Queens Will Fly High At Airport of the Future

Queens County can boast that it is the aviation capital of the nation with both LaGuardia and JFKInternational airports located within the borough. But that proud claim has in recent years been tempered–and tainted–by the fact that recent polls have shown that travelers rate New York’s two airports as the worst in the nation.
In fact, on an international level, JFK is ranked right down there with some third world airports. Overcrowded, noisy, confusing terminals, chaotic traffic and check-in conditions, expensive shops and unimpressive restaurants have been just some of the embarrassing elements that are plaguing the gateway to New York City–and for many travelers, the U.S.
On Monday this will begin to change as a new and hopefully much improved chapter in New York aviation history will take place. Governor George Pataki and a host of other officials will break ground for a $1.2 billion new entrance terminal.
Scheduled for completion in 2001, the structure will replace the existing International Arrivals Building.The new building will be called JFKIAT(for International Air Terminal) and it will be a state-of-the-art facility located on 165 acres. During its 54 month construction the present terminal will remain in operation.
The current facility was opened in 1957 to accommodate propeller planes. The new terminal will centralize arrival and departure facilities and its 16 gates will be capable of processing approximately 3,200 arriving passengers per hour. Expansion capacity is provided to allow for 18 additional gates and allow for the terminal to increase to as much as twice its initial size.
The JFKIAT will also be designed to accommodate large new aircraft to be developed in the future.
The project is a private joint venture of Schiphol USA, LCOR Inc. and Lehman Brothers. It will contain a 100,000-sq.-ft. foot retail and food concourse.
The new air terminal may also prove a boost to the local Queens economy. Three thousand people will be hired during construction and when it opens there will be increased employment opportunities, and sales tax revenues will be generated, primarily from the expanded retail operations.
One of the major features of the terminal will be its role as the main station of the Airport Access Program, a light rail system that will connect the terminal to all other facilities at the sprawling airport and with New York City public transportation. It will also have dual-level roadways serving arrivals on the ground and departures on the third level.
Schiphol USAis the international arm of the corporation which manages Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the fourth largest airport in Europe.That airport is an entirely"corporatized"entity, and does not rely on the public sector for financial assistance or guarantees. It has been ranked as the best airport in Europe, consistently recognized for its superb facilities and airport services.