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

Year
Plane Movements
Passengers
Air Cargo (tons)
Air Mail (tons)
1949
159,465
 3,284,213
36,061
13,585
1960
191,736
2,935,613
58,313
10,557
1970
297,652
11,845,141
39,815
24,119
1980
317, 633
17,467,962
35,257
47,654
1990
356,358
22,764,604
70,792
58,033
2000
384,554
25,360,034
20,195
58,254
2001
367,871
22,519,874
16,474
43,771
2002
362,649
21,986,679
11,709
23,818
2003
374,952
22,482,770
12,333
18,981
2004
398,957
24,435,619
14,096
15,219
2005
405,175
25,889,390
16,006
10,296
2006
399,827
25,810,603
13,998
5,718
2007
391,547
24,985,264
9,595
2,087
2008
378,908
23,076,903
8,889
2,635
2009
354,048
22,142,336
6,712
1,349

 



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.

Airlines
Phone Numbers
IATA Code
Departures Termina
Arrivals Terminal
Air Canada
(888) 247-2262
AC
CTB-A
CTB-A
Air Tran Airways
(800) AIR-TRAN
FL
CTB-B
CTB-B
American Airlines
(800) 433-7300
AA
CTB-D
CTB-D
American Eagle
(800) 433-7300
AA
CTB-C
CTB-C
Colgan
(800) 428-4322
9L
USAirways
USAirways
Comair
(800) 354-9822
OH
Delta
Delta
Continental
(800) 525-0280
CO
CTB-A
CTB-A
Continental Express
(800) 525-0280
CO
CTB-A
CTB-A
Delta
(800) 221-1212
DL
Delta
Delta
Delta Connection
(800) 325-5205
DL
Delta
Delta
Delta Shuttle
(800) 325-5205
DL
Marine
Marine
Frontier Airlines
(800) 432-1FLY [359]
F9
CTB-B
CTB-B
JetBlue Airways
1-800-JETBLUE (1-800-538-2583)
If calling from the
Dominican Republic, 1-200-9898
B6
CTB - A5, B4, B5
CTB - A5, B4, B5
Midwest
(800) 452-2022
YX
CTB-B
CTB-B
Southwest Airlines
(800) 435-9792
WN
CTB-B
CTB-B
Spirit
(800) 772-7117
NK
CTB-B
CTB-B
United
(800) 241-6522
UA
CTB-C
CTB-C
United Express
(800) 241-6522
UA
CTB-C
CTB-C
US Airways
(800) 428-4322
US
USAirways
USAirways
US Airways Express
(800) 428-4322
US
USAirways
USAirways
US Airways Shuttle
(800) 428-4322
US
USAirwaysSh
USAirwaysSh


 

 



© 2013 TLC Magazine Online, Inc.