The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is urging travelers using John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) during the Thanksgiving holiday to avoid driving directly to airport terminals and instead rely on public transportation and the free pick-up and drop-off lot at AirTrain JFK’s Lefferts Boulevard station to avoid traffic at the terminal frontages. JFK is forecast to set a record for passenger volume during the holiday week amid peak airport construction as the $19 billion redevelopment nears the halfway mark.
Between Nov. 25 and Dec. 2, the Port Authority forecasts that 1.34 million travelers will use JFK, an increase of more than 25,000 passengers compared with last year’s record Thanksgiving holiday. Sunday, Nov. 29, is expected to be the single busiest travel day of the holiday week, with more than 190,000 passengers using JFK.
“We would like our customers to spend as much time as possible with family and friends on this Thanksgiving holiday and as little time sitting in construction-related traffic at JFK,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “Leave extra time, use public transportation, pre-book parking if you absolutely have to drive to JFK, and visit our website for the latest travel advisories before you leave for the airport.”
“As we approach the halfway mark in the historic $19 billion transformation of JFK into a world-class airport, the challenge of moving people to and from the airport has never been as great as it is now. Not only are we at peak construction, but we are handling record numbers of passengers. Our best advice to holiday travelers is to leave your car at home and take the AirTrain straight to your terminal at JFK. AirTrain JFK is just 20 minutes from Penn Station, Grand Central, or Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. It’s also easily accessible from a number of subway lines,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “But our commitment to a best-in-class customer experience has not wavered. We are working round-the-clock to make sure that getting to and from JFK goes as smoothly as possible. And in less than two years, when the first new terminals open and the new road network is complete, travelers will see that the pain was worth the gain.”
Faced with record passenger volumes and historic levels of construction, the Port Authority implemented a package of measures to help travelers navigate construction-related traffic delays at the airline terminals throughout the construction program. To date, those efforts have removed about 4,000 vehicles a day from the terminal frontages – for a total of more than 500,000 vehicles since the effort began in June. Passengers are also heeding the call to take public transportation to JFK. Year-over-year ridership on AirTrain is up by 14 percent.
As was done at LaGuardia Airport, the Port Authority and its private partners are building new passenger facilities, ground transportation facilities and a completely new roadway network while maintaining full flight operations at JFK. Building on lessons learned at LaGuardia, the Port Authority has deployed a coordinated response to manage potential traffic issues with the capability to predict, assess and quickly adapt to changing traffic conditions. The agency’s traffic management strategy includes:
Proactive traffic management:
- Airport operations center is staffed 24/7 to support airport-wide coordination and active traffic management, anticipating peak activity and implementing traffic mitigations in response to increased wait or queues
- Real-time coordination 24/7 for flight activity, traffic delays, public messaging, and mapping platform updates
- Facilitate adjustments in roadway construction activity to meet operational needs of airport community
Increased staffing to keep traffic and passengers moving to their destinations:
- Frontline staff will be increased, including Port Authority police officers and Port Authority operations staff, additional traffic managers at terminal frontages, tow trucks pre-positioned, additional taxi dispatchers and parking attendants, and customer service representatives at all terminals and across the AirTrain system
Mass transit alternatives and advance booking to speed journeys:
- Use AirTrain JFK from Jamaica or Howard Beach to avoid traffic; Jamaica is just 20 minutes from Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station, or Atlantic Terminal via Long Island Rail Road. Easy subway connections are also available via the A/E/J/Z lines.
- When picking up or dropping off passengers, avoid driving directly to terminals. Instead, drivers should use free waiting lots, including the free pick-up and drop-off lot at AirTrain JFK’s Lefferts Blvd station. The AirTrain at Lefferts Blvd is a free 8-minute ride to terminals, resulting in a faster journey. Long-term parking is also available at the Lefferts Blvd station.
- Given record travel volumes and construction entering a peak phase, congestion is expected, and passengers getting picked up or dropped off at terminals should allow for additional time.
- Parking is extremely limited. To save significantly on cost and to guarantee a spot, travelers should pre-book their parking space at JFKAirport.com.
In January 2017, the JFK Vision Plan was announced to transform JFK into the world-class airport that New Yorkers deserve. The vision plan provides a strategic framework for the Port Authority and its partners to completely redevelop, modify and expand existing facilities and infrastructure. The $9.5 billion development of a state-of-the-art New Terminal One that will anchor the airport’s south side broke ground in September 2022. A new $4.2 billion Terminal 6, which will connect seamlessly with Terminal 5 to create an anchor terminal on the airport’s north side, broke ground in February 2023. The $1.5 billion expansion of Terminal 4, led by Delta Air Lines and JFK International Air Terminal (JFKIAT), is substantially complete. Additionally, the $400 million expansion of Terminal 8, led by American Airlines, which operates the terminal, was completed in November 2022.
All of the privately financed terminal projects combined with the Port Authority’s roadway, parking and infrastructure projects represent a $19 billion transformation of JFK and an extraordinary series of public-private partnerships. The Port Authority’s capital investment of $3.9 billion is leveraging private investment at a rate of nearly four to one when taking into account the full private investment of more than $15 billion that has been committed to the four projects comprising the full redevelopment of JFK.
