New Terminal at JFK for JetBlue

Dec. 12, 2005
JetBlue’s new terminal 5 will more than double airline's JFK capacity within three years.

New York (December 7, 2005) -- JetBlue Airways Corp. (Nasdaq: JBLU) today revealed its design plans for Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in the low-fare airline’s hometown of New York. 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. “Our new terminal is designed around the great JetBlue experience customers have come to expect from us, including efficient online- and in-person check in, and friendly service. Our goal from the beginning was to bring humanity back to air travel, and Terminal 5 will showcase the best of JetBlue.”

“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 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

New York Governor George E. Pataki said, “The rise of this terminal ushers in a new era for Kennedy Airport, and builds on JFK’s great legacy as the nation’s premier international gateway. With our investment in this new facility, we ensure a future of continued economic strength, and provide New Yorkers with unbridled access to more flights serving more destinations - including upstate New York - than anywhere else in the world. It’s a great day for the Port Authority, for Kennedy Airport and for JetBlue Airways, but most of all, it’s a great day for New York and New Yorkers.”

"JetBlue's continued growth is further evidence that New York City is a prime location for airlines to locate and grow," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "The New York City-based airline began operations in 2000 with service from JFK to Fort Lauderdale. Today, JetBlue flies to 32 cities and employs more than 4,000 people at JFK alone. Diversifying the economy is one of our key economic development strategies, and JetBlue's expansion is the latest sign that the airline industry can be a growth sector in New York City. The new, state-of the-art terminal and increased service into and out of New York City is the latest improvement to JFK, and will help secure the City's position as the world's greatest place to visit and do business."

Port Authority Executive Director Kenneth J. Ringler Jr. said, “We have enjoyed robust growth in air passenger traffic at JFK, Newark and LaGuardia airports in the last several years. At Kennedy Airport, passenger traffic has increased more than 20 percent from 2002 to 2004, to more than 37.5 million travelers last year. For 2005, we are projecting nearly 41 million passengers at JFK - an all-time high. This tremendous growth makes it imperative that we and our partners in government and private industry continue to make improvements such as this new terminal that will give our customers the best possible airport experience and enable our region to enjoy sustained economic health. We wish JetBlue great success as together we write a new chapter in Kennedy Airport’s history.”

"Congratulations again to JetBlue for continuing to show why it has become one of the nation's most successful and popular airlines in such a short time,” said Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. “The Port Authority and JetBlue have been working together to modernize and prepare JFK Airport for the 21st Century and a new era in airplane travel. At the same time, they have preserved the past by recognizing the value of this uniquely designed former TWA Terminal, an architectural gem on our city's landscape."

"In line with JetBlue’s core business values, the planning and design of this terminal has proceeded from the outset with the primary goal of providing excellent, efficient service at reasonable cost," said Greg Hodkinson, Arup's Americas region chairman and design manager for the project. "This is the first terminal specifically planned and designed for a low-cost airline, and we believe its many innovations will be widely incorporated into future terminal design throughout the world."

The JetBlue project team includes Arup (planner and design manager), Gensler (terminal architects), DMJM Harris (airside/landside civil engineers), Rockwell Group (interior architect) and Turner Construction (construction management).

JetBlue Airways is a low-fare airline based in New York City, with operations to 33 cities with 340 flights daily. All JetBlue aircraft feature roomy leather seats with 36 channels of free DIRECTV® programming, the most live television offered by any airline, and brand name snacks and beverages. On flights longer than two hours, a selection of first-run movies and bonus features from FOX InFlight™ is also available.* With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all travel is ticketless, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required. For information or reservations call 1-800-JETBLUE (1-800-538-2583) or visit www.jetblue.com.

With its origins as consulting engineers, Arup is a global leader delivering innovative, practical design solutions to challenges in the built environment. Founded in 1946, Arup today has some 7,000 staff at work in more than 70 offices and 32 countries, with core businesses focused on buildings, infrastructure and consulting. It is currently engaged in terminal and infrastructure projects at airports worldwide including Beijing, Zurich, Washington/Dulles, Los Angeles/LAX, London/Heathrow, and Nagoya, Japan.

Gensler...Architecture, Design & Planning Worldwide is a leading global design, planning and strategic consulting firm, with more than 2,000 people and offices in 28 cities. Gensler has been designing airport terminals for more than 20 years, with 44 separate passenger terminal projects completed for leading airports, and current projects from Singapore, to London, Atlanta and Los Angeles. In the wake of 9/11, the firm has emerged as a specialist in terminal security—currently consulting with eight major airports on 15 different terminals.

Gensler's multi-textured expertise drives a focused exploration of how people experience the world around them; Gensler teams then use that knowledge to create design solutions that give clients a fresh, competitive edge.

DMJM Harris is the transportation flagship company of AECOM Technology Corporation with headquarters located in both New York and Los Angeles. With more than 2,200 employees in the United States, DMJM Harris specializes in Transit/Rail, Highways/Bridges, Marine, Planning, Energy Infrastructure and Design-Construct services.

AECOM is a global company providing design and management services in transportation facilities and environmental markets through a family of operating companies. Through the combined efforts of over 22,000 people, AECOM offers a unique blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation and technical excellence, creating a better world in which to live and work.

Rockwell Group is an award winning, cross-disciplinary 160-person architecture and design practice founded by David Rockwell. Based in New York City, Rockwell Group specializes in hospitality, cultural, healthcare, theater and film design. Recent commissions include the Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame at the Time Warner Center; The Children's Hospital at Montefiore; Town restaurant and Chambers hotel (New York City); W New York and W Union Square (New York City); the Academy Awards’ Kodak Theatre; the Broadway musicals “Hairspray” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”; and, numerous restaurants located internationally including New York restaurants Nobu Fifty Seven, Country, Bar Americain, as well as Gordon Ramsay’s Maze in London and Roppongi Hills in Tokyo.

Turner Construction operates with 5,000 employees nationwide in 46 offices throughout the U.S and overseas in six countries. With annual volume of $7+ billion, they are engaged in many types of construction projects including office buildings, hospitals, educational, transportation facilities, sports facilities and industrial buildings.