British Airways Starts $100M Upgrade Of JFK Terminal

British Airways, with the help of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is substantially expanding and improving its terminal at JFK.

The U.K. carrier's $100 million project comes at a time when major airlines are investing in their respective terminals at JFK and plans are under way for a new international arrivals facility (Meetings Today, Nov. 25, 1996).

"The competitive mix at JFK has caused us to push our project ahead in timing," said Dave Erich, BA's senior vice president, customer service USA. "Because of the heavy investment by our competitors, like American and Delta, in their terminals, we felt we had to move now. We had been the terminal of choice in a Port Authority survey and suddenly realized we might become number four. We couldn't let that happen."

BA is upgrading its JFK terminal for the second time. "When we renovated the terminal in the late 1980s, we added space, but didn't soften the edges of the traveler's experience-that is what needs to be done," Erich said.

Bob Ayling, chief executive of BA, said the airline's investment "will put us light years ahead of the competition, permitting passengers to tirelessly depart and arrive. It will feature expanded checkin areas, new lounges and a variety of state-of-the-art amenities designed to meet the demands of premium business travelers."

BA's terminal at JFK is the only one fully owned and operated by the airline; even the ones in the U.K. are owned by that government's aviation authority. BA hopes to begin work on the terminal this year and complete it by mid-1999.

At Newark, BA opened a $1 million lounge for first- and business-class passengers and eligible Executive Club members. A first-class dining room mirrors the JFK service, where full-course meals can be served to 14 passengers prior to evening departures.