Trans World Airlines, or TWA, was once upon a time an airline that was mentioned in the breath alongside other illustrious aviation pioneers such as Pan Am or BOAC.
In the mid-1950s, TWA commissioned Eero Saarinen with the construction of a new and modern terminal at New York’s JFK that could rival the fabulous Pan Am Worldport terminal which was already under construction.
The result was an iconic but sadly also very much impractical building. In 2001 Trans World Airlines went bankrupt, and was absorbed into American Airlines. The TWA terminal became obsolete. Its elegant but awkward shape made it difficult to expand or to adapt to the requirements of newer and larger jets. And so, with the demise of the legendary TWA, Saarinen’s terminal was decommissioned.
Presumably, the New York airport authority would have liked nothing better than to raze the old terminal to the ground, to make way for more ramp space at JFK. But the TWA terminal is a listed building and therefore cannot simply be demolished.
In 2016, the MCR group purchased the rights to use the old TWA logos and name, constructed two buildings adjacent to the old terminal and reopened it at the TWA Hotel at JFK.
The hotel is easily accessible by Airtrain, which connects the terminals at JFK to the Jamaica Bay railway station. Just alight at the stop for JetBlue’s Terminal 5 and then look down. There are arrows on the ground to guide you directly to the hotel’s entrance. You can’t miss it.
I really love what they’ve done to the place. A lot of effort has gone into restoring the original building to its old splendor. The entire hotel has a serious 60s vibe going on, but they somehow manage to pull it off convincingly.
The rooms as large enough for a short stay and nicely appointed. It’s also rather nice that they have rooms directly overlooking the ramp.
Up on the roof of the hotel there is a swimming pool and bar. The pool is great…
… but the views are simply breathtaking. As my luck would have it, one of Emirates’ daily services was just pulling in when I reached the roof for some reconnoitering.
And if that weren’t already enough, there’s also a beautifully restorest Lokheed Super Constellation in TWA’s classic livery out back. You can even go up into the aircraft, which also serves as a bar.
If, like me, you’re an airline geek with a keen interest in the bygone golden age of aviation, you really must visit the TWA Hotel if you’re ever in New York, even if you’re not planning to spend the night there.
The TWA Hotel is very convenient because its currently the only hotel at JFK that is accessible without having to use a minibus shuttle to get there from the central terminal area. So it’s a good choice if you arrive at JFK late in the evening and can’t be bothered to make the long schlepp into the city.
Hi, love reading your reports. The occasional typo is nothing to get worked up about (content is always super). However, you are a linguistic specialist and so I want to flag this little error … unless I am mistaken the verb is “raze to the ground” and not “raise”. It’s a common mistake, and never too old to learn right?
Love the TWA hotel, but you didn’t mention how ridiculously expensive it is (like many hotels in the US).
Hi there, thanks for commenting. It’s nice to hear from people who enjoy the blog. And thanks for pointing out the mistake. You’re quite right. I should pay more attention to orthography. I’m usually just in too much of a hurry!
By the way, about the price: I thought about it, but I generally found New York very expensive and figured that was just normal. London’s the same.