Preview: Delta's $4 Billion Makeover of LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is finally getting a much-needed makeover — a $4 billion one, in fact — after once being compared to a "third world country" for its outdated facilities back in 2014 by former Vice President Joe Biden. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta, broke ground on the final phase of the massive project on Tuesday, with the airport transforming from a series of disjointed terminals to a single, unified facility.
Along with the announcement, the governor's office released a compilation of new renderings for the project, which includes images of what the arrival and departure areas, baggage claims and restaurants will look like once completed.
The new LGA aims to provide travelers with state-of-the-art amenities and expanded public transportation — including a planned AirTrain.
Construction on the terminal began after the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey signed a new long-term lease with Delta.
Together, Delta is investing $3.4 billion — the airline's largest investment in an airport — and the Port Authority is chipping in $600 million to rebuild the terminal and gate facilities located on the eastern half of the new LaGuardia space. This will be the first airport rebuild in the United States in more than 20 years.
"This is a historic day for Delta as we break ground on our state-of-the-art facility at LaGuardia Airport," Bastian said. "This investment underscores our commitment to LaGuardia, to New York and to providing our customers and employees here and across the state with a world-class experience at one of our most important hubs." Delta has about 275 daily departures at LaGuardia — more than any other airline.
Having served 29.8 million passengers in 2016, the airport will serve 50 million passengers annually once completed, according to Governor Cuomo.
The airport is expected to be fully completed by 2021, but the first set of new gates are scheduled to open by next year.
The trio of LaGuardia Airport (LGA), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) combine to create the largest airport system in the United States.
What do you think of the new LaGuardia? Let us know in the comments, below.
Images courtesy of Governor Andrew Cuomo's office
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
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Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month