British Airways, Port Authority Upgrade Airline Terminal

By Frank Rosci / January 25, 1998

<B> British Airways, Port Authority Upgrade Airline Terminal</B>

By Frank Rosci

British Airways and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have begun an expansion and upgrade of its terminal at JFK International Airport for the second time in the past 10 years. Construction on the building is set to be complete by mid-1999.

With competition at JFK on the increase from major carriers such as American and Delta--who are reinvesting in their airport facilities--BA decided it couldn't wait any longer to start its terminal project, according to Dave Erich, BA's senior vice president, customer service USA.

"We had been the terminal of choice in a Port Authority survey, and suddenly we found we might become number four because of improvements our competitors had made in their terminals," Erich said.

Said British Airways chief executive Bob Ayling, "Our $100 million JFK investment will feature expanded check-in areas, new lounges and a variety of state-of-the-art amenities designed to meet the demands of premium business travelers, as well as leisure and vacation travelers."

Other enhancements will include new gates, a new baggage belt system, new shops and improved ramp areas.

For its part, the Port Authority will construct a new elevated roadway connecting the Van Wyk and JFK Expressways to the building's access roads. The roadway will be ready for use by mid-2000. Plans also call for direct access parking decks on the departures level.