---
title: "JFK is which airport? New York"
description: "JFK is John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, United States. Why the code is JFK and not something you could guess, plus the codes it gets mixed up with."
url: https://atoneplace.net/airport/jfk/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What airport is JFK?

**JFK is: John F. Kennedy International Airport**

New York, United States

## Why the code is JFK

The initials of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, assigned in 1963 when the airport was renamed for him.

The airport authority or a contemporaneous record states this directly.

## The airport

- **IATA code:** JFK
- **ICAO code:** KJFK
- **Airport:** John F. Kennedy International Airport
- **City:** New York, United States
- **Opened:** 1948
- **Code origin:** Documented

It opened as New York International Airport, universally called Idlewild after the golf course the site replaced, and carried the code IDL. Both name and code changed a month after Kennedy's assassination in December 1963. It is one of the very few major airports to have successfully changed its IATA code, which is why old luggage tags marked IDL are collectible.

## Codes it used to have

| Code | Until | What happened |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IDL | 1963 | From Idlewild, the golf course the airport was built over. Changed with the renaming after Kennedy's assassination. |

## The other code, KJFK

Every airport has two codes. The three-letter IATA code, JFK, is the one on your boarding pass and your luggage tag, and it is assigned for commercial use. The four-letter ICAO code, KJFK, is the one pilots and controllers use, and it is assigned geographically: the first letter or two identify the region, so every airport in the same part of the world shares a prefix. That is why KJFK looks nothing like JFK.

## Common questions

### What airport is JFK?

John F. Kennedy International Airport, in New York, United States.

### Why is New York's airport called JFK?

The initials of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, assigned in 1963 when the airport was renamed for him.

### What is the difference between JFK and KJFK?

JFK is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. KJFK is the ICAO code, used operationally by pilots and air traffic control, and assigned geographically by region.

## Related pages

- [United States](https://atoneplace.net/country/united-states/)
- [The flag of United States](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-states/)
- [Airport codes in United States](https://atoneplace.net/airport/in/united-states/)
- [What airport is LAX?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/lax/)
- [What airport is ORD?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ord/)
- [What airport is ATL?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/atl/)
- [What airport is MCO?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/mco/)
- [What airport is DFW?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/dfw/)
- [What airport is EWR?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ewr/)
- [What airport is SFO?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/sfo/)
- [What airport is LGA?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/lga/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)