In effort to grow it's business, American Airlines revealed it's 1.3 billion dollar terminal. It's expected to increase passenger traffic to John F. Kennedy's International Airport by 50%. Now if they can only work on getting those flights out on time…..
"This is a very important market for American," AMR Chief Executive Gerard Arpey said at the terminal, which features a mural of landmark buildings from around the world.
"We've got lots of opportunity for growth. I think we're just getting started."
JFK, the seventh busiest U.S. airport, saw 43.8 million passengers arrive and depart in 2006, according to data provided by the Air Transport Association.
"It's probably the deepest pool of revenue in the U.S. market overall, considering the international market and the domestic market from New York," said airline consultant Robert Mann. "It's a hotly competitive market."
American's new terminal has 36 gates, 19 of which are capable of handling international arrivals. American currently serves about 8.5 million customers a year at JFK, but its terminal is capable of handling about 13 million.
American flies from JFK to 38 destinations, 23 of them international, with 92 flights a day.
The carrier is promoting its new terminal by offering New York travelers departing New York's JFK, LaGuardia or Westchester County airports a 10 percent discount on tickets to any AMR destination.
It also is offering discounts of up to 25 percent when New York-area travelers download American's DealFinder software.