Airport Experience® News -Customer Service Issue 2026

different forms across dining, retail, duty free, and experiential offerings.” Yeo hopes that travelers will remember their time at the New Terminal One “as an experience like no other, one that made international travel more enjoyable, comfortable, and intuitive. If we have done our job well, travelers will feel that the terminal anticipated their needs, connected them to the creativity and energy of New York, and gave them a reason to look forward to arriving early for their next trip.” Commercial Overhaul at T5 While the JetBlue -developed Terminal 5 opened nearly twenty years ago, it has recently undergone its own significant commercial reimagining separate from the Port Authority’s other projects. The more than $100-million investment by JetBlue, Fraport USA and their concessions partners will result in more than 40 new local concessions spots opening through early 2027 in a program managed by Fraport USA

and operated in both joint-venture and direct deals with primes and more than 20 ACDBEs. The new offerings include New York Southern fusion spot Jacob’s Pickles; the well-loved Leon’s Bagels; historic Dim Sum restaurant Nom Wah Tea Parlor; the popular street food staple The Halal Guys; outposts of cocktail bars Mister Paradise and Tiki Chick; Brooklyn-based Three’s Brewing; and the Blind Barber, a hybrid barbershop and cocktail lounge. They are all part of the terminal’s “refresh” process, says Jose Cuevas, vice president at Fraport USA’s New York division. Keenly aware of the many new facilities being built around Terminal 5, Cuevas said that the Terminal 5 team hopes to stand out through a clear local point of view. Whether it’s the Central Park-like bench seating and chess tables in its concourse,

Above: Fraport USA, in partnership with JetBlue, is leading the commercial redevelopment of JFK T5. The goal is to stand out through a clear local point of view with focus on local brand favorites. Pictured are New York-Southern fusion spot Jacob’s Pickles and The Halal Guys.

Below: Vantage Airport Group-led Millennium Partners is developing Terminal 6, a $4.2-billion facility developed on the site of the former Terminals 6 and 7.

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AX NEWS OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2026