Comments on: Twa Terminal, JFK Airport, New York, 1964

By: Paul S

Paul S — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 15:26:52 +0000

Great photo of a marvelous building. I was fortunate enough to have worked in this building for nearly 7 years in the mid to late 80′s. It’s beauty prevented me from ever growing tired of it. I spent most of my working hours outside with the aircraft which I enjoyed immensely. If there was ever a moment I did take the building for granted I would spot a passenger staring at the terminal in awe which would remind me of the impact the building had on people.
The only flaw in Saarinen’s design was that he underestimated the growth of the air travel industry and the terminal quickly became to small to accommodate the increasing volume of people and luggage that started coming through by the mid-sixties. The unique design made it impossible to add aesthetically pleasing extensions.
I’m grateful the terminal survived long enough to be landmarked and that jetblue found a solution to keep and honor the building while building a new terminal behind it capable of handling todays airline needs. What was lost, however, were the two flight wings that were at the end of the long tubes extending out of the back where passengers boarded the planes.

By: Jeannie D

Jeannie D — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 01:13:12 +0000

My 1st trip to NYC started with this wonderful terminal. I was so happy walking down from the gate in that tube,like being on a Star Trek. I know America West(now USair) used it for a while then Jet Blue. I havn’t been to the city in 5 years so I don’t know who uses it now.Hey does anyone remember the sea monkey art work at Howard Beach Station? So sad it was taken down. I hope they save TWA terminal,but this is a city that let CBGB’s die.

By: marwan kasi

marwan kasi — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:48:38 +0000

It brought back good old memories as I walked in in this marvelous terminal for the first time when I took TWA 727 in the early 80s from to Tampa , Florid

By: pg

pg — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:15:59 +0000

When I see slides like these, I am flooded with mixed emotions. Yes, I adore this very unique architecture!!But, on the other hand nothing of today’s designs rivals this one for its sheer,one-of-a-kind creativity!!That’s what’s sad about it. America has now become a cookie-cutter image of itself with one city’s landscapes and buildings looking like the next. In other words, we have lost our sense of individuality…after all, isn’t that what America was and should be about?

By: Jack

Jack — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 05:58:02 +0000

Ahh! I remember going to visit the TWA terminal with my brother.Walking through those amazing futuristic tunnels and then watching those giant TWA 747-200′s load up.I really hope they use this terminal again!

By: Markus

Markus — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 23:34:22 +0000

Ahh JFK. I remembered my invalidated domestic flight ticket after a long flight from Singapore some years back. I ended up going on the bus going from terminal to terminal to find an airline to redeem my tickets. As I rode in the bus, I couldn’t help to notice the different architectural style of each terminals. Then it occurred to me, the bus ride is a great architectural tour of evolution of airport architecture through the ages! I ended up using TWA, and I think flying out from this terminal. It was such a nuisance trying to redeem the ticket, but I ended up having a great “tour.”

By: Kevin L

Kevin L — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 07:17:26 +0000

I love this shot! I love airports, airplanes, the smell of Jet fuel in the morning. But…HEY! There’s an UNATTENDED bag there! Call the bomb squad! Must be pre-9-11….Duh!
My most memorable experience @ JFK was on an inter-terminal shuttle bus. (this was also pre-9-11). Someone placed their luggage in front of the shuttle bus waiting for a cab. The shuttle driver shouted out “hey..anybodys’ bags here?” a couple of times. After about 15 seconds (a New York minute), he closed the door and drove on…. and over them. I was surprised that the bus didn’t bounce more as they were a hard shell Samsonite type luggage. “Welcome to New York” I thought.
Thanks for the memories Charles!
KevinL

By: Jerry McKenna

Jerry McKenna — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 19:41:23 +0000

I’m happy to see that the physically challenged were not shunned from the camera’s eye in the early ’60′s