As New York Harbor did in earlier years of this nation, John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia Airports serve as the busiest crossroads for immigrants and travelers to this country.

As local legislators mount the push to lessen the impact of aircraft flying over Queens, let’s take a look at the runways that play host to the world.

John F. Kennedy International Airport

OPERATED BY
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) is operated by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey under a lease with the City of New York since June 1, 1947.

LOCATION
JFK is located in the southeastern section of Queens County on Jamaica Bay. It is fifteen miles by highway from midtown Manhattan.

SIZE
The airport consists of 4,930 acres, including 880 acres in the central terminal area. It has more than 30 miles of roadways and is 12.7 feet above sea level.

HISTORY
Construction began in April 1942, when the City of New York contracted for the placing of hydraulic fill over the marshy tidelands on the site of Idlewild Golf Course. Planned at first for 1,000 acres, the airport grew to five times that size.

First commercial flights began on July 1, 1948. The airport was formally dedicated as New York International Airport on July 31, 1948. It was re-dedicated on Dec. 24, 1963 as John F. Kennedy International Airport, following action of the Mayor and Council of the City of New York and a resolution of the Commissioners of the Port Authority.

INVESTMENT
About $150 million was expended on original construction. Through December 1998 the Port Authority’s capital investment in the airport was approximately $3 billion.

EMPLOYMENT & ECONOMIC IMPACT
There are over 37,000 people employed at the airport. JFK contributes $22 billion in economic activity to the NY/NJ metropolitan region generating some 207,700 jobs and $7.1 billion in wages and salaries.

JFK REDEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
The JFK Redevelopment Program consists of Port Authority (PA) and tenant construction and expansion programs. Already completed is the construction of a new Terminal 1 on the site of the former Eastern Air Lines facility. Other major terminal construction projects are presently underway. The PA program includes a new roadway system, new and upgraded utilities, a new Air Traffic Control Tower, three new parking garages, and a light-rail transit system that will link the passenger terminals together with the Long Island Rail Road and the City subway system.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER
A new Air Traffic Control Tower, constructed on the ramp-side of Terminal 4, began full FAA operations in October 1994. At 321 feet, the new tower is one of the tallest in North America after Denver International’s new tower. The FAA cab and an Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE) radar unit sit atop 1,620 yards of cast-in-place concrete.
JFK’s new control tower provides improved observation of aeronautical areas, and state-of-the-art electronic equipment to safely and efficiently accomodate air traffic operations.

ROADWAY SYSTEM
A new roadway system that divides the Central Terminal into four quadrants is being built with completion expected in 2002. The quadrant system eliminates the need to take a circular route around the airport to arrive at a terminal. More than half of the new roadway system is open. A new interchange provides on-airport access to the JFK and Van Wyck Expressways. Extensive landscaping and expanded terminal frontages are part of the plan.

LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT SYSTEM
On Dec. 17 2003 AirTrain, a fully automated Light Rail Transit System opened to link JFK’s central terminals with the Long Island Rail Road and the New York City subway system.

CENTRAL TERMINAL AREA
The Central Terminal Area consists of nine airline passenger terminals surrounded by a dual ring of peripheral taxiways. Initially 655 acres, the central terminal was enlarged to 880 acres by relocation of the taxiways to provide space needed for expansion of the passenger terminals.
To further assist travelers, a new color coding system (green, blue, orange and red) is used on all signs relating to each terminal—from the entrances to the airport to parking near each terminal.

PARKING
The airport’s total of over 11,000 public parking spaces includes the employee lot, a 1400 space parking garage, the long-term lot and an additional 3200 spaces in the central terminal area.
In response to the increased demand for parking, new parking facilities have been constructed and are presently in use. Additional parking garages are also planned.

LaGuardia Airport

Over 20 million passengers will pass through the gates of La Guardia Airport this year.

OPERATED BY
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) has been operated by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey under a lease with the City of New York since June 1, 1947.

LOCATION
LGA is on Flushing Bay and borders Bowery Bay. It is eight miles from midtown Manhattan.

SIZE
The airport consists of 680 acres and 72 aircraft gates. It is 12.7 feet above sea level.

HISTORY
The site was first occupied by Gala Amusement Park. Transformed in 1929 into a 105-acre private flying field, it was first named Glenn H. Curtiss Airport and later North Beach Airport. Taken over by New York City, it was enlarged by purchase of adjoining land and by filling in 357 acres of waterfront along the east side.

Ground was broken on Sept. 9, 1937 for a new airport, which was built jointly by the City and the Federal Works Progress Administration. It was dedicated on Oct. 15, 1939 as New York City Municipal Airport. On Nov. 2, 1939, the name was changed to New York Municipal Airport—LaGuardia Field. On Dec. 2 of that year, it was opened to commercial traffic.

In 1947, the year the airport was leased to the Port Authority, it was renamed LaGuardia Airport. A new Central Terminal Building was opened in 1964 and enlarged in 1967 and 1992.

INVESTMENT
Original construction by the City of New York cost $40 million. The Port Authority’s total capital investment in LaGuardia Airport as of December 1997 was approximately $791 million.

EMPLOYMENT & ECONOMIC IMPACT
There are over 9,000 people employed at the airport. LGA contributes $5.7 billion in economic activity to the NY/NJ metropolitan region, generating 63,000 jobs.

LAGUARDIA REDEVELOPMENT
By the end of the year 2000, the combined Port Authority and airline investment for the LaGuardia Redevelopment Program was $830 million. The redevelopment program includes: expanding and modernizing the Central Terminal Building, reconfiguring and widening roadways, improving runways and taxiways, a recently completed passenger terminal on the east end, airline modernization of gate areas and passenger service areas, and other rehabilitation projects.

The Port Autho rity has undertaken a massive customer service effort aimed at increasing customer satisfaction.
Look for video monitors with CNN programming, new Flight Information Display units (FIDS), brightly lit restrooms with attendants for personal service, and free shuttle service in the parking lots to transport you to the terminal when you have to park far away.

CONTROL TOWER
The 150-foot-high control tower, Bldg. 88, began operations in May 1964.

CENTRAL TERMINAL BUILDING
The Central Terminal Building was dedicated on April 17, 1964, and serves most of the airport’s scheduled domestic airlines.
It is 1,300 feet long and 180 feet wide, with 750,000 square feet of floor space. Originally constructed at a cost of $36 million, the six-block-long structure consists of a four-story central section, two three-story wings and four concourses leading to 38 aircraft gate positions. The Central Terminal Building is nearing completion of a $340 million expansion and modernization. The centerpiece, a $47 million project for a complete redevelopment of the center section, including new elevators and escalators to accommodate the elderly and disabled.

–Facts and figures courtesy of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey