(FORTUNE Magazine) – There is no better cure for the travel bug than New York City's John F. Kennedy Airport. Just two hours in limbo at JFK--coming or going--will sap the wanderlust of the hardiest jet setter. And the airlines have been suffering (for once!) right along with their passengers.

Well, no more: May 14 will mark the unveiling of JFK's first new terminal in 25 years. The idea began in 1989, when Air France, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, and Lufthansa took matters in their own hands. Fed up with JFK's crumbling facility and dissatisfied with existing plans to renovate it ("Like trying to make a virgin out of a grandmother," says Lufthansa's Dieter Bergt), the carriers formed an unprecedented partnership to build their own terminal.

FORTUNE got an exclusive peek at the $435 million, glass-skinned Terminal One. It's filled with skylights; there will be civilized clusters of tables and chairs; and a wine bar, brew pub, and sushi bar overlook Manhattan and Jamaica Bay. Even immigration will be bathed in natural light. Just one problem--you'll have to leave the terminal eventually. Maybe the partners can take on the taxi commission next.

--Anne Faircloth