NEW LAGUARDIA TERMINAL B
OPENS FOR BUSINESS
Governor Andrew Cuomo officially cut the ribbon for the new Terminal B of LaGuardia Airport. Cutting with him are (l-r) Jane Garvey, Chairman of the Board, LaGuardia
Gateway Partners, Cuomo and Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. Photo by Todd Maisel
BY TODD MAISEL
“We didn’t build it for now,
we built it for the future,” said
Governor Andrew Cuomo
while cutting the ribbon this
afternoon on the new spacious
Terminal B, part of the $8 billion
dollar facelift of LaGuardia
Airport in Queens.
The airport was once famously
called that “of a thirdworld
nation” by then-Vice
President Joe Biden, and
Governor Cuomo said he was
correct.
The dark and winding corridors
of the airport, built in
the 1950s, was cramped and
antiquated, he said. But the
rebuild was said by many
to be impossible and even
implausible, he noted.
“We needed to see possibility,
we needed New York to
stand up and shine, we needed
to remember how great a
place this is,” Cuomo said as
he inaugurated the shining
terminal.
“We’ve gone through a
rough 101 days,” Cuomo said,
referring to the virtual shutdown
of the airline industry
due to COVID-19, “but you
ain’t seen nothing yet.”
The opening of Terminal
B followed the much-vaunted
completion of Delta’s new concourse
and gates in October of
2019. The new terminal is not
only of sleek design and aesthetics
but features advanced
security protocols in a massive
modern bag screening
area to protect against terrorism
and new precautions to
stop the spread of COVID-19
that had shut down most of
the airline industry for the
past 100 days.
The terminal also features
world-class concessions include
New York Favorites
Brooklyn Diner, Junior’s
Cheesecake, Hill Country
BBQ, Think Coffee, Eli’s Essentials
with Offerings from
Eli Zabar and new Mulberry
Street Restaurant by Chef
Marc Forgione.
Some of the permanent artworks
are by world-renowned
artists Jeppe Hein, Sabine
Hornig, Laura Owens and Sarah
Sze. The main concourse is
also adorned with tile work
that depicts various parts
of New York City including
Stonewall, Grand Central and
the Cyclone Roller Coaster of
Coney Island.
The LaGuardia rebuild will
comprise 2.7 million square
TIMESLEDGER | 16 QNS.COM | JUNE 19-25, 2020
feet; 72 new gates across six
concourses; two expansive
terminal arrivals and departure
halls connected by a central
hall and a planned Air-
Train; and 13.7 miles of new
roadway network that winds
from the Grand Central Parkway
and the adjoining 92nd
Street.
The 850,000-square-foot
Terminal B includes a fourstory
arrivals and departures
hall. There are numerous local
concessions, large, modern
restrooms and a New York-inspired
shopping district.
Rick Cotton, executive director
of the Port Authority
of New York and New Jersey,
led members of the media on
a tour of the facility, taking
pride in its design and functionality.
He showed off a roof
deck that will sport a restaurant
and lounge. He marveled
at a fountain in the middle of
the course, the water shooting
outshined in multi-colors.
And he toured the skybridge
that leads to gates, where
planes will taxi beneath it in
a wondrous spectacle.
“The opening of the first
new arrivals and departure
hall is a major milestone in
delivering on Governor Cuomo’s
vision for a brand-new,
world-class, 21st-century La-
Guardia Airport that the region
deserves,” said Cotton,
complimenting construction
crews for finishing on budget
and on time. “Today’s opening
should be a shining symbol
of the region’s potential for
a strong economic recovery
with the vitality of New York
before COVID-19.”
“This is the first new airport
built in 25 years in America,
just think of that,” Cuomo
noted. “The last one built was
in Denver in 1995. This nation
hasn’t figured out how to
build an airport. People would
say, ‘It’s too big, too complicated,
too confusing,’ so we just
didn’t do it. Meanwhile countries
around the world did
it. You fly into other nations
airports with entertainment,
business center and then you
fly into our airports and it
was so apparent how other nations
were outpacing us. Who
is going to lead — New York
and that is what LaGuardia
Airport is all about.”
There was nothing easy
about this construction either,
Cuomo remarked, “We had to
build a new airport while operating
the old airport. You
know how many people said
it couldn’t be done – dozens.
You who said it could be done?
LaGuardia Partners and Rick
Cotton.”
The new Terminal B will
open to the public on Saturday,
June 13, and serve American
Airlines, United Airlines,
Southwest Airlines and Air
Canada. By virtue of its size,
the terminal presents greater
opportunities to move passengers
more safely and efficiently
with improved distancing
during and after the COVID-
19 pandemic, including
more space for check-in, security
and baggage claim, along
with new innovations in contactless
technology and an increased
focus on cleanliness
and disinfection.
Overall, the LaGuardia
project is expected to generate
$10 billion in economic
activity and $2.5 billion in
wages over the life of the project,
Cuomo said. In addition,
the airport will support up to
7,000 jobs, with most of those
coming from surrounding
communities, he added.
The landmarked American
Airline terminal, dating back
to 1939, will remain and be restored,
officials say.
/QNS.COM
