When we think of lackluster airport terminals, the old LaGuardia concourses might come to mind. Perhaps the “temporary” Concourse C and D at Washington’s Dulles airport also tops the list.
But one terminal is probably unanimously disliked, and few will ever see it.
On the west side of Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport is an additional structure with jet bridges, which has the appearance of another terminal. It is detached from the airport’s main terminal building.
This facility is far from an ordinary airport terminal, though. Despite its appearance, the building – called the Federal Transfer Center – is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. And despite its airport location, it is actually a prison.
30-Year-Old Facility
The Federal Transfer Center opened in 1995 and is a hub for the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System. This federal program moves inmates throughout the country on different Boeing 737 aircraft.
According to the facility’s website, it houses nearly 1,300 inmates. In 2024, 97,413 inmates were transported by federal marshals via air travel.
The U.S. Marshals Service describes JPATS as “the only government-operated, regularly scheduled passenger airline in the nation.” These flight operations, the agency says, have more security than commercial airlines.
Many federally incarcerated inmates will see the Oklahoma City Federal Transfer Center at some point. It is mostly used as a layover point for prisoners moving from one facility to another or back to the region in which they were convicted.
