JFK International Airport and Newark Airport’s rail systems both set new passenger records in 2006. AirTrain JFK’s fare paying passenger numbers increased more than 15% last year and AirTrain Newark’s fare…
JFK International Airport and Newark Airport’s rail systems both set new passenger records in 2006. AirTrain JFK’s fare paying passenger numbers increased more than 15% last year and AirTrain Newark’s fare paying passenger figures grew by more than 8%.
Nearly four million fare paying passengers used AirTrain JFK in 2006 to connect between JFK International Airport’s passenger terminals and mass transit systems operated by New York City Transit and the Long Island Rail Road. AirTrain Newark, which links Newark Liberty International Airport to the Northeast Corridor Rail Line served by NJ Transit and Amtrak, handled nearly 1.6 million fare paying passengers in 2006. Both systems also serve tens of thousands of daily riders who use the rail systems for free to travel between passenger terminals and to connect to car parks and rental car areas.
“AirTrain JFK and AirTrain Newark continue to gain riders every year as the ground transportation of choice for millions of people who use the country’s premier international and domestic gateways in New York and New Jersey,” Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia said. “13% of JFK’s passengers now use AirTrain’s free or paid service to access passenger terminals, while AirTrain Newark is the primary ground transportation for 10% of Newark’s passengers.”
Port Authority Executive Director Anthony E. Shorris said: “It’s our job to increase the popularity of these services even more in 2007. It just makes good sense. They’re fast, reliable, and provide a great benefit to the region by easing traffic and reducing emissions on roadways at and near the airports.”
With a record annual paid ridership in 2006 of 3,937,041 – a 15.4% increase over 3,411,762 paid passengers in 2005 – AirTrain JFK has now surpassed more than 10 million paid customers since it opened in late 2003. AirTrain Newark, which linked the existing airport monorail to mass transit in 2001, had a record 1,581,649 paid riders last year, up 8.5% from 1,457,704 paid passengers in 2005.
AirTrain JFK has helped support robust air passenger growth over the last several years at JFK Airport. In 2003, the airport served 31.7 million passengers. In 2004, that figure rose dramatically to 37.5 million, followed by another increase to 40.8 million in 2005. JFK Airport’s final passenger count for 2006 is expected to be about 42 million.
AirTrain Newark has done the same for Newark Airport. Passenger growth has climbed from 29.4 million in 2003, to 31.9 million in 2004, to 33 million in 2005. When the final numbers are in for 2006, Newark Airport is expected to set an all-time annual high with about 35.5 million passengers.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
