JFK's stunning new Terminal 5 is the first post-9/11 airplane terminal in the United States to incorporate passenger-friendly elements that recognize the vast changes in how we conceptualize airports, flying and security. With free Wi-Fi, customer service zones in every concourse, food ordering capability at the gates, and a visual paging system for a quieter terminal, the bold colors, abundant natural light, and both lounge-like and traditional seating at gates make for a great traveling experience.

Terminal 5 or T5 will see roughly 20 million passengers a year and 10 flights per gate every day. Situated behind the landmark Eero Saarinen TWA terminal, the new 635,000-square-foot, 26-gate T5 accounts for more than 30 percent of JFK’s traffic, making it the airport’s busiest. Built in collaboration with Arup, Turner Construction, DMJM Harris/AECOM and Rockwell Group, Gensler's design for T5 offers self-service options for customers and easily navigated security areas. 40 ticket counters and 65 e-ticket kiosks line both sides of the ticket hall. Right in the center of the departure hall, a massive 20-lane security checkpoint—in fact, the largest single checkpoint in the country—eliminates bottlenecks and features efficient, customer-friendly details such as self-select lanes for families, casual travelers and expert travelers. Soft rubber flooring and a 225-foot-long bench to put on those shoes after passing through security actually make the quick trip through security relatively pleasant.

The 55,000-square-foot Marketplace is located at the juncture of the three concourses and throughways to and from security and baggage claim. The Marketplace features a four-foot-tall grandstand and a 2-foot tall platform for seating or performances and exhibitions, and a dramatic 44-foot-wide ring of LCD monitors suspended by stainless steel cables and visible from all concourses. The Marketplace is home to a majority of the terminal’s nine full service restaurants, bars, and cafes; eight quick-serve eateries; three coffee bars; six bars/lounges and 25 retail stores. You can read more about those venues here.

The in-line baggage system efficiently delivers luggage from check-in, screening and sorting to planes, and can process up to 4,000 bags per hour; this also contributes to the terminal’s industry-leading 30-minute plane turnaround time.

A new parking garage and the AirTrain are connected to the terminal by a skywalk. Following the renovation of the historic Saarinen terminal, travelers will also have the option of entering through the historic terminal and reaching T5 via two renovated ‘flight tubes.’