A Boeing 737 taxis to a ramp. [Credit: Jeff Bough Photo/ file photo]
Key Takeaways:
What appears to be an additional terminal at Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport (KOKC) is actually the Federal Transfer Center, a prison operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Opened in 1995, this facility functions as a central hub for the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS).
JPATS is a federal program that transports inmates across the country by air, with the Federal Transfer Center primarily serving as a layover point for prisoners in transit.
Described as the "only government-operated, regularly scheduled passenger airline," JPATS transported over 97,000 inmates in 2024.
When we think of lackluster airport terminals, the old LaGuardia (KLGA) concourses might come to mind. Perhaps the “temporary” Concourse C and D at Washington’s Dulles International Airport (KIAD) also tops the list.
But one terminal is probably unanimously disliked, and few will ever see it.
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Ryan is Group President of Firecrown Media’s Aviation Group, overseeing a portfolio that includes FLYING, AirlineGeeks, AVweb, Plane + Pilot, KITPLANES, and AircraftForSale.com. He founded AirlineGeeks.com in February 2013 and has more than a decade of experience across aviation media, airport operations, airline workforce planning, and Part 135 regulatory compliance. His experience ranges from time behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing aviation industry executives. Ryan holds a B.S. in Air Transportation Management and an MBA from Arizona State University and is an adjunct instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
