For many years, New York City’s LaGuardia Airport Terminal B endured a reputation as a dark and dingy place that had outgrown its ability to comfortably accommodate the eight million airline passengers passing through its gates every year. Add to that the need to improve security and upgrade amenities, and it became critical to overhaul the terminal, which was built in 1964.
The new 243,000-square-foot Concourse B that opened this month is the first phase of a $8 billion rebuild of the airport that addresses all of those needs and more, and is going a long way to radically improve the perceptions of travelers entering and leaving LaGuardia.
The first 11 of 18 total gates, located in the eastern concourse of Terminal B, are now open, serving Air Canada, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines flights. Next year, United Airlines will also operate from the new concourse. The remaining seven gates are scheduled to open in 2020.
The $4 billion replacement of Terminal B includes design and construction of the new headhouse, concourses A & B, Central Hall, central heating and refrigeration plant (CHRP), the West Parking Garage, airside development, and roadway and bridge infrastructure.
When the LaGuardia Terminal B project is completed in 2022, the new facility will have the capacity to handle 17 million passengers a year, and include modern baggage, check-in and security systems.