by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 11:15 AM ET, Tue January 2, 2024
Access to Terminal 4 at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport was restricted to ticketed passengers, employees and other valid individuals on Monday, January 1, during a pro-Palestinian protest calling to end the Israel-Hamas war.
According to ABC News, the protestors created heavy traffic and a slow-moving line of cars by the airport protesting the conflict. Entry into JFK’s Terminal 4 was restricted to ticketed passengers, employees, and people with a reason to be there, such as picking up a passenger, on Monday afternoon. AirTran also restricted entry to ticketed passengers and employees.
“The Port Authority, in coordination with our local, state, and federal partners, has deployed safety and security measures to help ensure an uninterrupted travel experience at JFK,” wrote Seth Stein, port authority spokesperson, in an email to ABC News. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates JFK International.
There were no reported arrests for the peaceful demonstration, but city officials warned travelers to head to the airport much earlier in anticipation of demonstration-caused delays.
The vehicles protesting the conflict were later seen at LaGuardia Airport in Queens. It’s the second protest at JFK in a week’s time: last Wednesday, protesters stopped traffic on an expressway heading to JFK for approximately 20 minutes. A similar protest about the Israel-Hamas war shut down a main road leading to LAX in Los Angeles the same day.
Prior to these protests held at major international airports, all major cruise lines offering itineraries visiting Israel in 2023 and 2024 have changed their itineraries to avoid conflict zones, such as MSC Cruises. Tour operators are doing the same, often offering full refunds or a different itinerary for free for impacted travelers.
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