Maps of Movies
The Terminal (2004)
Where The Terminal says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
The JFK terminal where Viktor lives never existed: the customs hall came from Montréal, the terminal from a hangar in Palmdale, California.
View on the map
Scenes and places
The passport that stops being valid (2004)
Viktor lands at JFK and learns a coup has taken place in Krakozhia while he was in the air. His passport is now worthless, customs seizes it with his return ticket, and he can neither enter the US nor go home.
Set in Immigration and customs, JFK Airport — Where Viktor learns his passport is no longer valid and has it taken away. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The entry point of a very large airport, where papers decide who may pass.
Filmed at Montréal–Mirabel International Airport (Montréal–Mirabel International Airport, Mirabel, Quebec, Canada) — The customs hall was filmed at the Montréal airport, not at JFK. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Stay in the transit lounge (2004)
Frank Dixon, the airport's Acting Field Commissioner, tells Viktor to wait in the transit lounge. Dixon is up for a promotion and wants Viktor to become someone else's problem.
Set in Transit lounge, JFK Airport — The waiting area where Dixon sends Viktor until his situation is settled. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A holding space inside the terminal for travelers whose status is unresolved.
Filmed at Hangar set, LA/Palmdale Regional Airport (Air Force Plant 42) (Palmdale Regional Airport · Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, United States) — The interior of the terminal was a full working set built in an aircraft hangar. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
A gate under renovation becomes a home (2004)
Viktor finds a gate under renovation and makes it his home. Over the following months the airport's staff become his neighbors.
Set in Gate under renovation, JFK Airport — The unfinished gate Viktor turns into his living space. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A construction-closed boarding gate, away from the passenger flow.
Filmed at Hangar set, LA/Palmdale Regional Airport (Air Force Plant 42) (Palmdale Regional Airport · Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, United States) — Viktor's gate was part of the same hangar set. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Free meals and a janitor friend (2004)
Viktor keeps crossing paths with Gupta, a grumpy janitor, and slowly befriends him. Enrique, a food truck driver, feeds him in exchange for help courting an immigration officer.
Set in Shops and food court, JFK Airport — The terminal's shopping and dining area, where Viktor meets Enrique, Gupta and Joe. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The terminal's retail and food area, with the hall that gives the set its size.
Filmed at Hangar set, LA/Palmdale Regional Airport (Air Force Plant 42) (Palmdale Regional Airport · Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, United States) — The shops, food court and halls were all built inside the same hangar set. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Above the immigration desks (2004)
Viktor spends his days watching the immigration area from above, as the airport's routines and people go by.
Set in Mezzanine over the immigration area, JFK Airport — The upper level overlooking immigration and the baggage carousels. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A viewing level that looks down on arrivals and baggage claim.
Filmed at Montréal–Mirabel International Airport (Montréal–Mirabel International Airport, Mirabel, Quebec, Canada) — Filmed on the mezzanine over the immigration desks and baggage carousels at Mirabel. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The airfield and the deadline (2004)
With the war in Krakozhia over, Dixon threatens to prosecute Viktor's friends unless he goes home. Viktor agrees to return.
Set in Apron and runway side, JFK Airport — The airfield side of the airport, where the plane home waits. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The apron where aircraft are boarded and parked.
Filmed at Montréal–Mirabel International Airport (Montréal–Mirabel International Airport, Mirabel, Quebec, Canada) — The aircraft and apron scenes were filmed on the tarmac at Mirabel. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The doors to New York (2004)
Viktor decides to leave the airport. Dixon orders his officers to intercept him at the exit.
Set in Main entrance and taxi stand, JFK Airport — The terminal's front doors and taxi rank, with New York outside. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The main exit and taxi rank, where the airport ends and the city begins.
Filmed at Montréal–Mirabel International Airport (Montréal–Mirabel International Airport, Mirabel, Quebec, Canada) — The front doors were filmed at Mirabel; the Manhattan skyline reflection is digital. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The hotel where Benny Golson plays (2004)
Viktor's late father vowed to collect the autographs of the 57 musicians in the Harlem jazz photo, and only Benny Golson's is missing. Viktor came to New York to get it.
Set in Hotel where Benny Golson performs, New York City — A New York hotel; the plot does not name it.
A New York hotel where saxophonist Benny Golson is performing.
Characters
- Viktor Navorski — A traveler from Krakozhia stranded at JFK Airport when a coup invalidates his passport.
- Frank Dixon — The airport's Acting Field Commissioner, determined to get rid of Viktor.
Questions answered on the map
- Where was The Terminal really filmed, since JFK refused?
- Does the terminal from The Terminal exist?
- Which airport's doors show the New York skyline in The Terminal?