LA GUARDIA AIRPORT:
RESPECTIVE HISTORY, TERMINALS & AIRLINES

Contact LGA • (718) 533-3400

LaGuardia has a long and storied history. The airport site was first occupied by the Gala Amusement Park, a popular destination owned by the Steinway family. In 1929, the park was transformed into a 105-acre private flying field and first named Glenn H. Curtiss Airport after aviation pioneer Glenn H. Curtiss, and then re-named North Beach Airport.

In 1937, New York City took over the airport and enlarged the grounds with the purchase of adjoining land and by filling in 357 acres of waterfront along the east side. In 1939, it re-opened with a new name, New York Municipal Airport-LaGuardia Field. The airport was leased to the Port Authority in 1947.

Today, LaGuardia Airport is one of the busiest in the nation, handling more than 23 million passengers in 2008.

FACTS & INFORMATION

Operated by the Port Authority

LaGuardia has been operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, under a lease with the City of New York, since June 1, 1947. In 2004, the Port Authority and the City of New York concluded an agreement that ensures the agency's continued operation of LaGuardia and JFK International through 2050.

Location

LaGuardia is located in the borough of Queens, New York City, bordering on Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay. The airport is 8 miles from midtown Manhattan.


Size

LaGuardia consists of 680 acres and has about 72 aircraft gates.

Investment

LaGuardia was originally constructed by the city of New York at a cost of $40 million. The Port Authority's total capital investment in the airport is more than $1.4 billion.

Employment and Economic Impact

LaGuardia contributes nearly $11 billion in economic activity to the New York-New Jersey metropolitan region, generating about 100,000 jobs and $4 billion in annual wages and salaries. Nearly 8,000 people are employed at the airport.

Terminals

LaGuardia has four main terminals.

• Central Terminal Building
  Central Terminal Building (CTB) was dedicated on April 17, 1964. This terminal serves most of the airport's scheduled domestic airlines. It is 1,300 feet long and 180 feet wide, with approximately 750,000 square feet of floor space. Originally constructed at a cost of $36 million, the six-block-long terminal consists of a four-story central section, two three-story wings and four concourses that can accommodate up to 40 aircraft gate positions.
  
  
  
• US Airways Terminal
  US Airways' $200 million terminal opened in September 1992.
  This 12-gate terminal is connected to the airline's Shuttle Terminal and features approximately 300,000 square feet of floor space and a food and retail concessions court. The US Airways Shuttle Terminal serves passengers hourly with shuttle flights to Boston and Washington, D.C.
  
  
  
• Delta Air Lines Terminal
  Delta Air Lines Terminal was constructed by Delta Air Lines at the east end of the airport. The terminal opened in June 1983. It has 11 aircraft gate positions.
  
  
  
• Marine Air Terminal/Terminal A
  Once called the Overseas Terminal, and then the Marine Air Terminal, Terminal A was the original airport terminal building, serving international flights on flying boats through the 1940s. In 1995, the Marine Air Terminal was designated a historic landmark. On September 1, 1991, Delta began shuttle operations to Boston and Washington, D.C. The terminal also houses a private weather service.
  

Parking

The airport provides a total of more than 11,000 parking spaces. This includes employee parking and approximately 9,600 public spaces.

Runways

There are two main runways, 4-22 and 13-31. Each is 7,000 feet long by 150 feet wide. In a $40 million project completed in 1967 by the Port Authority, both runways were extended over water to their present length and width. The runways have high-intensity runway edge lighting, centerline and taxiway exit lighting. Runways are grooved to improve skid resistance and minimize hydroplaning.



LAGUARDIA AIRPORT STATISTICS OVER THE YEARS

AIRPORT TERMINALS

Terminal A
Delta Terminal

Terminal B
Central Terminal Building

Terminal C
US Airways Terminal

Terminal D
Delta Terminal



Legend for all terminal maps.

PHOTO HISTORY



The site was once the Gala Amusement Park at North Beach. It was transformed in 1929 into a 105-acre airfield that was enlarged with the assistance of the federal Works Progress Administration and New York City.

The airport facility opened on October 15, 1939 and was officially called New York City Municipal Airport. It was personally supervised by New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia to make certain that the new terminal and hangers met his standards. The airport was renamed LaGuardia Airport by the Port Authority in 1947.

On June 1, 1947 the Port Authority leased LaGuardia and began to redevelop the airport, built a new terminal and new control tower to expand the airport's capacity. In 2004, the Port Authority and the City of New York concluded an agreement that ensures the agency's continued operation of LaGuardia and JFK International through 2050.

The skywalk observation deck at LaGuardia was a popular attraction. By 1947 more than a million people a year came to see the facility.

People await flights in the Central Terminal Building passenger waiting area, 1948.

In this 1949 Daily Mirror photo, the media as well as fans welcomed the Brooklyn Dodgers back from a triumph over St. Louis.

A reconstruction and improvement program begun in 1957 included a much larger, three-story terminal building out of which the six major airlines service LaGuardia would operate, along with a new control tower, a new southeast—northeast runway, a two-level terminal roadway, and an enlarged parking area next to the new terminal.

Officially dedicated in 1964, at left is the "new" LaGuardia Airport with its $36 million dollar upgrade. The design of the Terminal served by a bi-level roadway provides for the separation of arriving and departing passengers.

The Port Authority and the FAA are currently working to replace LGA's current tower. The new tower is expected to open in late 2010.

LaGuardia Airport has been an icon in New York for 70 years and the Port Authority is proud to be its steward. It has served as a gateway for more than 23 million travelers last year and is a vital engine for the region's economy. The future of LaGuardia is bright, and we are doing our part to make the strategic investments needed to maintain it for years to come.



AIRLINES

More than 20 airlines operate out of LaGuardia. The following is a comprehensive listing on the best way to contact them. Please note that the following phone numbers are based on the most current information available. Please confirm terminals with your airline.

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