LaGuardia Airport

LaGuardia Airport
FAA airport diagram
IATA: LGA ICAO: KLGA FAA LID: LGA
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of New York
Operator	Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Serves	New York City
Location	Flushing, New York
Elevation AMSL	21 ft / 6 m
Coordinates	40°46′38″N 073°52′21″W
Website	www.laguardiaairport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 4/22 7,001 2,134 Asphalt/Concrete 13/31 7,003 2,135 Asphalt/Concrete
Helipads
Number Length Surface ft m H1 60 18 Asphalt H2 60 18 Asphalt
Source: Federal Aviation Administration

LaGuardia Airport (IATA: LGA, ICAO: KLGA, FAA LID: LGA) is an airport serving New York City, New York, United States, located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst in the borough of Queens. The airport was originally named Glenn H. Curtiss Airport after aviation pioneer Glenn Hammond Curtiss then renamed North Beach Airport, then later named for Fiorello LaGuardia, a former mayor of New York. In 1960, it was voted the "greatest airport in the world" by the worldwide aviation community. "LaGuardia Airport" is the official name of the airport according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the facility.

LaGuardia is the smallest of the New York metropolitan area's three primary commercial airports, the other two of which are John F. Kennedy International Airport in southern Queens and Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey. It is larger however than nearby alternative airports Long Island MacArthur Airport in Suffolk County, Westchester County Airport in Westchester County, and to a lesser extent, Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, New York. LaGuardia is popular due to its central location and proximity to Manhattan. In spite of the airport's small size, wide-body aircraft once visited regularly; the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed L-1011 were even specifically designed for use at LaGuardia. From 2000-2005 Delta operated the 767-400 with 285 seats. Today, there are no scheduled widebody flights, though occasionally Delta rotates a Boeing 767-300 in for one of its many Atlanta flights. The airport serves as a focus city for Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and US Airways.

Most flights from LaGuardia go to destinations within the US and Canada, as well as service to Aruba, the Bahamas and Bermuda. The airport has INS/FIS facilities capable of processing customs and immigration on arriving international flights; the facilities are insufficient to handle efficiently the number of passengers that a non-precleared scheduled airline service would require. LaGuardia is the busiest airport in the US without any non-stop service to and from Europe.

A perimeter rule prohibits incoming and outgoing flights that exceed 1,500 miles (2,400 km)—except on Saturdays, when the ban is lifted, and to Denver, which was grandfathered in — so most transcontinental and international flights use the area's other two major airports, JFK and Newark.

In 2005, the airport handled 26 million passengers; JFK handled about 41 million and Newark handled about 33 million, making for a total of approximately 100 million travelers using New York's airports.

History

Construction

The three major airports serving New York City:
 1) JFK International (JFK)
 2) LaGuardia (LGA)
 3) Newark Liberty International (EWR)
 ☆ Floyd Bennett Field (1931–72)

The initiative to develop the airport began with a verbal outburst by New York mayor Fiorello LaGuardia (in office from 1934 to 1945) upon the arrival of his TWA flight at Newark — the only commercial airport serving the New York City region at the time — as his ticket said "New York". He demanded to be taken to New York, and ordered the plane to be flown to Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field, giving an impromptu press conference to reporters along the way. At that time, he urged New Yorkers to support a new airport within their city.

American Airlines accepted LaGuardia's offer to start a pilot program of scheduled flights to Floyd Bennett, although the program failed after several months because of Newark's relative proximity to Manhattan (LaGuardia went as far as to offer police escorts to airport limousines, in an attempt to get American to stay).

During the Floyd Bennett experiment, LaGuardia and American executives began an alternative plan to build a new airport in Queens, where it could take advantage of the new Queens-Midtown Tunnel to Manhattan. This was the site eventually chosen for the new airport. Building on the site required moving landfill from Rikers Island, then a garbage dump, onto a metal reinforcing framework. The framework below the airport still causes magnetic interference on the compasses of outgoing aircraft: signs on the airfield warn pilots about the problem.

It cost New York City $23 million to turn the tiny North Beach Airport into a 550-acre modern facility. Newark Airport began renovations, but could not keep up with the new Queens airport, which Time called, "the most pretentious land and seaplane base in the world." Even before the project was completed, LaGuardia had won commitments from the 5 largest airlines (Pan American Airways, American. United, Eastern Air Lines and Transcontinental & Western Air) that they would begin using the new field as soon as it opened.

The airport was dedicated on October 15, 1939, as the New York Municipal Airport, and opened for business on that December 2.[2] Newspaper accounts alternately referred to the airfield as New York Municipal Airport and La Guadia Field until the modern name was officially applied when the airport moved to Port of New York Authority control under a lease with New York City on June 1, 1947.[3]

Because of American's pivotal role in the development of the airport, LaGuardia gave the airline extra real estate during the airport's first year of operation, including four hangars (an unprecedented amount of space at the time) and a large office space that would be turned into the world's first airline lounge, the LaGuardia Admirals Club.

Later development

LaGuardia Airport view from an airplane

Although LaGuardia was a very large airport for the era in which it was built, it soon became too small for the amount of air traffic it had to handle. Starting in 1968, general aviation aircraft were charged heavy fees to operate from LaGuardia during peak hours, driving many GA operators to airports such as Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, New Jersey. In 1984, to further combat overcrowding at LGA, the Port Authority instituted a "perimeter rule" banning flights from LaGuardia to cities more than 1,500 miles away (Western Airlines unsuccessfully challenged the rule in federal court). Later, the Port Authority also moved to connect JFK and Newark Airport to regional rail networks with the AirTrain Newark and AirTrain JFK, in an attempt to make these more distant airports competitive with LaGuardia. [4] In addition to these local regulations, the FAA also limited the number of flights and types of aircraft that could operate at LaGuardia (see 14 CFR § 193).

LaGuardia's traffic continued to grow. By 2000, the airport routinely experienced overcrowding-related delays, many of which were more than an hour long. That year, Congress passed legislation to revoke the federal traffic limits on LaGuardia by 2007. The reduced demand for air travel following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City quickly slowed LaGuardia's traffic growth, helping to mitigate the airport's delays. Ongoing Port Authority investments to renovate the Central Terminal Building and improve the airfield layout have also made the airport's operations more efficient in recent years.

Planes taking off from LaGuardia often fly directly over nearby Shea Stadium, causing disruptions at New York Mets games.

In late 2006, construction began to replace the current tower, built in 1962, with a more modern one.

Accidents and incidents

• On February 1, 1957, Northeast Airlines Flight 823 crashed on takeoff into Rikers Island. Of 101 people aboard, 21 were killed.

• On February 3, 1959, American Airlines Flight 320 crashed on approach into the East River. Of 73 people aboard, 65 were killed.

• On December 29, 1975, a bomb exploded at LaGuardia, killing 11 people and injuring 74.

• On September 21, 1989, USAir Flight 5050 bound for Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, crashed after aborting takeoff and rolling off the end of the runway into the East River. The plane broke into three pieces, and three passengers died as a result.

• On March 22, 1992, USAir Flight 405 bound for Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland, Ohio, crashed on takeoff at LaGuardia due to icing on its wings. Of 51 people aboard, 27 were killed.

• On March 2, 1994, Continental Airlines Flight 705 to Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, aborted takeoff in a snowstorm and skidded down the runway into a ditch.

Over the years, these incidents have led to discussions on whether or not LaGuardia's 7,000-foot runways are adequate to handle large passenger aircraft. There are several commercial airports in the U.S. with shorter runways (Chicago Midway and Bob Hope Airport, for example).

Airlines and Terminals

LaGuardia has four terminals connected by buses and walkways.

Central Terminal Building (CTB)

The Central Terminal Building (CTB) serves most of LaGuardia's domestic airlines. It is six blocks long, consisting of a four-story central section, two three-story wings and four concourses (A, B, C, and D) with 38 aircraft gates. It was dedicated on April 17, 1964, and cost $36 million. Delta and US Airways left the CTB in 1983 and 1992 respectively to their own dedicated terminals on the east side of the airport. The Port Authority and various airlines have carried out a $340 million improvement project in the 1990s and early 2000s to expand and renovate the existing space. [5]

Concourse A

• Air Canada (Montréal, Toronto-Pearson)
  • Air Canada Jazz (Halifax, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto-Pearson)
• Continental Airlines (Aruba, Cleveland, Houston-Intercontinental)
  • Continental Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines (Cleveland)
  • Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines (Cleveland)
• JetBlue Airways (Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, West Palm Beach)

Concourse B

• AirTran Airways (Akron/Canton, Atlanta, Daytona Beach [ends May 5], Milwaukee [begins May 6], Newport News/Williamsburg, Orlando, Tampa [ends May 5])
• Frontier Airlines (Denver)
• JetBlue Airways (See Concourse A)
• Midwest Airlines (Kansas City, Milwaukee)
• Spirit Airlines (Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Myrtle Beach)

Concourse C

• American Airlines (Atlanta, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Eagle/Vail [seasonal], Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, Raleigh/Durham, St. Louis, Tampa, Toronto-Pearson, West Palm Beach)
  • American Eagle (Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Cleveland, Columbus, Des Moines, Detroit, Fayetteville (AR), Flint, Halifax, Louisville, Madison, Memphis, Montréal, Pittsburgh, Raleigh/Durham, Traverse City [seasonal], Toronto-Pearson, Washington-Reagan)
• United Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, Washington-Dulles)
  • United Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines (Washington-Dulles)
  • United Express operated by Mesa Airlines (Washington-Dulles)

Concourse D

• American Airlines (see Concourse C)
  • American Eagle (see Concourse C)

Delta Terminal

The Delta Flight Center opened on June 18, 1983, at a cost of approximately $90 million. It was designed to accommodate Delta's new Boeing 767 and Boeing 757 aircraft.

• Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, Bermuda [seasonal], Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Fort Lauderdale, Hayden/Steamboat Springs [seasonal], Nassau, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach)
  • Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines (Columbia (SC), Jackson (MS))
  • Delta Connection operated by Chautauqua Airlines (Birmingham (AL), Columbus)
  • Delta Connection operated by Comair (Charleston (SC), Charlotte, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Columbus, Daytona Beach [ends April 30], Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, Greenville/Spartanburg (SC), Huntsville, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Lexington, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Savannah/Hilton Head Island (SC))
  • Delta Connection operated by Shuttle America (Charleston (SC), Melbourne (FL) [begins February 16, ends April 28])
• Northwest Airlines (Detroit, Indianapolis, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul)
  • Northwest Airlink operated by Pinnacle Airlines (Des Moines, Flint, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Madison)

Marine Air Terminal in 1974

Marine Air Terminal

Main article: Marine Air Terminal

The Marine Air Terminal (MAT) was the airport's original overseas or international terminal. It is so named because it once served the flying boats of Pan American Airways, America's airline to the world in international travel during the 1930s and 1940s. Pan American later used the terminal for its shuttle service.

The terminal is home of the largest mural created during the Roosevelt era Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Arts Program. Created by New York artist James Brooks, the mural titled "Flight" encircles the upper rotunda walls, telling the story of man's conquest of the heavens through 1942 when the work was completed. During the 1950s, many WPA artists were thought to be in collusion or supporting communists. Several works of art were destroyed that had been created for Post Offices and other public facilities. "Flight" was completely painted over with wall paint by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and it remained hidden until 1975. At that point a campaign was mounted to restore the mural by Geoffrey Arend an aviation historian and author of several airport history books including Great Airports LaGuardia. Mr. Arend spent $7000.00 of his own money to build a display of what the mural once looked like inside the MAT. With the help of artist Brooks and the cooperation and support of LaGuardia Airport manager Tim Peirce, it was discovered that Brooks having sealed his mural against the elements of nearby Bowery Bay (where the Pan Am flying boats operated), had also created a protective layer against the overpaint.

With $80,000 in funds donated by Readers Digest founder DeWitt Wallace and Laurance Rockefeller, "Flight "was restored by conservator Alan Farancz in a year-long effort. Today the 237 foot circular 12 foot high mural is part of a restored and properly designated landmark Marine Air Terminal.

• Delta Air Lines
  • Delta Connection operated by Shuttle America (Chicago-Midway, Washington-Reagan)
  • Delta Shuttle operated by Delta Air Lines (Boston, Washington-Reagan)

US Airways Terminal

The 300,000 square foot US Airways Terminal was opened September 12, 1992, at a cost of $250 million. The original tenant was intended to be Eastern Airlines. Trump Shuttle later occupied the terminal before selling the gate leases to US Airways. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says that the terminal handles approximately 50% of regional airliner traffic at LaGuardia. [6]

• US Airways (Aruba [seasonal], Charlotte, Freeport [seasonal], Nassau [seasonal], Pittsburgh, St. Thomas)
  • US Airways Express operated by Air Wisconsin (Baltimore/Washington, Bangor, Buffalo, Charleston (SC), Charlotte, Columbus, Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, Greenville/Spartanburg (SC), Indianapolis, Louisville, Myrtle Beach, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland (ME), Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Rochester (NY), Savannah/Hilton Head Island (SC), Syracuse, Wilmington (NC))
  • US Airways Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines (Charleston (SC), Charlotte, Dayton, Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, Greenville/Spartanburg (SC), Louisville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland (ME), Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Savannah/Hilton Head Island (SC), Wilmington (NC))
  • US Airways Express operated by Colgan Air (Albany (NY), Charlottesville, Harrisburg, Hyannis, Ithaca, Lebanon, Manchester (NH), Martha's Vineyard [seasonal], Nantucket, Norfolk, Providence, Syracuse)
  • US Airways Express operated by Piedmont Airlines (Balitmore/Washington, Buffalo, Burlington (VT), Manchester (NH), Norfolk, Philadelphia, Portland (ME), Roanoke, Rochester (NY), Syracuse)
  • US Airways Express operated by PSA Airlines (Charlotte, Dayton, Philadelphia)
  • US Airways Express operated by Republic Airlines (Buffalo)
  • US Airways Express operated by Trans States Airlines (Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem)
  • US Airways Shuttle operated by US Airways (Boston, Washington-Reagan)

Ground Transportation

Bus

Several city bus lines link LGA to the New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road, with free transfers provided for subway connections. The buses are handicapped accessible. These are operated by MTA New York City Transit and MTA Bus Company:

• M60 (All terminals)
• Q33 (All except Marine Air Terminal)
• Q48 (All terminals)
• Q72 (Central Terminal only)
• Q47 (Marine Air Terminal only)

There are also many private bus lines operating express buses to Manhattan, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island.

Taxi

Taxicabs serving the Airport are licensed by New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission. The fares within New York City are metered. Uniformed Taxi Dispatchers are available to assist passengers before they start the rides.

Limousine

New York City's limousine services, which are licensed by NYCTLC New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission, offer various rates ranging from $40 - $150 from LGA airport to Manhattan, excluding tips and tolls in a sedan or limousine. Depending on the time of day, travel from LGA to Midtown Manhattan can be as quick as 25 minutes. Limousines accommodate 2-20 passengers depending upon the size of the limo.

In popular culture

• LaGuardia Airport appears as a level in the computer game Deus Ex. The level itself takes place in a private section of LaGuardia that is owned by Juan Lebedev, a prominent member of the NSF.
• LaGuardia airport of 1939 nearly receives the landing of a Boeing 707 jetliner in the Twilight Zone episode The Odyssey of Flight 33, but then the crew sees the 1939 World's Fair site and realize they did not come forward in time far enough to be home. They do not make the landing they've been cleared for at LaGuardia.
• LaGuardia Airport is featured, and is the only airport, in the 2006 game Driver Parallel Lines. Although the player cannot enter the terminal, the runway area and a few of the parking lots are acessable. In the 1978 era there are hangers with ramps to jump off of, and in 2006 there are gates and a new entrance from the road out front, which is one-way, opposed to the two way road in 1978. The surrounding area's geography is changed to incorporate a racetrack and a Ray's Garage.

External links

• LaGuardia Airport (official site)
• LGA Airport Monitor (from Passur.com)
• Transportation Methods for Getting to LaGuardia Airport
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective May 16, 2024
• Template:PDFlink

• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KLGA
  • ASN accident history for LGA
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KLGA
  • FAA current LGA delay information