NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - November 12, 2014) - JetBlue, New York's Hometown Airline™, (NASDAQ: JBLU) today opens the long-awaited international arrivals hall extension to its world-class home at Terminal 5 (T5) at New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport. After a decade of international arrivals in New York, JetBlue will now bring Federal Inspection Services in-house. This will create a more seamless experience for customers traveling to and from JetBlue's international network as one-third of the airline's flying is outside the continental United States. Starting today, international customers will be able to depart and arrive under one roof, receiving the award-winning JetBlue Experience at all points along the way.
The customer-centric airline broke ground on the new international arrivals facility in 2012. To start, T5i will welcome JetBlue's current schedule of up to 39 daily international arrivals from points including Barbados, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao (beginning in December), Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Saint Lucia, St. Maarten, Trinidad & Tobago, and Turks & Caicos. International travelers will now arrive or transfer to other JetBlue flights all in one terminal.
The thoughtfully designed concourse extension, known as T5 International (T5i), perfectly complements T5's existing environmentally-conscious space. T5i includes six international arrivals gates -- three new and three converted from Terminal 5 -- and an International Arrivals Hall with full Federal Inspection Services for customers arriving from international flights on JetBlue. T5 is the epitome of accessibility and convenience. With 29 total gates, the terminal still feels like home as the maximum distance to any gate from the TSA checkpoint is approximately five minutes.
"JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline, and as such we are invested in New York and the future of JFK. We've committed nearly $1 billion over the past decade at JFK Airport to build T5 and T5i, all with our customers in mind," said Dave Barger, chief executive officer, JetBlue Airways. "Since our first flight from JFK in 2000, we've focused on bringing humanity back to air travel. T5 provides an award-winning experience for our customers, who come early to the airport to shop, have a great meal or get some work done with free Wi-Fi. This experience will get even better with the opening of T5i. Now our international customers will have a seamless JetBlue experience from start to finish."
Ease and convenience are at the heart of T5i. The international extension will be able to accommodate up to 1,400 customers per hour. It will also house 40 state-of-the-art automated passport control (APC) machines and 10 Global Entry kiosks designed to expedite travelers through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) process in a more timely and efficient manner.
T5i was designed with sustainable considerations including technologies that will help reduce the building's environmental impact throughout its lifespan. Light, space and air are engrained in the overall infrastructure. The building also places an emphasis on health and wellness with an overall focus on indoor air quality. In spring 2015, T5i will reveal additional elements that will further enhance customer's travel experiences including a post-security outdoor park, a dog walk overlooking the Manhattan skyline and more.
Additional environmentally-friendly health and wellness features include:
- Abundant natural daylight, notable in areas where that is not typically experienced -- such as in the primary hall and in the corridor connecting the aircraft to the hall;
- Circulation paths were implemented to move customers through gates and Customs in the most efficient way possible with walking time and travel minimized;
- Concrete reclaimed from the aircraft apron was recycled and reused as a base for the concrete within the building;
- Low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) materials inside of the terminal;
- Efficient heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system to optimize performance;
- Water fountains with integrated water bottle filling station; and
- Time of day lighting controls.
This new concourse was designed in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as the agency will manage operation of the Federal Inspection Service facility. The project is also the result of JetBlue's long-time partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, operator of JFK International Airport.
"This expansion will greatly enhance CBP and JetBlue's efforts to provide a safer, more efficient process for international travelers entering the U.S.," said Robert E. Perez, Director of U.S. Custom and Border Protection's New York Office of Field Operations. "This is an excellent example of CBP's commitment to work in partnership with our stakeholders."
"JetBlue's new international arrivals hall will increase convenience for Kennedy Airport's passengers as the airline consolidates its operations at the airline's world-class Terminal 5 and offers 40 automated passport control (ATC) machines to help speed the process through Customs," said Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye. "This forward-looking project is yet another example of the initiatives underway to modernize JFK to handle travelers' growing needs well into the 21st century."
More than 50 business partners and contractors collaborated on this two-year project ensuring that the extension perfectly matches and enhances T5's existing feel and sustainable stance. Project partners collaborated on all aspects including infrastructure and design to construction. Business partners included Gensler, Ammann & Whitney, Arup, AECOM, Gleeds USA and Turner Construction Company.
T5 was designed as JetBlue's unique way to properly welcome people to New York. With this in mind, T5i will complement the existing terminal by greeting customers with one-of-a-kind amenities including an interactive Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education-focused children's area (slated to debut later this year) and New York-centric concessions and restaurants including Bar Veloce -- the first airport outpost of the East Village eatery; a New York Times bookstore; and New York Minute -- a concept store that will offer locally produced products. This marks the first New York Minute location, a partnership with GrowNYC. The store's offerings will include sundries sourced and grown in New York State.
JetBlue's T5i International Arrivals Concourse includes:
- A design that mirrors the existing Terminal 5's bright and friendly look and feel, supportive of JetBlue's brand aesthetic and the company's commitment to bringing humanity back to air travel;
- An overall constructed area of approximately 175,000 square feet;
- Two additional baggage claim belts for international baggage, and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Federal Inspection Service facility designed to accommodate up to 1,400 customers per hour;
- International Arrivals Hall space featuring glass walls that allow for abundant natural daylight and a design that is modern, timeless, and clean; and
- Six new restaurant and food outlets.
From JFK, JetBlue offers 150 daily nonstop flights daily to 65 destinations throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America and last year 11.8 million travelers passed through T5. JetBlue's current home base of operations at Terminal 5 -- the newest terminal at JFK -- focuses on efficiency, customer convenience and comfort. Now 800,000-square-feet, the terminal currently boasts 29 gates distributed throughout three concourses, an international arrival extension and a 55,000-square-foot central retail and concession Marketplace.
New York's Hometown Airline
JetBlue is the only major commercial passenger airline with its headquarters in New York City and New York State. JetBlue proudly celebrates its hometown pride with a special livery celebrating New York State Tourism and adored with the I Love New York logo. With its strong position at JFK and its headquarters in Long Island City, JetBlue employs 5,800 crewmembers in the New York area. The airline also produced nearly 1,000 jobs during the construction phase of the T5i terminal extension project.
ABOUT JETBLUE AIRWAYS
JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline, and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Los Angeles (Long Beach), Orlando and San Juan. JetBlue carries more than 30 million customers a year to 86 cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America with an average of 825 daily flights. New service to Curacao begins in December. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all fares are one-way, an overnight stay is never required and the first bag is included with your standard fare (subject to weight and size limits and exceptions for itineraries including flights marketed or operated by other airlines). For more information please visit JetBlue.com.