Newark Liberty International Airport - Terminals

Terminals

Newark Liberty International Airport has three passenger terminals. Terminal A and Terminal B were completed in 1973 and have four levels. Ticket counters are on the top floor, except for the second-floor Air India and first-floor British Airways desks. Gates and shops are on the third floor. An international arrivals lounge (Terminal B) and baggage carousels (both A and B) are on the second floor. Finally, short-term parking and ramp operations (restricted areas) are on the ground floor.

Terminal C, designed by Grad Associates and completed in 1988, has two ticketing levels, one for international check-in and one for domestic check-in. The main terminal building for Terminal C was built alongside Terminals A and B in the 1970s, but lay dormant until PEOPLExpress took it over as a replacement for the former North Terminal when the airline's hub there outgrew the old facility. Upon opening, Terminal C had 41 gates, originally with one departures level, one arrivals level, and an underground parking garage. The gates, as well as food and shopping outlets, are located on a mezzanine level between the two check-in floors. From 1998 to 2003, Terminal C was renovated and expanded in a $1.2 billion program known as the Continental Airlines Global Gateway Project. The project, which was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, doubled the available space for outbound travelers as the former baggage claim/arrivals hall was remodeled and turned into a second departures level. Probably most significant was the addition of International Concourse C-3, a spacious and airy new facility with capacity for a maximum of 19 narrowbody aircraft (or 12 widebody planes). Completion of this new concourse brought Terminal C's total number of mainline jet gates to 57. Concomitant with Concourse C-3 is a new international arrivals facility. Also included in the project: a 3,400-space parking garage constructed in front of the terminal, a new airside corridor connecting Concourses C-1, C-2, and C-3, a new President's Club (now called United Club) lounge between C-2 and C-3, and all-new baggage processing facilities, including reconstruction of the former underground parking area into a new baggage claim and arrivals hall.

As of 2008, Terminal B is being renovated to increase capacity for departing passengers and passenger comfort. The renovations include expanding and updating the ticketing areas, building a new departure level for domestic flights, and building a new arrivals hall. Plans are also in place to expand Terminal A by adding a new parking garage and radically expanding the size of the first concourse to add new gates, ticketing, baggage and security areas.

Each terminal has three concourses: Terminal A, for instance, is divided into concourses A1, A2, and A3. Gate numbering is continuous through all the terminals. Wayfinding signage throughout the terminals was designed by Paul Mijksenaar.

Terminal A is the only terminal having no immigration facilities: flights arriving from other countries cannot use Terminal A (except countries with US customs preclearance), although some departing international flights use the terminal.

Following the business model of the Port Authority's other facilities, in some cases entire terminals are operated by terminal operators and not by the Port Authority directly. At Newark Liberty, Terminal A and Terminal C are operated by United Airlines. Terminal B is the only passenger terminal directly operated by the Authority.

In January 2012, Port Authority executive director Patrick Foye said $350 million would be spent on Terminal B, addressing complaints by passengers that they cannot move freely. Foye also said a new Terminal A may be built.