JetBlue has designed a terminal that is functional, relaxing, and yes, we'll say it, sexy.
The airline unveiled Terminal Five -- go ahead, call it T5. Everyone else does -- at New York's JFK airport yesterday, and it's masterful. It's light, it's airy and with everything from fresh sushi to upscale shopping, it's someplace you might want to, you know, actually wait for a plane. The groovy new $743 million building can handle 250 flights a day through 26 gates that will see 20 million passengers pass through them each year. It's a big deal for the airline, which carries 30 percent of all passengers flying in and out of JFK.
JetBlue has pulled out all the stops with T5. It's 635,000 square feet and sits on 72 acres, vs. 28 acres for JetBlue's previous home at Terminal 6. Those of you who have ever passed through that disaster area can really appreciate T5. The airline went a little nuts with the decoration and color palette for the new space, but overall it works. The airline's Brand Experience types furnished common areas with swanky Italian furniture, installed backlit blue panels everywhere, and covered the baggage carousels with bright orange rugs. We understand the blue, but c'mon -- jetOrange?
In a piece in this month's Fast Company magazine (blatant self promotion alert: I wrote it), the airline's Fiona Morrison explains that the bright decor is all about maintaining passengers' mental health. "It's so unexpected to be standing in this warm glow of color," she says of the orange situation. "It makes people happy."
It's also worth noting that T5 is located next to JFK's historic TWA terminal, which was designed by Earo Saarinen in the 1960s and put on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. JetBlue says it designed its new building so that the huge windows in the ticketing hall look out over the Saarinen structure, and chose a design that would complement the building rather than overpowering it. We like that. Respecting old architecture is cool.
All of this didn't happen overnight, and it wasn't cheap. JetBlue began designing the terminal in 2004, and broke ground in late 2005. At the end of the day, the project came in at $743 million, though jetBlue is only on the hook for $80 million (the New York Port Authority is picking up the rest.)
Ok, enough of our yabbering. Here are some photos from some of the 13,000 people who passed through the new terminal yesterday.
Main photo by JetBlue.
Main concourse. Photo by JetBlue.
Ticketing area. Photo by Flickr user 24gotham:
One more of the ticketing area. Photo by Flickr user MHJohnston:
Close up of the grandstand digital ring which broadcasts digital art and other info. Photo by Flickr user Marc Alt:
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](/images_blogs/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/23/inforing.jpg)The eye-popping orange baggage claim area. *Photos by Flickr user Marc Alt: *
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Cool lounge furniture designed by Moroso. Photo by JetBlue:
Sushi? At the airport? Sweet! Photo by Flickr user Zach Klein:
Hallway and gate areas:
