John F. Kennedy International Airport
Originally built back in 1942, there was not an awful lot of investment into what is now John F. Kennedy International Airport, with an initial $60 million made available. It was not until 1948 when the airport was awarded the honour of being New York’s main airport that the full story began to unfold.
While commonly referred to as Kennedy or JFK, John F. Kennedy International Airport is America’s most influential airport which accounts for some 17% of all US air traffic travelling outside of the States. Located in Queens, New York City, the airport only received its “new” name in 1963 in memory of the late President JF Kennedy having been formerly known as Idlewild Airport. While it is the newest of New York’s 3 main airports it is by far and away the busiest, not only accounting for the bulk of overseas travel but the vast majority of freight shipments into the country. As far as influence goes, there are few airports in the world which can match John F. Kennedy International Airport.
While it is the home to the likes of JetBlue Airways, Delta Airways, American Airlines, British Airways and United Airlines to name but a few, the airport actually has the worst punctuality record of any airport in the US with masses of flights arriving and leaving later than scheduled. This has been a major issue for the US authorities and they have been looking at a variety of ways to try and improve the airport’s record.
While still some way behind London Heathrow, John F. Kennedy International Airport handles in excess of 46 million passengers a year. The Heathrow - John F. Kennedy International Airport route is by far and away the most popular international flight path with over 2.9 million passengers flying between the airports each year. But what does the future hold for JFK airport?