New arrival and departure hall at LaGuardia Airport opens Saturday

Pix11, Greg Mocker, 6.10.20

Passengers will check in and pick up baggage in a brand new area at LaGuardia Airport in Queens.

For the past four years, crews have been building a new LaGuardia around the current airport.

The new hall is part of the new Terminal B which opened gates and concourses in October 2019. New restaurants and retail will also open this weekend. Ground transportation, including ride-hail and taxis, is also available at the new location.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the city’s airports, hosted a ribbon cutting Wednesday. It is being built through a public-private partnership.

Big projects are important to creating jobs, especially in the current economic situation, says Carlo Scissura with the New York Building Congress.

“This spurs a whole a new generation. When things are down you don’t go back you build, build, build,” he said.

Getting to and from LaGuardia has always been part of the airport’s story. Gov. Cuomo and Port Authority are advocating for an air train that would travel along Grand Concourse and Flushing Bay.

Cuomo said a dedicated bus route would not ease congestion.

“It can take you an hour easily to get to New York City, hence an AirTrain,” he said.

Some neighbors have organized to oppose it, including James Carriero and the Ditmars Boulevard Block Association.

“It has nothing to do with an easier trip to the airport. You still have to take the 7 or Long Island Rail Road,” he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing the environmental impact of the AirTrain. The price tag is currently about $2 billion.

Construction of another new terminal for Delta will last about another year and a half.

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