JFK Airport is one of the busiest airports I've been to…read more I've flown Delta here, which was a decent experience, and I've flown Spirit, which sucked. There is a noticeable difference in quality between the terminals. (Guess which one is nicer)! Not bad though. Pretty Mid.

Located in Queens, NY, JFK International Airport in Queens, first opened in 1948 as New York…read moreInternational Airport, later being renamed John F. Kennedy in 1963. It consists of 5 active terminals, 4 active runways, 1,200 daily flights. My wife and I came into JFK from LAX on a direct redeye flight, landing into terminal 4. The five active terminals are 1, 4, 5, 7, 8. Terminal 1 is being replaced (initial phase open in 2026, completion in 2030) by a New Terminal One (NTO). Terminal 6 is being also being built, replacing 6 and 7. Terminal 7 is still open, but will later be demolished to be replaced at a later time. With 2 major terminals being built, the airport is in a constant state of construction, a lot of which can be seen as you take the Air Train from one terminal to another. My perception of the airport is that it covers a lot of area, but was surprised it's not even close in terms of land size: (DEN [largest] at 33,351 acres, ORD at 7,627 acres, JFK at 5,200, LAX at only 3,500). Where it dose rank highest is around international flights, leading all US airports with 71,000 annual international takeoffs (42% of all takeoffs). In comparison, the two busiest US airports (ATL and ORD), have 41,000 and 54,000, respectively. Note: It is specifically stated that JFK resides in the borough of Queens. The city of New York consists of 5 boroughs, each also being considered a county (with the same exact boundaries as each other). This was the only example I could find where two or more counties exists entirely within the limits of one city (usually it's the other way around). There are many examples (San Francisco, Philadelphia, Denver) where the city and county share the same name and boundaries. Virginia is the other state (besides NY) where the term borough is used to further subdivide a city. Other large cities use different terms (LA: neighborhoods/districts; Chicago: neighborhoods/wards).

Another Decent Delta experience. This terminal feels a bit…read moreolder, but it still had some good food options. It's pretty Mid on the Delta/Airport experiences I've had to date.

If judging this from an American perspective based on US standards for major airports, this is a…read moredump. It is small, inefficient, and badly in need of an upgrade/refresh. Several international carriers use this terminal such as Air France, Korean, China Eastern, Asiana, Egypt Air, and Turkish. My advice to you is that when flying out of JFK, if you can choose an airline that uses a different terminal, do it. I think one of the biggest issues here is that because so many foreign passengers come through here, it feels like TSA and the rest of the staff in the terminal don't even try to live up to US standards. As an example, while there is a TSA pre-check line marked off, it is not open most of the time so any US frequent flyers with any sort of status get zero advantages when coming through this terminal. Since you are going through the security line with everyone else, you are subjected to very basic security practices, such as removing all of your electronics and liquids, showing your ID regardless of participation in CLEAR, etc. Additionally, it feels like the TSA staff are burned out from dealing with non-English speaking visitors and foreign persons with different cultural practices so they default to giving you commands in a very surly, curt tone which comes across as almost disrespectful. It's really too bad because it would seem like this would be one time for TSA and the travel industry to make a good impression on visitors to our country. Based on what I saw throughout the check-in, security screening, and boarding process, this is completely a missed opportunity on the part of JFK and TSA. Additionally, the entire physical terminal feels like it was built in the 60s and has only been modified in a minimal way. The public restrooms are insufficient to accommodate the number of passengers coming through the terminal as are the seating areas at the gates. It honestly felt worse than some of the terminals I have been in overseas in second world countries. It's an embarrassment for a major US airport. Lastly, what's up with the food prices in this terminal? I realize that airport prices are always inflated and passengers waiting are a captive audience, but the prices charged at the eating venues are downright criminal. A simple cheeseburger (and I mean small and simple; see the picture for reference) and a draft beer with a tip were $42. That is insane even by NY standards! My Takeaway from this is that I would book on any airline out of JFK that doesn't come through Terminal 1. I am told that there is a new Terminal 1 coming. It can't get here soon enough.

One of the Nicer Delta Terminals I've been to!…read more It was pretty spacious and had a decent amount of food options. I was here for an international layover, and I remember being pretty happy and comfortable with the wait.

Terminal 4 at JFK Airport in NYC opened in 2001, replacing the historic international arrivals…read morebuilding. It underwent a major modernization from 2021 to 2023, some of which we felt the last time my wife and I were in New York in 2023. This time it felt a lot smoother, with security being a lot smoother. The major carrier in Terminal 4 is Delta, which meant there was a large Sky Club located within walking distance. There is a lot of real estate here, thus having the space for other airport lounges as well, including the AMEX Centurion and Chase Sapphire. The gates are pretty spaced apart, requiring a bit of a walk to get between them. There are moving walkways throughout to help in this regard. JFK is the example I like to use when documenting the difference between terminals and concourses at a major airport. Currently (2026), JFK is continuing its massive construction projects, with two terminals being rebuilt (thus closed): Terminal 1 and Terminal 6. To get between these terminals require the AirTrain. Within a terminal, are various wings (or concourses). So for a large airport like Detroit, there are 2 terminals, but in reality, only one of them matter for most travelers, it's the number of concourses within the main terminal that matters. And when planning for travel, a connection between terminals is going to take a long time whereas between concourses should not. LAX is the outlier...boasting of its 8+ terminals...but in reality, outside of LA, it's really a 1 terminal airport with 8+ concourses.

The Trans World Airline (TWA) Flight Center was designed by architect Eero Saarinen and it was…read moredescribed as being similar to a "Leonardo da Vinci flying machine". It was completed in 1962 and open for business. The original head house (aka: terminal building), operated as a functioning terminal until 2001. The exterior of the building, along with the interior, of the head house were declared landmarks in 1994. Moreover, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Today it is part of the TWA hotel complex, but anyone can visit the flight center, lounges, gift shop, food court, and museum area. In addition to the original building, it has been partially surrounded by additional hotel buildings. Inside, the former terminal has been restored to its former glory. You can see the open three-level tall windows with amazing views of departing and arriving jets in the sunken lounge area. There are the tube-shaped, red-carpeted departure/arrival corridors that now lead to rooms in the hotel, but used to connect the gates. Now various places in the head house and flight center are museum-type displays for the former airline. It is a very interesting place for anyone to check out the displays and read about the history of TWA. Moreover, there are additional items to check out like the old cars and the huge Twister game. Whether you stay at the hotel or just need a few hours to kill on your layover...this is "something to do". Personal Note: I thoroughly enjoyed seeing everything in the flight center. It brought back so many wonderful memories. When I was a little girl, my family and I used to look forward to flying in and out of here back when my dad worked for the airlines. We loved this airport and mainly because of this terminal...it was fun and different. With the way they have restored it, it almost seems like I entered a time machine to another time. I am forever grateful they gave this building a new life. I hope other families make new memories and remember the old ones as I did. It's a very special place and there is nothing like it!

This is probably the most remarkable building in the state of NewYork. Repurposed from the old TWA…read moreterminal, this TWA Hotel Lobby was designed by Eero Saarinen. Inspired by the Sydney Opera House, Eero created this terminal to resemble a bird in flight. The photos says it all, but come here and experience the space for yourself. There is peripheral perception of space that you do not get from photographs. There is an air train that loops around all of the Terminals at JFK airport. Get off where it says TWA hotel and walk to the lobby or take Uber or Lyft and be dropped off at the front door.

Well I didn't really have a choice for what terminal I wanted to use but this one was okay. It's…read moreone of the older ones and there is some construction. Check in was super fast, TSA only took 15 minutes. Friendly TSA workers and thankfully there's a Dunkin except they have no frozen drinks. There isn't much to do fortunately there's free wifi and tons of places to charge your phone and tablet.

Well I don't understand what the hell is going in terminal 7…read moreThere's a massive construction project going on and some of the workers smell like they are just sleeping in a pot farm If you are on a frontier flight you might end up here Frontier is like spirit but it might cost you more I was on a flight from jfk to ohare and they said " please deplane fast we are late from the upcoming passengers going to Atlanta." Classy I spent 12 hours in the terminal recently becquse I flew from Greece The Dunkin' Donuts downstairs only opens on some days at 5 am but this day I was there they opened at 6 . I look forward to the final renovation

My experience with the company Mera at this location was terrific. IWe were able to dine and…read moreinteract and I was more than satistfied. I was inspired. The worker, Nareshma Rianna Ramrattan, was incredibly talented and problem solving. She is great. The company is great. The airport is amazing!

Going from my timeshare on west 57th street to gate 31 of Terminal 8…read more Started at 1230pm, taking a long subway ride and then waited for AirTrain at Jamaica station at 120pm. Massive crowds at the AirTrain station. 20 minutes between AirTrains that day, and when it arrived it was standing room only together with your luggage. Had to go through the complete circuit of AirTrain, with 6 stops before arriving at terminal 8 at 155pm The usual double line at TSA, one to check boarding passes and ID, and a second line to screen carry on luggage. Out of TSA by 210pm. 20-minute walk to gate 31. You pass Concourse B, and have to walk through a 1500 foot long tunnel with moving sidewalks beneath the aircraft taxi area, to newly built Concourse C. Once on Concourse C, you walk from gate 42 to 31, at the very end of concourse C. Arrived at gate 31 at 230pm. And yes, there are four sets of bathrooms in Concourse C.

Functional, it's the word I'll use for terminal 2. It's obviously old, 2 levels and feels…read moreoppressive in it's construction. It gets full of people quickly and the gates are small with seating that says it charges your cell phone, but does not, because the power supply is unplugged. There is a central hub for eating, several small gift stores, but none that supplied antacids for upset stomach.

Convenience is one of the top most things I look for in any airport. The bathrooms were clean and…read moretidy - I usually judge places based on how clean they keep their restrooms. It was pretty easy to navigate through in and out of the airport comparison to LAX or any other bigger airports. The security lines are not ridiculously long and all the security personnel are very patient and nice. Only time I had to wait for a security check - wait being less than 15 minutes. There were decent amount of food/drink/coffee places available within the airport. Wish they had more charging stations by the seating area.

This merchant is really rude and nasty, I had a Groupon and called to confirm, i didn't know it…read morewas 24h prior because the voucher doesn't say that, he also stated that he was going to charge me 5.95 a day on top of my Boucher. I do not recommend this nasty merchant.

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Been through terminal 5 a few times, always been a positive experience…read more It's quick in and out there, including the baggage claim area which is nice. I took a photo of the exterior today as it was the first time seeing the TWA terminal from the outside. That's right, the TWA terminal. It was a terminal that was shut down and later turned into a retro terminal with a midcentury themed hotel connected to it. I highly recommend stopping in, it's very cool.

Seems like terminal 5 at JFK is getting a facelift! It's looking promising…read more There are quite a few decent food options for folks with NO dietary restrictions, but alas, for gluten-free folks like myself, the options remain slim. The little autonomous fridges advertising "fresh food" were completely empty. The lines for Starbucks, Dunkin', & Shake Shack were downright abysmal - long & unmoving. There's a lot under construction, though, so more options may be incoming.

Very quick and efficient when you go through the check point. No hold up, no hassle and the folks…read morewere pretty chill for security folks. Though I'm not overly impressed with JFK itself, the security team and TSA are doing a damned fine job and they take a lot of heat for it. Keep up the good work.

Friendly, thorough, but not so quick…read more.. The not-so-quick part is 10/90...10% TSA and 90% your fellow passengers. Folks...when you are standing in a security line and you know you have to take off your shoes, belt, take things out of your pockets, etc. and take out electronics...why don't you just do it? Why wait on the TSA folks to tell you? They are doing the best they can by basically herding folks through there while thoroughly checking every bag and every person for our safety as a whole. This is not a game...help the process! For extra entertainment, two people in front of us took off their shoes just before the conveyor and then put their items on the conveyor and just walked away to go through the screening. Hello!...what about your crap? Their shoes became a tripping hazard for everyone behind them and finally got kicked out of the way. They didn't push forward their bags and personal items...what the heck? Then TSA is trying to figure out whose bags and shoes they belong to. They come back with the attitude that someone else should have taken care of it. Huh? Who?...Me?...My kid?...I don't think so! We don't touch other people's personal items. Just my opinion, but when you pull crap like this...I wish, I wish, I wish TSA would pull those folks aside and make them wait to re-enter the queue. I realize we all may forget things in the madness, but you can tell the difference between folks that forget and those that just expect someone else to do it for them. But wait, doesn't stop there...on the other side...they stood in front of the conveyor to take their do-da time putting things back in their bags while the trays are backing up...and they just stood there...why? Waiting on the dang shoes they left behind! Boo! They wouldn't move or get out of the way, not even with a polite "excuse me" to let other folks get their things, which makes you have to push through to get your belongings. UGH! A few TSA folks were overseeing things and I know they are busy watching, but a simple "move to the side" that takes a second or two could have moved things along quicker and would have been awesome to help fellow passengers. Aside from this...it's like a well-oiled machine. A bit of advice I have for every traveler is to talk to the TSA folks. They are doing a thankless job by choice to ensure the safety of all of us. It's an important job! A simple "hello" or "how are you?" goes a long way. I agree that in some places in the USA they could definitely be friendlier and often on a power trip, but this is not one of those places, or at least not on the day we went through. The folks here were friendly and just trying to get you where you are going or need to be.