Hey neighbor: American Airlines and British Airways move in together at JFK Terminal 8

American Airlines and British Airways are set to become "roommates" as their CEOs called it, moving into the same terminal at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport for the first time, beginning Thursday. The two carriers are among the closest partners in the transatlantic market, with passengers often connecting between them on multi-leg international trips. Taken together, AA and BA operate nearly hourly service between JFK and London throughout much of every day. Executives and elected officials say the move, which is part of a larger overhaul at JFK, will make things easier for customers of both airlines and many of their partners as well. American Airlines and British Airways jointly invested $400m to expand JFK Terminal 8 and make this co-location possible. According to American CEO Robert Isom, the changes are all about improving the customer experience. Both airlines want to "ensure that we can offer a seamless service for customers who want to transit through JFK to anywhere in the world," he said during a ribbon-cutting event for the redeveloped terminal on Tuesday. Bringing the airlines together under one roof, he said, will result in "reduced connection times, faster security screenings and enhanced, personalized, seamless travel experience overall." British Airways has been using Terminal 7 at JFK since 1970. BA and AA have been partners through the oneworld alliance since 1999 and joint venture partners since 2010. These close ties have given passengers more connecting itinerary options at their hubs, but separate terminals at JFK have also meant that their customers have always needed to change buildings and go through security again to make connections between the two. That particular headache will soon be alleviated.<br/>