Wednesday, December 19, 2012

LaGuardia getting a huge upgrade


From the Queens Courier:

LaGuardia Airport’s $3.6 billion facelift is getting ready for its closeup.

The terminal, built in 1964 and designed to hold eight million passengers, is set to undergo a series of developments over the next six to 10 years. According to Thomas Bosco, LaGuardia Airport’s general manager, 11 million people travel through the airport each year, and estimates that by 2030, the number will reach 17.5 million passengers.

“[The terminal] is over 50 years old. It’s beyond its useful life,” said Bosco. “It’s virtually obsolete in every functional area.”

The main developments will occur mostly on the aeronautic side, pushing the terminal considerably closer to the Grand Central Parkway to accommodate larger capacity aircraft. Currently, the 35 gate terminal houses DC-9 planes which require towing by ground vehicles to go from the runway to the gate.

LaGuardia Airport accommodates about 1,150 planes daily – roughly a thousand fewer crafts than land at JFK Airport every 24 hours. While Bosco said the expansion will not increase turnaround due to federal regulation caps at 75 flights per hour, upgrading to larger aircraft will accommodate the airport’s growth in the number of passengers. The larger planes are quieter, burn cleaner fuel and emit fewer emissions and decrease the average number of delayed flights – providing what Bosco believes is a more ecologically friendly environment.

13 comments:

Jerry Rotondi said...

Another upgrade? How many so far? What's it going to cost us? What about runway 13?

No matter what they do to "La Guardia Field",
it's seems to have outlived its original purpose.

This is an overcrowded and hazardous airport!
It's too small to handle modern air traffic, no matter how it continues to be "improved".

How many cubic feet of air can be pumped into a small balloon until it finally bursts?

Anonymous said...

Only 30 years behind schedule.

Anonymous said...

La Guardia is a perpetual "upgrade" facility...providing job security for the construction industry, and kickbacks to politicians!

That's its REAL PURPOSE!

Close it already...except to light aircraft!

Anonymous said...

'upgrade' is a light way of speaking of it.

This is a complete replacement of the main terminal. An entire new terminal will sit where the current parking garage sits. new parking garage likely to be located where the parking field is in front of Terminal C and D.

Same number of gates, but each gate will be able to accommodate larger aircraft. right now, many gates can only handle small commuter/shuttle planes, but the new gate will all handle A321s or B737-9s at a minimum.

Anonymous said...

What about vehicular traffic in and around the airport??? It's pretty bad now! This plan more than doubles the number of passengers. This is insane!

Want more insanity? Mayor Bloomturd's College Point garbage transfer station will be up and running by then. Who will speak out on behalf of the people?

Anonymous said...

Great!

The people of Queens want MORE flights for Manhattan businessmen.

Anonymous said...

More air traffic over queens, brookln, bronx, and long island!?!??!?

We need to stop this. No more money for airlines at our expense!!!

They make money with every flight while we listen to them flying over our homes.

Anonymous said...

La Guardia is one of the worse possible locations for a modern airport. Making it grow causes real pain (health and traffic) for the local residents.

Perhaps they should charge a landing/takeoff fee (per ticket) like many "progressive" cities like Boston does.

These fees could be used to reduce real estate taxes for the people of Queens.

Truth is, Queens needs to become it's own city so Manhattan will stop sh!tting one it.

Anonymous said...

LGA has an interesting history. It goes back to seaplanes and airships and that helps explain the location.

No matter what they do, it will always a pathetic experience for the air traveler because they will, as they always do, run out of money to do it right.

And with $3.6 billion to blow on it - there is still no rail connection.

Anonymous said...

Needs M60 turn into subway, go all way to Jersey.

Anonymous said...

La Guardia will NEVER make the grade as a modern airport, no matter how many times they "upgrade" it!

That perpetual boondoggle is making some connected people very rich!

Anonymous said...

no reduction in taxes will replace the damage that you have done by flying low flying aircraft over residential neighborhoods. You will suffer from bad karma. Bad Bad Bad. So many lives are ruined. You will have to pay.

Anonymous said...

Planes are flying low and loud. They should use the Floyd Bennet field by
the Belt Parkway. La Guardia should be done away with.