Every airport has gates that travelers dread. There can be any number of reasons why a gate is miserable to fly from. At Orlando International Airport’s Terminal C, the walk from the Palm Court area to Gate 230 is quite the hike, with no moving sidewalk in sight (word on the street is they’re going to fix that problem).
I remember flying from the C gates at Honolulu Airport, which felt like the terminal was abandoned. It was a 15-minute walk to the first open shop, where I purchased one of the worst sandwiches I can remember, before the flight home to Orlando.
I never had the experience of flying from Gate 35X from Washington National, but I know many people, including the airport, celebrated when the bus gate was finally removed in 2021.
There’s a particular set of gates that meets all the criteria for being the ones that people hate to fly from. I have to admit that we’ve had the displeasure of using them on more than one occasion.
The area is located farthest from the rest of the terminal and lacks nearby concessions. There are limited bathrooms and seating for the number of passengers. Compared to the rest of the airport, this section feels more like a bus station.
I’m talking about Gates B53 to B55 at JFK Terminal 4.
In general, JFK Terminal 4 is a nice place to fly from. It’s where we left when taking Singapore Airlines to Frankfurt and Virgin Atlantic to London. The concessions in the main area rival those in most international terminals. You have many dining options, from McDonald’s and Shake Shack to The Palm Steakhouse. You’ll find an American Express Centurion Lounge and a Chase Sapphire Lounge in addition to several Delta SkyClubs and a Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, not to mention other SkyTeam airline lounges.
But walk down the B gates, and things get more sparse. Gone are the Shake Shack, replaced by Auntie Annie’s and a Dunkin’. Then you’ll get to Gate 41.
You have to go down a set of escalators to reach the next set of gates. There’s not much here besides what looks like a pop-up shop selling water and snacks.
But you’re not there yet. It’s another floor down before getting to the end of the line. Gates B53-55
Unfortunately, this is where Delta often operates flights to Orlando. I’m not sure if they intend to isolate families with young children from the rest of the airport passengers, but the low ceilings and fluorescent lighting make it an unwelcoming place. With three gates in a small area and flights often leaving at the same time, the area is loud, confusing, and uncomfortable.
I don’t know why airlines tend to put the Orlando flights at the furthest gate from the main part of the terminal. However, there’s nothing we can do about it but shake our heads and accept it. It does make us appreciate when we fly from an airport where it’s a short walk to the gate.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
