It’s an exciting time for New York City’s airports. We’ve already written about the amazing planespotting from the new skybridges at LaGuardia and the huge New Terminal One project at JFK. Across the Hudson River at Newark International there’s major work going on too. The first phase there was a from-scratch rebuild of the 50-year-old Terminal A. We dropped by, and we can say from firsthand experience that the result is impressive.
Join us on a photo and video walkthrough of the new terminal, with an eye towards the AvGeek appeal and planespotting potential.
The new Terminal A, which opened in late 2022, is the airport’s southernmost terminal.
The new Terminal A was built alongside the old one, to allow a gradual operational transition from one to the other. In the satellite image below you can see both the new terminal (bottom) and the old one (top). The latter has since been decommissioned.
I try to get to airports on public transit whenever I can. One issue with the new Terminal A is that its temporary AirTrain station is a fifteen-minute walk from the terminal, or a short extra bus ride. This will eventually be fixed when the current cramped and unreliable EWR AirTrain gets rebuilt. But that’s years away, and so for now the public transit access situation is a hassle.
But once I got to the new terminal I completely forgot about the AirTrain situation. Compared to the old dark and cramped Terminal A the new building is full of light and bursting with Jersey-themed art.
The terminal’s TSA security checkpoint features big status screens and some futuristic-looking neon-trimmed bag scanners.
Once you get through security the terminal layout is fairly straightforward. Most gates are along the terminal’s main east concourse, with a few on the smaller north and south concourses.
As of now there are five airlines operating out of the new Terminal A: American, United, Delta, JetBlue, and Air Canada. The first three each have their own lounge here.
And now for the part you’ve been waiting for: the planespotting. There must have been some #AvGeeks on the terminal design committee because there are a TON of beanbag-type seats in prime spotting positions right up against the windows.
The best views are at the very end of the main terminal pier, where you’re closest to the airport’s runways.
Bring a camera with a good zoom lens and you can score some shots with the Manhattan skyline in the background.
We spent a great hour taking in the views from the terminal before boarding an outbound flight on a United 737 MAX. The timing of our takeoff roll lined up perfectly with a gorgeous golden sunset.
The Verdict on Newark’s New Terminal A
The new terminal cost nearly $3 billion, and is forecasted to serve 15 million flyers a year. So the stakes were high for Newark to get this right. Luckily the new Terminal A seems like a winner. It’s airy, bright, and full of decorations and local flair.
The only gripe for now is the AirTrain situation. Between the 15-minute walk from station to terminal and the fact that Terminal A is already the farthest station from the railway link, factor in an extra 20 minutes to get here on public transit.
Overall though it’s a great place to fly from, and to planespot from too. If you’ve swung by already let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
This past December, The Club at SJC, at San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) received the Priority Pass North America ’œLounge of the Year’ by Airport Lounge Development. This is a lounge of the people… well mostly. You don’t need to have a first class ticket or “Double Platinum, Wrapped in Diamonds” status with an airline (that might not be a real thing). If you have a few extra bucks, some time to burn, and a want to live a bit of the high-life, The Club at SJC might be for you.
The Club at SJC
AirlineReporter was invited to visit the lounge to learn more about common use lounges, and of course see this award-winning staff in action (spoiler alert ’“ it is no surprise at all to see why this lounge won).
A beautiful day and location for a run – Photo: John Huston
It is said that if you’re running around on the fifth runway at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) you’re having a very bad day. Either your plane has just crashed or you’re about to be arrested and sent to jail for a very long time. Or’¦ maybe there’s something else going on that has the makings of a very good day.
I had the opportunity to run The Mayor’s 5K on the 5th Runway at ATL on August 27. The race is an annual fundraiser for the United Way of Greater Atlanta, hosted by Mayor Kasim Reed and sponsored by Delta Air Lines among others. It’s the one day a year where mere mortals, like me, can be out there laying down shoe rubber in the same place where the big jets lay down tire rubberwithout getting arrested.
On your mark… – Photo: John Huston
This is the third year for the race. I hadn’t heard about it until recently, but once I did, there was no way I could resist the chance to participate.
There was one sort of catch, however. The race had to be over and the runway completely cleared by 8:00 a.m. You know, so the planes could land and stuff. Which means things began very, very early.
An ANA 787-8 made a graceful landing as it arrived from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT) during the 2016 FOD walk
FOD (foreign object debris) is the scourge of airport operations. FOD includes the mundane as well as the unusual: baggage-claim tickets, random bits of plastic, airplane parts, dead animals, rocks, and clumps of loose dead vegetation. Keeping runways and taxiways clear of FOD is a seemingly never-ending battle; airports’ operations areas are festooned with signs both warning of the dangers of FOD and reminding airport personnel to constantly be watching for, and picking up, such trash.
Items as seemingly innocuous as a scrap of plastic hold the potential to damage an aircraft
According to a 2013 FAA fact sheet, ’œFOD can be ingested in an aircraft engine, which can result in damage to the aircraft or cause an accident. It can damage or become lodged in aircraft operating mechanisms or cut aircraft tires. Boeing estimates that FOD causes an estimated $4 billion in damage to engines and aircraft taken out of service each year.’
Wikipedia’s entry on FOD claims the total is significantly higher, citing a now-offline 2008 report claiming $13 billion in direct and indirect costs to the aviation industry as a whole. In either instance, FOD damage is very expensive, and it makes sense that every airport have a FOD management plan.
From Heathrow With Love – Photo: Alastair Long | AirlineReporter
Last month, I attended an ultimate behind-the-scenes airport tour, courtesy of London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR). LHR’s Digital Communications Manager, Chris Loy, welcomed a select group of aviation publications to showcase its daily operations and on behalf of AirlineReporter I was thrilled to be a part of it.
Control Tower – Photo: LHR Airports Limited
I always enjoy traveling through LHR, especially Terminal 5 (T5), and revel in what is generally a calm and serene travel experience. This is despite handling more than 75 million passengers and about 1.5 million tons of cargo (the non self-loading variety) per year.
I compare this to the utter chaos that is London’s Luton Airport (LTN) while they undergo extensive construction, or the holiday-maker maelstrom that is Gatwick Airport (LGW) during the summer. That said, I have never transited through LHR. Nor have I ever suffered from any extensive flight delays at the airport.
“Yes, transiting is an operational challenge at Heathrow,” remarks LHR Filming Coordinator and Airside Safety Officer, Joe Audcent. “The airfield is just so big from one end to another.” Chris and Joe would be our intrepid tour guides and I was looking forward to learning more about my hometown airport.
