Delta Air Lines opened its 11-gate, 75,000 square-foot
extension of Terminal 4 at Kennedy Airport on Tuesday, an improvement to New
York City’s oft-criticized airport infrastructure.
The $175 million extension builds on Delta’s $1.2 billion
redevelopment of Terminal 4, which opened in May 2013.
The gates in the new section serve regional flights. There
is access to a Sky Club, restaurants and shops. A JFK Jitney bus links Terminal
4 with Terminal 2, where Delta also operates.
“Gov. Cuomo has talked frequently
about modernizing New York City airports. Obviously, the unveiling of the
terminal today is what the governor is calling for: a 21st century facility
with 21st century amenities,” said Pat Foye, executive director of the Port
Authority.
Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company, called
the addition an “investment in the city’s future.”
“There has been lots of press about New York airports being
subpar,” he said. “Now we have a state-of-the-art investment in a product we’re
really proud of.”
The Port Authority owns the terminal, which is managed by
JFKIAT and leased by Delta.
Kyle Kimball, president of the New York City Economic
Development Corporation, said that in an era of limited public resources such
infrastructure improvements can’t happen without strong public-private
partnerships such as the one New York has with Delta.