Shut up our cynical hearts. LaGuardia Airport just won a superlative – on the right side of the spectrum. Well, part of LaGuardia.
Terminal B at the Queens hub has been named the best new airport terminal in the world based on a global passenger survey conducted by airport ratings firm SKYTRAX, the Port Authority enthusiastically announced on Tuesday.
The state-of-the-art, 1.3-million-square-foot terminal, home to American Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest, United Airlines and Air Canada, also became the first terminal in North America to receive the highest five-star rating from SKYTRAX, ranking among fewer than two dozen airports and terminals worldwide that receive five stars for global best practices.
Said to be the “Oscars of the aviation industry”, the SKYTRAX World Airport Awards evaluate customer service and facilities at more than 550 airports and survey customers on topics such as check-in, shopping, security, comfort, ambience and selection of bars and restaurants. According to the Port Authority, the award marks LaGuardia’s transformation from the nation’s worst airport to the world’s best (ie, terminal).
Terminal B opened in phases, beginning in 2018 and completing in 2022, and was part of an $8 billion transformation by LaGuardia that made it the first new major airport to be built in the United States in the past 25 years became. It offers a world-class experience that includes spacious interiors, floor-to-ceiling windows, a 3,000-car parking garage, new covered and convenient taxi and ride-sharing pickup options, and two sky bridges over active taxiways.
(Here are a few ways to get there, you know, since the AirTrain plan is officially dead.)
Newark Liberty Airport’s new Terminal A received a solid mention and earned the title of 3rd Best New Terminal in the World.
After a long six years, LaGuardia’s multi-billion dollar facelift is finally complete.
SKYTRAX applies ratings to up to 800 customer-facing areas of airport products and services, spanning numerous customer touchpoints. The star rating methodology is unified and consistent for the industry and all airports, from the largest hubs to small regional facilities, are rated against the same baseline rating criteria that place the frontline customer experience on the end-to-end journey through a covering airport. Learn more here.
“Our goal at the Port Authority was to completely transform the customer experience at LaGuardia and Newark Liberty Terminal A, from curb to gate, by building a brand new, world-class airport and terminal,” said Rick Cotton, the Port Authority’s executive director, in a statement. “Winning this prestigious award and becoming the first North American airport terminal to receive a 5-star rating from SKYTRAX proves that we have achieved what many once thought impossible: taking LaGuardia from the worst to the best.”
“These awards are a validation of the Port Authority’s and our partners’ work to reinvent what LaGuardia and Newark Liberty Terminal A could be. With sleek and modern designs, world-class amenities and compelling public art, both Newark Terminal A and LaGuardia set a new global standard for air travel every day,” added Port Authority Chair Kevin O’Toole. “The fact that Newark Liberty’s new Terminal A is already generating worldwide attention in just three months of operation is an extraordinary achievement in itself.”
