Swissair and Sabena are moving operations at New York's Kennedy Airport from the terminal of former partner Delta Air Lines to the new Terminal 4.
The Qualiflyer alliance partners' move will take place on 26 March, with the change of winter-to-summer time flight schedules. The carriers have also become the first to sign a memorandum of understanding for a long-term lease of operational space at Terminal 4 when the rebuilt facility opens next year.
While Swissair and Sabena were signing on, Alitalia decided to move its flights away from Terminal 4 - and its alliance partner KLM - to Terminal 1, opened in late 1998 by Air France, Japan Airlines, Korean Air and Lufthansa.
Henk Guitjens, vice-president of airline marketing for JFK IAT, operator and developer of Terminal 4, says he is disappointed that Alitalia decided to move, but expresses confidence that other Terminal 4 occupants, including KLM and partner Northwest Airlines, Aer Lingus, Varig and El Al, will soon be signing long-term leases.
While the $9 billion infrastructure and terminal construction programme at Kennedy continues, so does a political battle. In response to a request for proposals, the city of New York has received four offers from private companies wishing to take over as managers of Kennedy and nearby LaGuardia Airport when the long-term lease of the two airports by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey expires in 2015.
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who contends the Port Authority has mismanaged the airports, says proposals came from BAA USA, Schiphol USA, Hochtief, which runs Düsseldorf and other European airports, and a group which includes management of Zurich's airport. Guiliani says one will be selected to serve as airport consultant until 2015, when it could take over management.
Source: Airline Business
