JFK - spotting in the terminals?

This is probably a dumb question, but I was in that big LIRR shutdown on 2/3 and ended up taking the AirTrain out to JFK from Jamaica just to get home a little faster (and I did! About 2 hours before they started up the trains again). I decided to hit up terminal 4 because I've never been there and have always wanted to visit since it opened. I ended up just wandering around the whole terminal, which is not something I thought you could do at all anymore without a ticket.

It then occurred to me that there have to be all sorts of little areas within JFK itself that you could still do some prime spotting from. I saw several little areas in T4 that appeared to look out onto the tarmac, although nothing was there to take photos of at the time I was there. It looked like at least some of the AirTrain stations also overlook the runways and would be prime spots for seeing takeoffs and landings.

Is it just "The Man" that's keeping people from spotting directly from JFK itself? Couldn't you just say you're out there to meet an arriving passenger and thought you'd snap a few photos in the meantime? Are there actual rules for taking photos on the JFK grounds itself? (I can't see how they could possibly enforce that; there's gotta be all sorts of tourists taking photos at the airport all the time.)

I know last time we flew out of T1 on JAL, I got some great shots of our plane from there. We did need to be ticketed to get to the gates but nobody said anything to me when I was taking photos, and I wasn't the only one.

I'm just wondering why everybody seems to go through this hassle with the Nassau and NYPD cops when it seems like you could take photos right at the airport. What am I missing?

Well I thought this would have gotten a few replies, but since not I'll take a stab.

"Prime" spotting locations in terminals to see planes? Why not. Prime spotting locations in terminals to take photos? Not really.

Here's why. Spotting in terminal means you're shooting through glass. Glass can be dirty, tinted (T4, AA's new terminal), and reflect terminal objects like lights. Spotting at the places on the NYC Aviation map are in the free air, so picture quality is better. Plus, you can see much more out by the runway than at a terminal (or even terminals). Many like air shots better than ground shots.

Most of the terminals that do offer decent viewing locations are post-security, so you'll need a ticket (or a way of getting past security). You may want to see this recent thread about some in-terminal photo ops: http://nycaviation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=268

The AirTrain provides nice overview shots of the terminals, but again you're shotting through glass. Except for maybe gate A3 or A5 at T4 and Gate 1 at T7, most views of planes are at angles. Every now and then you may get lucky seeing something taxi or take off while you're in a good viewing position, but with a moving train, you're at its mercy. Now if the AirTrain was a pedestrian walkway (with holes on the side for us to take photos?) we would be in business. :lol:

Regarding "rules" for photography at JFK, I'm not sure what the definite rule is if you're in a terminal. T4, because it's owned by a private company, can ban photography as it pleases. Because the rest of the terminals are affiliated with the Port Authority, it would depend what the PA's rule is and if they could even limit that right depending if the terminals are "public property".

Of the past seven times I've been out at JFK, I only had a visit from the police (Nassau County) once, and they were very nice and had no problem. Luckily, the horror stories and hassles you read about are the exception and not the norm.

Overall, if you have a flight and have time to do some in-terminal spotting, it's a nice change of location and gives different shots, but the other non-terminal spots take the cake.

-Will

There *are* quite a few passengers snapping shots here and there at T4 and elsewhere.

It helps a bit when they're relatively close in gate shots not to pull out a long lens which tends to attract more attention.

Port Authority seems to have a defacto "don't ask/don't tell" policy.... but its been a long time since I've heard anything along the lines of "oh, taking pictures, thats fine, Have a nice day" with any consistency.

Tom