One of the most beautiful aviation related buildings in the world is the Eero Saarinen designed TWA Flight Center at JFK in New York. It is designed to look a bit like a bird taking flight and is rather pretty.

TWA went out of business in 2001 and the terminal has not really been used for anything despite plans by jetBlue to use it as part of Terminal 5. The old Flight Center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and this protects it from being demolished.

TWA Hotel

One of the things about JFK is there is no hotel at the airport itself. This is going to change from late 2018 or 2019 with the opening of the TWA Hotel which is being built by MCR Development.

The new hotel will feature 505 guest rooms and a great deal of event and meeting space. Happily it will also have an observation deck for the aviation minded among us.


As part of the whole shebang, the original TWA Flight Center will be restored to its original 1962 appearance. A museum is planned for the building, showcasing New York as the birthplace of the Jet Age, history of Trans World Airlines and the Midcentury Modern design movement.

Naturally there will be a number of food and drink outlets for those who just wish to visit. I am betting it will be the number one choice for people with late arrivals or early departures from JFK.

Overall Thoughts

Finding a use for the TWA Flight Center has taken quite a long time, but it is excellent to see things are finally happening. A hotel at JFK is long overdue, so I am betting the business case includes quite a lot of profit.

Once it is all up and running, I’ll be making a point of visiting both the hotel and the historic building just to check it out. I’m sure it will be well worth it, from the sounds of things.

Have you ever used the TWA Flight Center in New York? Was was it like? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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All images from MCR Developments via TWA Hotel at JFK Airport.