Getting through Newark Liberty International Airport can still be a test of patience. Getting through its website, apparently, is not.
Thanks to AI.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s four commercial airport websites — Newark Liberty, Kennedy LaGuardia and (little known in New Jersey) Stewart International in New York — won the 2026 Airports Council International-North America award for best airport websites in the U.S. and Canada.
The award came just months after the Port Authority launched all-new sites for the four airports. Judges looked at design, communications, accessibility and navigation. Best website was one of 20 categories, which drew nearly 500 entries in total, according to ACI-NA.
The headline feature: each site has its own AI assistant.
That’s one assistant per airport, and it only knows about that airport.
According to the Port Authority, the assistants were built and trained by its own staff, people who know how each airport actually runs, and draw from a curated knowledge base kept up by subject matter experts. They continuously pull live data, including flight information and wait times, and draw from verified sources such as the Port Authority’s corporate site, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the TSA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the CLEAR program and concessions listings.
The Port Authority says its sites are among the first airport websites in the country to feature purpose-built AI assistants.
The rest of the redesign was built on customer feedback, industry best practices and usage data from the old sites. The goal was to make it easy for travelers who don’t know the airport to find real-time travel information, security and customs wait times, parking availability, amenities and customizable lists of places to eat and shop.
The larger airports also have experience planners that make recommendations based on what a traveler shares. Mention a specific type of mobility assistance and the planner will map out an accessible route. Mention you’re traveling with young children and it will point you to family-friendly spaces.
Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia said the online experience is part of the same push that’s remaking the airports themselves.
“Travel can be a chaotic experience, and our airports should not add to that stress,” she said. “Our airport websites make trip planning easier.”
Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole credited the staff who took on the job at four airports at once.
“We work hard for our airport users, who are some of the most discerning travelers in the nation,” he said.
