Alongside John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia is one of the major airports located in Queens, primarily serving domestic flights with limited international routes. Its commercial operations are tightly regulated with unique rules, including a curfew, slot system, and the “perimeter rule.” The latter restricts most nonstop flights to or from destinations over 500 miles away. LaGuardia has transformed from one of the nation’s worst airports to the best mid-sized airport. Read more on queens1.one.
It All Started with a Dissatisfied Passenger
LaGuardia Airport opened in 1939. Initially, it had different names before being renamed in 1953 in honor of then-New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, who advocated for transforming a private airfield into a commercial airport.
In 1934, Fiorello LaGuardia boarded a flight in Pittsburgh bound for “New York,” which actually landed at Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey. Refusing to exit the plane, LaGuardia demanded to be taken to New York as his ticket stated. To appease him, the airline arranged for the plane to fly to a Brooklyn airfield, where the mayor announced New York needed a new, better airport. Following his efforts, it’s no surprise that the airport bears his name.
After opening, the public—still unfamiliar with air travel—flocked to visit LaGuardia, paying modest fees to watch planes take off and land. Within two years, the airport was generating $935,000 annually through parking fees and other non-flight-related revenues. During World War II, it served as a training center for aviation technicians and a logistics hub.
Third-Busiest Airport
LaGuardia primarily handles domestic flights with limited international routes, including Canadian and Caribbean destinations, due to insufficient immigration facilities.
By 2023, LaGuardia became New York’s third-busiest airport (after JFK and Newark Liberty) and ranked 19th in passenger traffic in the USA. It serves as a hub for Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, with American being the world’s largest airline and Delta one of the largest in the US and globally.
The airport has three active terminals: A, B, and C. Terminal A was the first and serves some international flights, Terminal B handles domestic flights, and Terminal C features retail and food services, as well as arrival areas.
Criticisms
Despite its positive aspects, LaGuardia has faced significant criticism, particularly for outdated facilities, inefficient operations, and poor customer service. In various surveys, respondents frequently ranked LaGuardia as the worst airport in the USA. Responding to these concerns, the airport’s administration launched a multi-billion-dollar passenger infrastructure reconstruction in 2015.
The renovation has yielded impressive results. In 2024, LaGuardia was recognized as the best mid-sized airport in the USA by the Airport Service Quality program.
A Few Facts
LaGuardia is New York’s oldest commercial airport.
Part of the airport sits on reclaimed land from Rikers Island, New York City’s infamous prison complex and the world’s largest correctional facility. The island is just 80 meters from the edge of LaGuardia’s runway, connected to the mainland only by a bridge built in 1966.
Rikers Island contains 10 separate prisons, schools, playgrounds, chapels, gyms, shops, bakeries, a power plant, bus depots, and even car washes. In fall 2019, it was announced that the facility would close due to ongoing issues with conditions and administration.
Flights over 1,500 miles cannot land at LaGuardia except on Saturdays or if arriving from Denver.
Though located near Manhattan, LaGuardia is ranked as the second most challenging airport to access worldwide, according to the Global Gateway Alliance. Public transit options to the airport remain limited.
Accidents and Incidents
Throughout its long history, LaGuardia has been the site of multiple aviation accidents and incidents. Here are some of the most serious:
- In May 1947, a United Airlines plane crashed on takeoff, killing 43 of the 48 people on board.
- In February 1957, a Northeast Airlines plane crashed on Rikers Island during takeoff, killing 20 of the 101 people aboard.
- In February 1959, an American Airlines plane crashed into the East River, killing 65 of the 73 people on board.
- In December 1960, a plane bound for LaGuardia collided mid-air over Staten Island with another aircraft, killing 128 people on both planes and six on the ground.
- In March 1992, a USAir flight bound for Cleveland crashed on takeoff at LaGuardia due to wing icing, killing 27 of the 51 passengers.
- In March 1994, a snowstorm forced a Continental Airlines plane to abort takeoff and slide into a ditch; fortunately, only minor injuries were reported.
- In January 2009, a US Airways flight struck birds and was forced to land in the Hudson River; all 150 passengers and five crew members were successfully evacuated.
- In July 2013, a Southwest Airlines plane made a hard landing, damaging the nose; nine people sustained injuries.
- In March 2015, a Delta Air Lines plane skidded off the runway due to snow; 24 passengers suffered minor injuries during the evacuation.
- In October 2016, a plane carrying U.S. Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence veered off the runway, but the aircraft was halted by an Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS), which uses materials to safely decelerate aircraft.