1942 with modest ambitions. Only 1,000 acres (4 km²) of land on the site of Idlewild golf course were earmarked for use. The golf course provided the airport's original namesake, Idlewild Airport.

The airport saw its first commercial flight on July 1, 1948. It was dedicated as 'New York International Airport on July 31 of that same year, although the name "Idlewild" remained in common use and the official IATA airport code was KIDL.

As aviation grew, so did Idlewild. New York's importance as an international center of business and commerce meant there was an ever-greater need for more and more capacity. 4,000 acres (16 km²) and eight terminals were eventually added to the original airport. Over the years many illustrious US airlines made the airport a major hub, including Pan Am, TWA, Eastern, National, Tower Air, and Flying Tiger Line.

The 1948 Temporary Terminal was the sole terminal until 1957, when the International Arrivals Building opened. Eight other "Unit Terminals" were constructed from 1958 to 1971, each designed by one of the airport's main airlines.

The Worldport (Pan Am), now Terminal 3, opened in 1962. It featured a large, elliptical roof suspended by 32 sets of radial posts and cables. The roof extended far beyond the base of the terminal and covered the passenger loading area. It featured Jetways that connected to the terminal and that could be moved to provide an easy walkway for passengers from the terminal to a docked aircraft.

The TWA Flight Center, now Terminal 5, also opened in 1962. Designed by Eero Saarinen, it was sculpted as an abstract symbol of flight. It is considered one of the most architecturally distinguished airport terminal designs in the world. With the demise of TWA, however, it is no longer in use. The main building will be kept as a part of a new Terminal 5 building built by JetBlue.

The airport was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1963, one month after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The airport received the new IATA airport code of JFK, and since then the airport has become widely referred to by this abbreviation.

In 1970, National Airlines opened their Sundrome, designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. It is now used by JetBlue and is known as Terminal 6. As air traffic in New York continued to grow, both Terminal 5 and Terminal 3 were modified in the 1970s to accommodate new Boeing 747s. The supersonic Concorde, operated by Air France and British Airways, provided scheduled trans-Atlantic supersonic service to JFK from 1977 until 2003, when Concorde was retired by both carriers. JFK had the most Concorde operations annually of any airport in the world.

The cargo operations at JFK were targeted in the 1978 Lufthansa heist and 1967 Air France robbery, inspiring the Nicholas Pileggi novel Wiseguys and Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas.

In 1998, the airport began construction of the AirTrain JFK rapid transit system. Completed in December 2003, the rail network links each airport terminal to New York City subways and regional commuter trains at Howard Beach and Ozone park.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, JFK was one of the first airports in the United States to be temporarily closed.

On March 19, 2007, JFK became the first airport in the United States to receive the Airbus A380 with passengers aboard. The route-proving flight with more than 500 passengers was operated jointly by Lufthansa and Airbus and arrived at Terminal 1.

[edit] Future Plans

JFK is undergoing a $10.3 billion redevelopment, one of the largest airport reconstruction projects in the world. The airport recently opened a new Terminal 1. The $1.4 billion replacement for the International Arrivals Building, Terminal 4, opened in 2001. Construction has begun on a new Terminal 5, while leaving the current landmark building in place. Terminals 8, 2, and 3 are slated for demolition or reconstruction^{[citation needed]}: terminals 8 and 9 are currently undergoing redevelopment as one single terminal.

[edit] Infrastructure and services

[edit] Runways

Two pairs of parallel runways, four in all, surround the airport's central terminal area: 4l-22R, 4R-22L, 13L-31R and 13R-31L. Runway 13R-31L is the second longest commercial runway in North America, at a length of 14,572 ft (4,441 m). Total runway length is nearly 3 miles.

Runway 4R-22L is 8,400 feet long and 200 feet wide. It is equipped at both ends with Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), Approach Lighting Systems (ALS) with sequenced flashers, and touchdown zone (TDZ) lighting.

Runway 4R is a Category III A/L ILS runways, permitting landings with a visibility of 600 feet or more by qualified aircrews. The first Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) in North America was installed at the northeast end of the runway in 1996. The bed consists of cellular cement material, which can safely decelerate and stop an aircraft that overruns the runway. The arrestor bed concept was originated and developed by the Port Authority and installed at JFK Airport as a joint research and development project with the FAA and industry. Runway 22L ILS is also a Category III runway. Runway 4L-22R is 11,351 feet long by 150 feet wide and is also equipped with ILS at both ends allowing landings down to three-quarters of a mile visibility. Takeoffs can be conducted with one-eighth of a mile visibility.

Runway 13L-31R is 10,000 feet long by 150 feet wide and is equipped at both ends with ILS and ALS systems. Runway 13L has two additional visual aids for landing aircraft, a Visual Approach Slope Indicator System (VASI) and a Lead-In Lighting System (LDIN). The ILS on 13L has Category II capability, and along with TDZ lighting, allows landings down to half a mile visibility. Takeoffs can be made with visibility of one-eighth of a mile.

JFK has over 25 miles of taxiways to move aircraft in and around the airfield. The standard width of these taxiways is 75 feet, with 25-foot heavy-duty shoulders and 25-foot erosion control pavements on each side. The taxiways have centerline lights and are generally of asphalt concrete composition 15 to 18 inches thick. An illuminated sign system provides directional information for taxiing aircraft.

The Air Traffic Control Tower, constructed on the ramp-side of Terminal 4, began full FAA operations in October 1994 and is 321 feet tall. An Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE) radar unit sits atop the tower. A gas-fired electric cogeneration plant generates electricity for the airport, with an output of about 90 megawatts. It uses thermal energy from the capture of waste heat to heat and cool all of the passenger terminals and other facilities in the central terminal area.

Aircraft service facilities include seven aircraft hangars, an engine overhaul building, a 32-million gallon aircraft fuel storage facility, and a truck garage.

[edit] Passenger terminals

JFK has eight passenger terminals in operation arranged in a U-shaped pattern around a central area containing parking, hotels, a power plant, and other airport facilities. The terminals are connected by the AirTrain system and access roads. A 2006 survey by J.D. Power and Associates in conjunction with Aviation Week found JFK ranked second in overall traveller satisfaction among large airports in the United States, behind McCarran International Airport which serves the Las Vegas metropolitan area.^[3]

Terminal 1 has 11 gates. The original Terminal 1, built as a hub for Eastern Airlines, was demolished, a new Terminal 1 was opened in 1998, 50 years after the opening of JFK.

Terminal 2 was opened in 1962 as the home of Northwest Airlines. The building has 11 gates. Delta hopes to merge its two terminals at JFK (2 & 3) into a single modern terminal in the future.^{[citation needed]}

Terminal 3, built as the (Worldport) in 1960 for Pan American, and substantially expanded for the introduction of the 747 in 1970, has 17 gates.

Terminal 4, the international terminal, is able to handle the Airbus A380 and is managed by the Schiphol Group. It was the first airport terminal in the United States to be managed by a foreign airport operator. Terminal 4 is the major gateway for International Arrivals at JFK. It is the newest structure at JFK that does not incorporate an existing facility. Opened in 2001, the new building was built at a cost of $1..4 billion. The terminal has 17 gates on two concourses. Concourse A has six gates, numbered A2-A7. Concourse B has eleven gates, numbered B20-B31, excluding B21. As Terminal 4 was built during the construction of the AirTrain, the AirTrain station was built inside the terminal building. Other AirTrain stations are built across from terminal buildings.

Terminal 5, also known as the TWA Flight Center, is closed while undergoing reconstruction to become the new terminal for JetBlue Airways.

Terminal 6 has 14 gates. On June 1, 2006, JetBlue opened a temporary terminal complex that added seven gates onto the terminal and increased the capacity for more flights. Customers access the temporary terminal through shuttle buses once they pass through fare control.

Terminal 7 was built for BOAC and Air Canada in the early 1970s. In 1997, the Port Authority entered an agreement with British Airways to expand the terminal. The renovated terminal has 12 gates.^[4]

Terminal 8 will eventually be dismantled now that the new Terminal 9 building is operational.

[edit] Air freight

JFK is the nation’s busiest international air freight gateway by value of shipments and the second busiest overall by value including all air, land and sea U.S. freight gateways. Over 21% of all U.S. international air freight by value and 11% by tonnage moved through JFK in 2003.^[2]

JFK is a major hub for air cargo between the United States and Europe. London, Brussels and Frankfurt are JFK's three top trade routes.^[2] The European airports are mostly a link in a global supply chain, however. The top destination markets for cargo flying out of JFK in 2003 were Tokyo, Seoul and London. Similarly, the top origin markets for imports at JFK were Seoul, Hong Kong, and Taipei, with London taking the fourth spot.^[2]

Some of the cargo imported and exported through JFK includes electrical machinery, woven and knit apparel, medical instruments, footwear, plastics and paper.

Nearly 100 cargo air carriers operate out of JFK,^[2] among them: ABX Air, Air France, Alitalia, Asiana, Astar Air Cargo, Atlas Air, Cargo 360, Cargoitalia, Cargolux, China Airlines, Continental Airlines, DHL, Dragonair, Emirates SkyCargo, EVA Air, Evergreen International Airlines, Execaire, FedEx Express, Gemini Air Cargo, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Lufthansa Cargo, Nippon Cargo Airlines, Polar Air Cargo, Prince Edward Air, Singapore Airlines Cargo, United Cargo, UPS, Varig Logística, World Airways, Yantze River Express. Top 5 carriers together transported 33.1% of all “revenue” freight in 2005: American Airlines (10.9% of the total), FedEx Express (8.8%), Lufthansa Cargo (5.2%), Korean Air Cargo (4.9%), China Airlines (3.8%).^[5]

Most cargo and maintenance facilities at JFK are located north and west of the main terminal area. The following airlines have dedicated cargo terminals at JFK: Continental Airlines, Emirates SkyCargo, EVA Air, Evergreen International Airlines, FedEx Express, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Nippon Cargo Airlines, United Cargo, and UPS.

In 2000, Korean Air Cargo opened a new $102 million cargo terminal at JFK. It was the largest air freight facility on the East Coast with total warehouse floor area of more than 55,000 sq ft (16, 764 m²) and capability of handling 200,000 tons annually.

[edit] Ground transportation

Main article: Transportation to New York City area airports

[edit] Rail

JFK is connected to New York's subway and commuter rail system by the AirTrain. AirTrain stops at all terminals, car rental lots, and two subway stations. It is free within the airport and $5 to reach the subway stations outside the airport perimeter. Travel time between JFK and Midtown Manhattan is approximately 45 minutes using AirTrain and the Long Island Rail Road at Jamaica Station.

[edit] Bus

Several city bus lines link JFK to the New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road, including the Q3, Q6, Q7, Q10, and B15, with free transfers provided for subway connections. The buses are handicapped accessible. There are also many private bus lines operating express buses to Manhattan, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island.

[edit] Taxi

New York City's yellow cabs, operated by the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission, offer a flat rate service of $45 (as of 2007) from JFK airport to Manhattan, excluding tips and tolls. Since November 30, 2006, this flat rate fare (excluding tips and tolls) applies to travel from Manhattan to JFK as well. Depending on the time of day, taxi travel from JFK ro Midtown Manhattan can be as quick as 25 minutes. New York Taxi's accomodate 4 passengers except vans which accomodate 5.

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Terminal 1

• Aeroflot (Moscow-Sheremetyevo)
• Aeroméxico (Mexico City, Puebla)
• Air China (Beijing)
• Air France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
• Air Comet (Madrid)
• Alitalia (Milan-Malpensa, Rome-Fiumicino)
• Austrian Airlines (Vienna)
• China Airlines (Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan)
• China Eastern Airlines (Shanghai-Pudong)
• Japan Airlines (São Paulo-Guarulhos, Tokyo-Narita)
• Korean Air (Seoul-Incheon)
• Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Munich)
• MAXjet Airways (London-Stansted)
• Olympic Airlines (Athens)
• Royal Air Maroc (Casablanca)
• Saudi Arabian Airlines (Jeddah, Riyadh)
• Swiss International Air Lines (Geneva, Zürich)
• Turkish Airlines (Istanbul-Atatürk)

[edit] Terminal 2

• Delta Air Lines
  • Delta Connection operated by Chautauqua Airlines (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Cleveland, Nashville)
  • Delta Connection operated by Comair (Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago-O'Hare, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Montreal, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Rochester (NY), St. Louis [begins June 7, 2007], Toronto-Pearson, Washington-Dulles, Washington-Reagan)
  • Delta Connection operated by Freedom Airlines (Albany, Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, Binghamton [begins May 7, 2007], Burlington, Hartford, Manchester (NH), Nantucket [begins June 14, 2007; seasonal], Norfolk, Philadelphia, Portland (ME), Providence, Syracuse)

[edit] Terminal 3

• Delta Air Lines
  • International destinations: (Acapulco, Accra, Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin-Tegel, Brussels, Bucharest-Otopeni [begins June 5, 2007], Budapest, Dublin, Frankfurt, Istanbul-Atatürk, Kiev-Boryspil, London-Gatwick, Los Cabos, Madrid, Manchester (UK), Mexico City, Milan-Malpensa, Montego Bay [begins June 9, 2007], Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Mumbai, Nice, Oranjestad, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Pisa [begins May 31, 2007], Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, Rome-Fiumicino, Santiago (DR), Santo Domingo, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Shannon, Venice)
  • Domestic destinations: (Atlanta, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland (OR) [begins April 19, 2007], Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan, Seattle/Tacoma, St. Thomas, Tampa, West Palm Beach)
    • Delta Connection operated by Shuttle America (Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth [begins April 17, 2007])

[edit] Terminal 4

• Aer Lingus (Dublin, Shannon)
• Aerolíneas Argentinas (Buenos Aires-Ezeiza)
• Aerosvit Airlines (Kiev-Boryspil)
• Air India (Chennai, Delhi, London-Heathrow, Mumbai)
• Air Jamaica (Barbados, Grenada, Kingston, Montego Bay, St. Lucia)
• Air Tahiti Nui (Papeete)
• Asiana Airlines (Seoul-Incheon)
• Avianca (Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, Medellin, Pereira)
• Caribbean Airlines (Guyana, Port of Spain)
• Continental Airlines (Houston-Intercontinental)
  • Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines (Cleveland)
• Copa Airlines (Panama City)
• Czech Airlines (Prague)
• EgyptAir (Cairo)
• El Al (Tel Aviv)
• Emirates (Dubai, Hamburg)
• Eos Airlines (London-Stansted)
• Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi)
• Eurofly (Bologna [seasonal], Naples [seasonal], Palermo [seasonal], Rome-Fiumicino [seasonal])
• Israir (Tel Aviv)
• JetBlue Airways (Cancún [arrivals], San Juan (PR), Santiago (DR) [arrivals], Santo Domingo [begins May 24, 2007/arrivals])
• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam)
• Kuwait Airways (Kuwait City, London-Heathrow)
• LAN Airlines (Guayaquil, Lima, Santiago)
• LOT Polish Airlines (Rzeszów [begins June 2 2007], Warsaw)
• LTU International (Düsseldorf)
• Mexicana (Mexico City)
• Miami Air [charter flights]
• North American Airlines (Accra, Georgetown, Lagos)
• Northwest Airlines (Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul)
• Pakistan International Airlines (Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Manchester (UK))
• Primaris Airlines (Georgetown, Port of Spain) [charter flights]
• Royal Jordanian (Amman)
• Singapore Airlines (Frankfurt, Singapore)
• South African Airways (Dakar, Johannesburg)
• Sun Country Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul)
• TACA (Guatemala City, San Pedro Sula, San Salvador)
  • Lacsa (San José (CR))
• TAM Linhas Aéreas (São Paulo-Guarulhos)
• Thai Airways International (Bangkok)
• Uzbekistan Airways (Riga, Tashkent)
• Virgin Atlantic Airways (London-Heathrow)
• Xtra Airways (Georgetown, Port of Spain) [On behalf of Travelspan]

[edit] Terminal 6

• JetBlue Airways (Aguadilla, Aruba, Austin, Bermuda, Boston, Buffalo, Burbank, Burlington, Cancún [departures], Charlotte, Chicago-O'Hare, Columbus, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Houston-Hobby, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Nantucket [seasonal; begins May 24, 2007], Nashville, Nassau, New Orleans, Oakland, Ontario, Orlando, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Ponce, Portland (ME), Portland (OR), Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Rochester (NY), Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco [begins May 3, 2007], San Jose (CA), Santiago (DR) [departures], Santo Domingo [begins May 24, 2007/departures], Sarasota/Bradenton, Seattle/Tacoma, Syracuse, Tampa, Tucson, Washington-Dulles, West Palm Beach)

[edit] Terminal 7

• Air Canada (Calgary, Vancouver)
• All Nippon Airways (Tokyo-Narita)
• British Airways (London-Heathrow, Manchester (UK))
• Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong, Vancouver)
• Iberia Airlines (Madrid)
• Icelandair (Reykjavik-Keflavik)
• Qantas (Sydney)
• United Airlines (Los Angeles, San Francisco)
  • United Express operated by Mesa Airlines (Washington-Dulles)
• US Airways
  • US Airways operated by America West Airlines (Las Vegas, Phoenix)
  • US Airways Express operated by Mesa Airlines (Charlotte)

[edit] Terminal 8

• American Airlines (Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cancún, Caracas, Kingston [seasonal], Los Cabos, Montego Bay, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Port-au-Prince, Providenciales, Puerto Plata [seasonal], Punta Cana, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, São Paulo-Guarulhos, St. Maarten, Santiago (DR), Santo Domingo)
• Finnair (Helsinki)
• Malév Hungarian Airlines (Budapest)

[edit] Terminal 9

• American Airlines (Atlanta, Brussels, Dallas/Fort Worth, Las Vegas [begins September 5, 2007], London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Miami, Rome-Fiumicino [seasonal/begins year-round service on April 10, 2007], San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan, Seattle/Tacoma, St. Thomas, Tokyo-Narita, Zürich)
  • American Eagle (Boston, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago-O'Hare, Cleveland, Halifax, Montreal, Raleigh/Durham, St. Louis, Toronto-Pearson, Washington-Reagan)
• US Helicopter (Bridgeport, Downtown Manhattan Heliport, East 34th St. Heliport, Newark)

[edit] New Destinations and Airlines

• flyglobespan (Knock [begins May 27, 2007], Liverpool [begins May 24, 2007])
• Cayman Airways (Grand Cayman) [begins June 23, 2007]

[edit] Helicopter

US Helicopter operates regularly scheduled flights every hour between Terminal 9 and the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. Passengers travelling by helicopter pass through a security checkpoint at the heliport, not at JFK. The flights last 8 minutes and cost $159 each way.

[edit] Accidents

JFK has been the site of several notable air disasters.

• December 18, 1954 - a Linee Aeree Italiane Douglas DC-6 crashed on its fourth approach attempt to land at Idlewild (the former name of JFK), after circling for 2.5 hours. 26 of the 32 passengers on board were killed.
• December 16, 1960 - a United Airlines Douglas DC-8 collided with a TWA Super Constellation on approach to the airport; the United jet crashed in a Brooklyn neighborhood, the TWA plane on Staten Island, killing 127 people on board and five on the ground.
• March 1, 1962 - an American Airlines Boeing 707 crashed on takeoff from Idlewild after its rudder separated from the tail. All 95 passengers and 12 crew members were killed.
• November 30, 1962 - an Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-7 crashed into the ground during a missed approach.
• February 8, 1965 - an Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-7 crashed off Jones Beach after takeoff when the pilots found themselves on an apparent collision course with an inbound Pan Am Boeing 707 and made evasive maneuvers.
• June 24, 1975 - Eastern Air Lines Flight 66, a Boeing 727 on final approach from New Orleans, crashed into the runway lights short of runway 22L, killing 112 passengers and crew. The cause of the crash was wind shear during a heavy thunderstorm.
• January 25, 1990 - Avianca Flight 52, a Boeing 707-321B arriving from Bogota and Medellin, crashed at Cove Neck, Long Island, after a missed approach at JFK and subsequently running out of fuel.
• November 12, 2001 - The most recent disaster at JFK was American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300 that crashed while en route to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. During climb, the aircraft lost most of its vertical fin due to the co-pilot's overcontrol of the rudder, and crashed into the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens. The crash killed all 260 persons on the plane and five people on the ground.

[edit] Other incidents involving JFK

• Sabena Flight 548 (1961), outbound from JFK, crashed while trying to land in Brussels, Belgium
• Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 (1972), outbound from JFK, crashed while trying to land in Miami, Florida
• Pan Am Flight 1736 (1977), originated from JFK, collided with another 747 at Tenerife
• Korean Air Flight 007 (1983), originated from JFK, shot down off the coast of Sakhalin
• Pan Am Flight 103 (1988), bound for JFK, with continued service to Detroit, exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland
• TWA Flight 800 (1996), outbound from JFK, exploded soon after takeoff, and crashed off the coast of Long Island and Islip
• Swissair Flight 111 (1998), outbound from JFK, crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia
• EgyptAir Flight 990 (1999), outbound from JFK, crashed off the coast of Nantucket
• Air France Flight 4590 (2000), a Concorde bound for JFK, crashed in Gonesse, France
• Korean Air Flight 85 (2001), bound for JFK on September 11, was escorted by fighter jets to Whitehorse International Airport during Operation Yellow Ribbon on fears it may have been hijacked. This wasn't the case; the plane was low on fuel, and according to a public affairs official at the airport, there was also a communication problem with the air crew. When the plane landed, witnesses reported that the RCMP ordered the crew out at gunpoint. The entire incident was a misunderstanding caused by a malfunctioning transponder.

Several aircraft based at JFK were also targets of the failed Project Bojinka terrorist plot in 1995.

[edit] JFK Airport in popular culture

As one of the major international gateways in the United States, JFK has enjoyed a high profile in popular culture. The British Invasion began with the arrival of The Beatles at JFK in 1964, who held their first American press conference at the airport. Rapper Notorious B.I.G. references the airport's code name in the song "Going Back to Cali." The theme song of the 1960s comedy TV series Car 54, Where Are You? contained a line reading: "There's a scout troop short a child, Khruschev's due at Idlewild," referencing the airport's previous name, Idlewild. In his one-man show Red diaper baby, Josh Kornbluth's eccentric communist father insists on referring to JFK as the "Bay of Pigs Memorial Airport". JFK is also mentioned in the U2 song, Angel of Harlem. Many films have used JFK as a setting, including:

• Auntie Mame (1958) - Mame Dennis Burnside makes reference to "Idlewild" and "Pan American flight 100" near the end of the film.
• Live and Let Die (1973)
• Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
• Moonstruck (1987)
• Three Men and a Baby (1987)
• Big Business (1988)
• Coming to America (1988)
• Goodfellas (1990) (as Idlewild Airport)
• Quick Change (1990)
• The Wedding Banquet (1993)
• Turbulence (1997)
• Red Dwarf (1997) - The episode Tikka to Ride makes reference to an alternative reality where Idlewild airport was not named after John F. Kennedy, owing to his 1963 assassiation having failed.
• Final Destination (2000)
• Catch Me If You Can (2002)
• Kangaroo Jack (2003) (cameo appearance)
• The Terminal (2004)
• Taxi (2004)
• White Chicks (2004)
• Friends (2004) (series finale)
• School for Scoundrels (2006)

[edit] See also

• LaGuardia Airport
• Newark Liberty International Airport
• Transportation in New York City
• Busiest airports in the United States by international passenger traffic
• Thin-shell structure

[edit] References

• John F. Kennedy International Airport (official site)
• FAA Airport Master Record for JFK (Form 5010 PDF)

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• JFK Airport Monitor (from Passur.com)
• ATC Tower Ground and ATC Approach Departure (streaming audio from LiveATC.net)
• Blog about the ATC (ground)
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF)
• New York State DOT Airport DiagramPDF
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KJFK
  • ASN Accident history for KJFK
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KJFK
  • FAA current JFK delay information