LaGuardia Terminal B and Newark Terminal A: North American Aviation’s Modernity and Efficiency

The new LaGuardia Terminal B and Newark Terminal A, examples of modernity and efficiency in North American aviation. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

Dilapidated walls, overcrowded boarding gates, slow security lines, dirty lobbies, narrow hallways, and terrible traffic getting in and out, not to mention the rats that crawl up chairs and sneak past unsuspecting, sleeping passengers. Not long ago, the list of complaints about New York’s three airports was endless. As late as 2016, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport were among the 10 worst airports in the United States.

However, the new LaGuardia Terminal B and the new Newark Terminal A stand as shining beacons of modern airport design and efficiency. In March 2024, each received the top five-star rating from aviation rating company Skytrax – a designation based on a thorough audit of facilities and customer service – and were the only North American airports to appear on that coveted list.

Also in March, LaGuardia earned the 2023 title of “Best Airport in North America” within its weight class (i.e., airports serving between 25 and 40 million passengers annually). This award, which is part of Airports Council International’s annual airport service quality awards, is based on passenger opinions collected in departure and arrival surveys.

“The recognition that both LaGuardia and Newark have received is simply amazing,” said Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. “No one could foresee this situation,” he added.

A full year after an $8 billion, six-year transformation overhauled LaGuardia’s drab spaces, people love flying through the same hub that President Joe Biden once called “embarrassing” and “stupid” while he tactlessly compared it to a “third world country.”

The same can be said for Newark, which in November 2022 completed a $2.7 billion, one million square meter renovation of Terminal A that had begun in 2017.

The new terminals at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports stand out for their commitment to sustainability, operational efficiency and improving accessibility for all passengers. (REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)

For those who have traveled through these hubs in recent months, it is easy to see why. The claustrophobic and dingy arrivals and departures halls have been replaced by larger versions with floor-to-ceiling windows to give a more spacious feel.

Where security lines once stretched through winding corrals, there is now two or three times more room for passenger screening. Check-in areas offer shiny new kiosks and a layout that leans toward comfort rather than economy class.

You may have to walk a little further to reach both airports’ new terminals – which are 20% to 50% larger – but public art installations and upgraded restaurants and lounges make it less of a burden. .

Amenities include children’s play areas, water and laser shows, and spacious bathrooms with numerous hands-free devices. Behind the scenes, road networks have been expanded and taxiways restructured, streamlining flight operations.

“I can’t tell you how many people have said to me, ‘Can you believe it? I leave early to get to LaGuardia because I want to spend time at the airport,’” Cotton said.

With about $10 billion spent so far, out of a total investment of $30 billion, Cotton’s work is far from done. The next airport to be renovated is JFK, where work worth $19 billion is being carried out to create two large terminals and expand existing ones, as well as to improve roads.

That 10-figure budget originally allocated $9.5 billion for a new Terminal 1 – the largest of all the international terminals to be built in the region – plus $4.2 billion to build a new Terminal 6 (which will serve Lufthansa Group and JetBlue ) and 1.5 billion to expand Delta Air Lines Terminal 4.

All but $3.9 billion represents private investment; the rest comes from the Port Authority, a bi-border agency that generates revenue from tolls, fees and rents it collects through the facilities (not income taxes).

Public-private financing partnerships have made the reconstruction of LaGuardia and JFK possible, Cotton explained, with different private partners providing between 66% and 75% of the financing, respectively. The consortium of financial, operational and labor partners for Terminal 1 includes Carlyle Group, Ferrovial SE, JLC Infrastructure and Ullico. The $2.7 billion Newark Terminal A project was funded entirely by the Port Authority.

According to Cotton, these public-private partnerships constitute 30-year commitments that include the obligation to renovate and maintain facilities, which will help prevent the deterioration of airports. There are also specifications for airports to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve sustainability.

JFK Airport’s $19 billion renovation plan promises to redefine the international flight experience with its new terminals. (REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)

The New Terminal 1 (NTO) at JFK airport for international flights, which will open in June 2026 after four years of remodeling led by the Gensler architecture studio, will occupy 2.4 million square meters previously occupied by Terminals 1, 2 and 3. Currently, seven airlines are expected to collaborate with the NTO.

Jennifer Aument, newly appointed CEO of the NTO, promises that Terminal 1 will innovate on several fronts to help set a new global standard for customer service.

“From the first moment, all purchases we make from our partners or service providers in the terminal have our customer service standards associated with them,” Aument said in an interview with Bloomberg during his first week on the job. He added that customer service expectations have been built into all contracts, even those for baggage handlers and concierges. (His office declined to clarify those expectations, citing competitive reasons.)

As for the design, Ty Osbaugh, Gensler’s head of aviation, says the goal is to make life easier for passengers. To begin with, the design will be compact, avoiding ultra-long vestibules. This is possible because the terminal will reduce distances by running virtually parallel to the runway, Osbaugh explained, compared, for example, to Delta’s Terminal 4, whose geometry and the angular nature of the runway require longer runs.

Arriving passengers will enter an immigration hall with high ceilings and windows, rather than a dull basement, and overlooking the departing crowds. Officials will have the latest screening technology to process passengers more quickly.

Disabled travelers will be better served, thanks to the Port Authority’s new rules. “This is the first terminal I’ve been involved in that has thought about disabled passengers from the beginning,” Osbaugh said, with curbside wheelchair assistance systems and concierge waiting rooms for travelers with needs. specials.

The baggage claim area, which has never received favorable reviews, will also be redesigned. The new Terminal 1’s 10-metre ceilings will give it an arrivals hall feel, with design elements as lively as a New York taxi resting on conveyor belts.

Improvements in ground access to New York airports, including new transportation routes and plans for better connectivity, address the challenge of traffic and congestion. (REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)

Traffic and congestion associated with access to these airports will continue to be a challenge, although the Port Authority is spending $1.24 billion to streamline roads leading to JFK. It is also building a new land transportation hub and creating more parking, both planned for 2027.

Building a skytrain to LaGuardia has proven prohibitive, so New Yorkers will have to make do with new shuttle buses that connect to the N and W lines at the Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard subway station; Design and engineering will take four to five years, according to the Port Authority. Cotton says he is committed to replacing the current Air Train to Newark, a project that is in the early contracting phases.

At JFK, the recent expansion of Long Island Rail Road service to Grand Central Station and Penn Station has made it easier for travelers to access the Air Train’s Jamaica Station.

“We are well aware that travelers want better ground access to airports. “We are taking it step by step,” Cotton concluded.

(C) Bloomberg, 2024.

2024-04-13 14:12:00
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