JFK Airport

Over 30 million passengers visit the nine bustling terminal buildings of John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) every year. Located in southeastern New York City 15 miles from Lower Manhattan, John F. Kennedy International Airport is one of the world’s busiest airports, as well as being one of New York City’s major car rental bases.

Four colour-coded sections divide the airport’s terminals and parking lots. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are located in the green quadrant; Terminals 4E and 4W are in the blue quadrant; Terminals 5, 6 and 7 can be found in the orange quadrant and Terminals 8 and 9 are located in the red quadrant.

The shuttle services which link the terminal buildings and take passengers to nearby car rental offices are also colour-coded red, blue or white to identify different inter-terminal service routes. Few airports can rival the amount of restaurants, bars, shops, and other services JFK has to offer.

Banks are located in Terminals 3, 4 and 8, while ATMs and currency exchanges can be found in all terminals except Terminal 6. Data ports, faxes, photocopiers, computers and courier services are located throughout the airport for business travelers, while Terminal 7 includes conference facilities. Mobile phones can be rented inside the Terminal 3 arrivals area.

The airport’s large variety of restaurants ranges from fast food outlets to relaxing bars such as the Idlewild Wine Bar and Brooklyn Beer Garden, while in the shops, passengers can purchase luxury items from Hermes, Cartier and Salvatore Ferragarno or New York City souvenirs from Discover NY or one of JFK’s two Metropolitan Museum of Art Stores.

Passengers can get a 10 minute manicure before boarding a flight or completely pamper themselves at the Oasis Day Spa or one of the airport’s three XpresSpas. If passengers can’t find what they’re looking for in their current terminal, they may take the AirTrain connecting all nine terminals to one another. The trip between all terminals is just under eight minutes.

Rental car counters or courtesy telephones for rental car companies are located near the baggage carousels at the arrivals levels for each terminal. Offices for six major American rental car companies are located close to the airport entrance along the Van Wyck Expressway near the entrance to the airport.

Taxis, shuttles, buses and limousines all travel regularly to and from each of the airport’s nine terminals. Taxi delays are common, so the SuperShuttle Manhattan, the Gray Line Air Shuttle and the New York Airport Service Express Bus are highly recommended alternatives. AirTrain JFK connects the airport to New York’s vast commuter rail and subway system, and stops at all terminals, parking lots and car rental lots.

Passengers may choose between short term and long term parking. Long term parking is located four miles away from the terminal area, and while parking facilities are efficient, they can get overcrowded, particularly in Terminals 4, 5 and 6.

Parking information is listed on colour-coded signs along the JFK and Van Wyck expressways. Passengers being dropped off at the airport may avoid airport traffic by using the kiss and fly drop off at the AirTrain JFK Lefferts Boulevard Station.