Cathay Pacific plans a significant expansion in New York by opening its first-ever lounge at JFK.

Cathay Pacific is taking bold steps at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

The Hong Kong-based airline revealed this week that it will be among the primary inaugural tenants of the new Terminal 6 at the airport.

This transition to Terminal 6, expected to open in early 2026, represents a significant change for Cathay, which currently operates from Terminal 8.

Terminal 8 serves as the Oneworld alliance hub at JFK, anchored by American Airlines, a founding member of the alliance. Following a recent modernization and expansion project completed by American and airport authorities in 2022, most other Oneworld airlines flying to JFK have relocated their operations there. (Cathay moved from Terminal 7 to Terminal 8 in January 2017.)

Cathay's transition to Terminal 6 is primarily driven by the opportunity to establish its own dedicated lounge at JFK for its three daily flights to the airport. While the airline has not disclosed specifics about the lounge, it will span nearly 10,000 square feet. This lounge at JFK will be Cathay's second in the U.S., following the one at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Many premier international airlines prefer to manage the entire premium passenger journey, and establishing a lounge at a satellite airport is an effective strategy for achieving this. Additionally, Cathay currently compensates American for the passengers it directs to the Soho, Greenwich, and Admirals Club lounges in Terminal 8, which likely incurs significant costs due to the number of lounge-eligible travelers flying Cathay from New York.

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"We have long aspired to offer our customers a distinctive Cathay Pacific airport experience at JFK. We are thrilled about our collaboration with JFK Millennium Partners, which will turn this vision into reality," stated Chris van den Hooven, Cathay Pacific's senior vice president of the Americas, regarding the move.

Alongside Cathay Pacific, the Lufthansa Group, Aer Lingus, and JetBlue have all expressed plans to operate flights from Terminal 6.

The new Terminal 6 is part of the $19 billion JFK transformation initiative led by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the agency responsible for airport management. This project will see the opening of two brand-new terminals in 2026.

Terminal 6 is the smaller of the two developments. Once completed, this $4.2 billion project will cover 1.2 million square feet and feature 10 new gates, nine of which will accommodate wide-body jets. The terminal will also connect airside to the nearby Terminal 5, which serves as JetBlue Airways' JFK hub.

The other development involves the construction of the $9.5 billion new Terminal One, which will become one of JFK's flagship international terminals.

The new Terminal One at JFK will merge the current and former sites of terminals 1, 2, and 3 into a sprawling 2.4 million-square-foot international terminal that will anchor the airport's south side.

The first significant milestone, which includes the new arrivals and departures hall along with the initial set of 14 new gates, is slated to open in 2026. Once fully completed in 2030, Terminal One will boast 23 gates, a redesigned check-in area, and revamped arrival spaces.

"New York JFK ranks among the premier locations in our global lounge strategy. We are genuinely excited about the chance to deliver the distinctive Cathay Pacific lounge experience to our premium customers at this key hub in our network. This new lounge will include several innovative features that will elevate it within our lounge offerings, and we eagerly anticipate sharing more details with our customers at the right time," stated Vivian Lo, Cathay Pacific's general manager of customer experience.