Enhancing Passenger Flow at JFK Terminal 1
Client: JFK Terminal One Group Association – International Airport Terminal, New York City
Industry: Transportation & Aviation Infrastructure
Engagement Focus: Passenger Flow Optimization, Visual Management, Multilingual Communication Strategy
The Situation
Originally designed and modified over the years to accommodate approximately 1 million international travelers annually, JFK Terminal 1 faced a critical operational challenge. By the time they reached out to Semoto Group, the terminal was serving over 3 million passengers per year—triple its intended capacity.
Terminal 1 exclusively handles international flights. These aircraft, often among the largest in the world, offload hundreds of passengers at once. The influx overwhelmed sterile corridors, delayed border control processing, and caused passenger confusion congestion so severe that arriving planes could not deplane.
Wayfinding signage was minimal, inconsistent, and presented only in English. This led to disorientation and frustration for weary travelers from across the globe. Border control officers often sat idle, waiting for passengers to navigate their way through poorly marked corridors. Attempts by the airport authority to guide passengers using megaphone announcements only added confusion.
The Engagement Goals
Christian Wolcott - Semoto Group was engaged with a clear mission:
Improve the flow of international passengers through Terminal 1 and restore operational throughput and customer satisfaction.
Success would be defined by:
Reduced passenger congestion
Passenger experience surveys
Smoother transitions to border control
Faster overall throughput without infrastructure changes
Key stakeholders included airport operations management, security personnel, airline partners, and the border control authority.
The Approach
Christian and the JFK Terminal One team deployed a rapid-cycle improvement strategy grounded in Lean thinking and visual control principles.
The engagement included:
Observational Time Studies: Understanding bottlenecks in passenger flow and delay patterns
01
Design and Testing of Visual Aids: Creating multilingual, highly visual signs and stanchion layouts for optimal line formation
02
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Multilingual Audio Messaging: Custom welcome announcements in 13 languages based on flight origin
04
Collaborative Pilots: Field-testing multiple variations of visuals and placements to determine the most effective combinations
Signs depicted simplified visuals of U.S. and international passports, reinforced by arrows, colors, and universal icons to guide travelers quickly and intuitively.
Transformation & Results
Through experimentation, measurement, and iteration, The JFK Terminal One team, guided by Christian Wolcott- Semoto Group achieved significant improvements:
Faster Passenger Processing Times: Clear reduction in time from gate arrival to passport control
Improved effective use of CBP officers time: through increased passenger availability
Reduced Congestion in Corridors: Enhanced passenger flow enabled more efficient deplaning and gate turnaround
Improved Border Control Efficiency: Officers were engaged continuously, reducing idle time
Higher Traveler Satisfaction: Multilingual guidance reduced stress for international visitors
One of the most notable breakthroughs was the shift from amplified verbal instructions to welcoming, multilingual signage and messages tailored to each arriving flight—demonstrating that dignity and clarity go further than volume.
Looking Forward
Building on this success, JFK Terminal 1 is now exploring broader applications of visual management across other service functions, including security lines and baggage claim.
The approach was remarkably simple yet profoundly effective. Their ability to understand human behavior in motion, and translate it into smart visual guidance, changed how we manage flow. We can now move more people, faster, and with far less friction.”
— Terminal Operations Director, JFK Terminal 1