American Airlines Invests Additional $125 Million to Refresh JFK Terminal 8

Updated: July 12, 2023, 2:36pm CDT

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A Look at New York-JFK Terminal 8’s Future Enhancements
Final Thoughts

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It’s been an interesting few years for American Airlines flyers in New York. The so-called Northeast Alliance, a partnership that began in 2020 between JetBlue and American, will conclude in the coming months after a federal judge ordered the breakup — and JetBlue failed to appeal.

However, this latest American update out of New York is a positive one, with American announcing a $125 million investment into its JFK Terminal 8 hub. This comes on the heels of the recent completion of a $400 million terminal expansion, with Oneworld partner British Airways (and others) now co-located at Terminal 8.

Here’s what you should know about the latest updates at New York’s largest airport.

A Look at New York-JFK Terminal 8’s Future Enhancements

This latest phase of the Terminal 8 construction project announced today will feature a newly-built “Great Hall” with more than 60 shopping and restaurant offerings and an emphasis on locally owned and diverse businesses.

230712 Newsroom JFK Terminal 8 — Rendering of the refreshed Terminal 8. Image Credit: American Airlines

American Airlines is working in partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Airports to make the revamp come to life. In total, $125 million will be spent on the redevelopment program.

Back at the end of late 2022, British Airways moved its JFK operation into American’s Terminal 8, with Iberia and Japan Airlines joining earlier this year. In sum, that now-complete $400 million project included five new widebody gates, four new widebody parking positions, an upgraded baggage handling system, a co-branded premium check-in area, and new lounges.

Hot Tip:

At the beginning of this year, British Airways moved from JFK’s Terminal 7 to co-locate with Oneworld partner American Airlines at Terminal 8. Since moving into the same terminal building, the 2 airlines have added a new check-in area, 3 world-class airport lounges, and easier connections.

Final Thoughts

While American might be losing JetBlue as a partner at JFK, it’s still investing in the airport experience. For both its own customers and those that are part of the Oneworld alliance, this is fantastic news as New York-JFK turns into an even better world-class hub.

Those Oneworld airlines in Terminal 8 include British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Iberia, Qatar Airways, Qantas, and Royal Jordanian (the outliers are Royal Jordanian in Terminal 1 and Alaska Airlines in Terminal 7). In short, expect many new concessions and a new great hall to round out the improvements to come!