Delta Animated Video Previews Expanded Terminal 4

The $1.2 billion expansion of Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport is on schedule, according to a news release from Delta Air Lines. If you're traveling through JFK, the structural steel frame of the Concourse B extension is now visible.

Ahead of the 2013 opening, customers can take a virtual tour of the expanded terminal through a new animated video available on the Delta Air Lines YouTube channel. In addition, more than 80 displays throughout JFK Terminals 2, 3 and 4 and on airport vehicles display the changes customers will experience in 2013.

"Delta's expanded and enhanced Terminal 4 at JFK will provide a modern international gateway for millions of travelers and accommodate future growth for Delta in New York," said Gail Grimmett, Delta's senior vice president for New York. "The project will create 10,000 jobs in the region and $1.6 billion in economic output from the purchase of goods and services by 2014."

The Concourse B extension will include one of the largest Sky Clubs in the Delta system, as well as nine new international gates, for a total of 16 the airline will occupy. The project will improve passenger flow by adding more capacity at check-in areas and security checkpoints. The state-of-the-art facilities also will feature a new automated baggage handling system and larger shopping and dining areas post-security. The project expands baggage claim and Customs and Border Protection areas to speed fliers through the airport. Delta jets will see faster taxi times with the addition of dual taxiways, improving on-time performance.

"This is a game-changing project for our customers and the entire regional aviation system," said Chris Ward, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. "It increases JFK's capacity, vastly improves the customer experience for hundreds of thousands of Delta travelers and strengthens the economic competitiveness of the most important gateway in the country."

The 1.5-million-square-foot Terminal 4 covers 165 acres, making it one of North America's largest air terminals.  Delta, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Terminal 4 operator JFKIAT LLC are working together to increase the terminal's size by 491,000 square feet, or nearly one third. The airline has already invested more than $70 million in its JFK hub over the last few years.

FMI: www.delta.com, www.panynj.gov/airports/jfk.html