NEW YORK — Settle our cynical hearts. LaGuardia Airport just gained a superlative, on the right side of the spectrum. Well, part of LaGuardia.
Terminal B in downtown Queens has been named the world’s best new airport terminal, according to a global passenger survey conducted by airport ratings firm SKYTRAX, the Port Authority announced enthusiastically on Tuesday.
Home to American Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest, United Airlines and Air Canada, the 1.3 million-square-foot state-of-the-art terminal also became the first terminal in North America to earn SKYTRAX’s highest five-star rating. and is among fewer than two dozen airports and terminals worldwide that have earned five stars for global best practices.
Billed as the “Oscars of the airline industry,” SKYTRAX’s World Airport Awards evaluates customer service and facilities at more than 550 airports, surveying customers on issues ranging from check-in to purchases, safety, comfort, atmosphere and the choice of bars and restaurants. As the Port Authority says, the award marks LaGuardia’s transformation from the worst airport in the country to the best in the world (terminal, of course).
Terminal B opened in phases, beginning in 2018 and completed in 2022, and was part of an $8 billion transformation of LaGuardia that made it the first major new airport built in the United States in the last 25 years. floor-to-ceiling windows, a 3,000-car parking garage, new convenient covered pickup facilities for taxis and carpools, and double skybridges over active taxiways.
(Here are a few ways to get there, since the AirTrain plan is officially dead.)
The new Terminal A at Newark Liberty Airport earned a strong mention, earning it the title of the third best new terminal in the world.
SKYTRAX applies ratings for up to 800 customer service areas of airport products and services, covering numerous customer touch points. The star rating methodology is unified and consistent for the industry, and all airports are evaluated, from the largest hubs to small regional facilities. using the same base rating criteria that cover the front-line customer experience of the end-to-end journey through an 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 new world-class airport and terminal,” said Port Authority CEO Port Authority, Rick Cotton, on “Winning this prestigious award and becoming the first airport terminal in North America to receive a 5-star rating from SKYTRAX demonstrates that we have accomplished what many said was impossible: elevating LaGuardia from worst to better”.
“These awards are an affirmation of the work of the Port Authority and our partners to reimagine what LaGuardia and Newark Liberty Terminal A could be. With sleek, modern designs, world-class amenities and compelling public art, both Newark Terminal A and LaGuardia are now sets a new global standard for air travel every day,” added Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole.
