First look inside American’s new Admirals Club and concourse at LaGuardia Airport
Christmas came early for American Airlines travelers passing through New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA).
The carrier, along with the operator of LGA's Terminal B, LaGuardia Gateway Partners, opened the final phase of construction in the Western Concourse on Thursday.
In addition to the four new gates with floor-to-ceiling windows, modernized seating and new concessionaires, the Western Concourse is now home to American's new Admirals Club in LaGuardia.
TPG went for a first-look tour of the new spaces on Friday — and can confirm that Santa was indeed very generous this year.
Inside the new Admirals Club
The highlight for American flyers will undoubtedly be the new Admirals Club.
Located one floor above the gate level, the lounge is accessible via a pair of escalators.
Once at the top, you'll find the entrance to the lounge on the left.
There are five check-in desks staffed with agents who can help with flights reservations and other day-of-travel issues.
As you enter the lounge, you'll be greeted by a large living area with a variety of seating options, ranging from individual recliners to couches and more.
This is also where you'll find a hallway that will connect to the rest of the lounge when it opens next summer. Once complete, the lounge will span more than 20,000 square feet, with room for over 350 passengers.
Until then, the lounge is on the small side and will likely get quite crowded during peak departure windows.
In addition to the living area, there are a handful of two-person tables lining the perimeter of the lounge, which leads to the bar and dining area.
Along the way is a media room, with eight seats facing a large TV.
The dining area has a few tables, along with three two-person booths that are built into the wall.
The buffet is along the edge of the lounge and features American's pandemic-era light bites service, including crudites, hummus, cheese cubes and hard fruits.
Note that the bar is currently closed as the lounge is waiting to receive its liquor license, which should happen in the next few days, according to the staff.
There's a tree in the center of the space, which helps add a sense of tranquility to an otherwise hectic airport experience.
The new lounge trades apron views for an open-air aesthetic overlooking the terminal and taxiways in the distance — which might be the only downside for some aviation enthusiasts.
All in all, though, the new space is a massive improvement compared to the old one.
New gates and retailers complete the Western Concourse
The Western Concourse now has four additional gates in operation, each with plenty of seating and access to power outlets.
Even more gates have been built, but they won't become operational until the old concourse is demolished and jetbridges are installed.
The new gates are designed to seamlessly integrate with the existing ones — most travelers won't even be able to tell that the concourse opened in phases.
Along with the new gates is a kids' play area that's designed to resemble the New York City skyline.
What's still to come
To coincide with the completion of the Western Concourse, the last remaining "old" gates in Terminal B are now officially closed, marking the end of the leaking ceilings, narrow hallways and long bathroom lines that LaGuardia flyers used to experience.
However, there's still just a little bit more work that needs to get done in Terminal B. For one, the old central concourse must be demolished in order to make way for additional gates in Western Concourse.
Additionally, work on the pedestrian bridge that connects the headhouse with the Western Concourse is still underway, with completion scheduled for early next year.
Until then, you can still catch one final glimpse of the old terminal as you walk through an old hallway to get between the two buildings.
But don't stare for too long: the newly completed Western Concourse is waiting for you on the other end.
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
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Intro Offer
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