Laguardia’s Big Upgrade
Many travelers would agree that one of the worst airports to deal with is Laguardia. It’s always busy and crowded and frankly, just not that traveler friendly. Fortunately, it’s getting an $8 billion makeover.
The Problems
Laguardia is the smallest airport in the area despite that fact that it is the preferred airport of many travelers because of its close vicinity to Manhattan. Currently, it’s only designed to accommodate 8 million travelers, but receives 28 million travelers each year. This means that about ⅓ of its flights are delayed. It only currently has two short runways, and on some days only one of the runways is open because of weather conditions.
What’s Coming
While the renovations won’t be completed in their entirety until 2021, by the end of next year it will open it’s first new gates. Travelers will be able to enjoy high ceilings and natural light which will make the airport not feel so claustrophobic. There will also be pedestrian bridges and a lot more lounge space. Passengers will go to their gates by walking above airplanes. The distant from the gate to the curb will only be around 300 feet on average so there will be a lot less walking. By 2022, travelers can enjoy easier access from the airport to the Long Island Rail Road and the city’s subway systems thanks to a new AirTrain. Terminal B will be completely overhauled and unrecognizable once it’s completed. Travelers will also enjoy a major food overhaul. While there will still be plenty of fast food options, there will also be more sit down dining choices that will make travelers actually want to eat at the airport. The upgrades at the airport don’t just concern the inside of it. One of the biggest annoyances is the parking. There are just too many cars on any given day and not enough spots. The airport will add 3,000 new park spots which will hopefully alleviate some of the parking issues that travelers parking at the airport often have.
As you can see, this upgrade is desperately needed and will hopefully alleviate some of the headache of having to travel to and from this airport. The renovations will be completed in a couple of phases. At the new Terminal B, half of the gates will be open in 2018 while the other sets of gates will open in 2020 and 2021. The main terminal area is set to open in 2020.
