LaGuardia Airport

LaGuardia Airport is the third major airport in the New York area. While JFK and Newark Airport host more international flights, LaGuardia hosts more domestic flights.

Understand


LaGuardia is the smallest of the New York Metropolitan Area's three major airports, but also the closest to Manhattan. Almost all direct flights from LGA are to destinations within. Most flights are domestic; however, there are international flights from Canada, Aruba, the Bahamas and Bermuda. The Marine Air Terminal, now known as Terminal A, is one of the world's oldest airport terminals still in use. It opened in 1939 and initially served the iconic PanAm "Clipper" flying boats, a heritage which is visible in its Art Deco architecture and large Great Depression–era mural.

LaGuardia gained a shoddy reputation in the 21st century, and politicians have described it as a "Third World airport" while calling for investment in infrastructure. In 2009, LGA ranked last among major U.S. airports in both on-time arrivals and customer satisfaction. That has, however, changed with the opening of the new Terminal B in 2021, which is far more spacious and pleasant to use than the old one with numerous shopping and dining options, while a new Terminal C was opened in June 2022, replacing both the old Terminals C and D.

In 2019, LaGuardia hosted 373,356 flights serving 31.1 million passengers: 28.9 million domestic and 2.2 million international. Almost 15,000 people work at LGA.

Visitor information
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has a website for LaGuardia Airport.

Flights


LaGuardia has three passenger terminals.

By bus
Costing $2.90, except for the Q70 bus, which is free, local buses are the cheapest method of transport, although the slowest to Manhattan. The buses have little room for luggage. Some, especially the Q70 SBS listed below, are usually equipped with luggage racks. These buses offer connections to the subway and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR).

The MTA is migrating to a new contactless payment system called OMNY. With OMNY you can use a smartphone or contactless card (i.e. credit cards with the EMVCoContactlessIndicator.svg symbol) to pay for fares on all New York City buses and subways. The system will eventually be rolled out to commuter rail systems including LIRR through the OMNY app. Alternatively you can use the MetroCard, which will continue to be supported until 2024.

Free transfers between bus and subway are available only with OMNY/MetroCard; the single ride ticket does not allow free transfers. Coins are needed to board the buses without OMNY/MetroCard. There is a change machine in the airport terminal and MetroCards can be bought in the airport at Hudson News. The MetroCard vending machine at the airport does not accept cash. SBS buses require paying the fare before you board (except OMNY, which is paid when entering the bus).

Note: There is no charge to travel on the Q70 SBS, as fare collections on the route have been suspended until further notice.
 * M60 SBS serves all terminals, with connections to:
 * Astoria Blvd at 31st St & Hoyt Ave (15–25 minutes): (the  runs weekdays only)
 * 125th St & Lexington Ave (30 minutes):
 * 125th St & Park Ave (30 minutes): Metro-North Railroad's Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven Lines. Going toward LaGuardia, the bus stops at Madison Ave, instead.
 * 125th St & Lenox Ave/Malcolm X Blvd (30 minutes):
 * 125th St & St. Nicholas Ave (35 minutes): (the  runs weekdays only)
 * 116th St–Columbia University & Broadway (40 minutes): This route is particularly useful if you are staying on the Upper West Side, including at Hostelling International New York, which is close to the bus's last stop at 106th St & Broadway.
 * Q70 LaGuardia Link SBS serves all terminals except Terminal A, with connections to:
 * Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Ave/74th St (15 minutes):
 * 61st St–Woodside (20 minutes): & Long Island Rail Road
 * Q47 serves only Terminal A, with a slower trip to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Ave/74th St (30 minutes)
 * Q48 serves all terminals, with connections to:
 * Flushing–Main St (30 minutes): & Long Island Rail Road
 * Q72 serves all terminals except Terminal A, with connections to:
 * Junction Blvd & Roosevelt Ave (30 minutes):
 * 63rd Dr–Rego Park (45 minutes):

By shuttle bus
Go Airlink Shuttle - Shared van door-to-door service. $16 to Manhattan. 10% discount for online purchase.

NYC Airporter bus - provides services to Grand Central Terminal and the Port Authority Bus Terminal for $13 one-way, $23 round-trip (return ticket). Buses depart every 20–30 minutes and the trip to Grand Central Terminal can take up to 65 minutes. While the schedule online shows stops at Penn Station, the bus does not go there between noon and 6PM.

By taxi
Taxi - Taxis cost $21–30 to Manhattan plus tips, tolls, a $0.50 tax to NY, and a $1 surcharge during rush hour. You can save on tolls by asking the driver to use the Queensboro Bridge for points in Midtown and the Upper East Side, the Williamsburg Bridge for the Village and downtown, or the Brooklyn or Manhattan Bridges for points downtown. If your destination is above 72nd Street, it is better to pay the toll ($5.50) and take the RFK Bridge (formerly called the Triboro) into Manhattan.

Private car service - An alternative to taxis, car services are useful for getting to the airport from the outer boroughs where taxis are harder to find, or if you prefer to have transportation reserved in advance. Typically $40 or more between LGA and Manhattan.

By rental car
Rental car companies are located in neighborhoods around the airport. All rental car shuttles operate to/from the Rental Car Shuttle Transfer Point next to Terminal A. From other terminals, you will need to take the free Airport Shuttle Bus (pre-security) to Terminal A.

Get around
Free shuttle buses connect all terminals and parking lots, running every 8–10 min during peak times and every 15 min off-peak. If transferring between terminals, you will have to re-clear security to get to your gate.

Terminal A
There are charging stations located by the departure gates.

Terminal B
Charging stations at all departure gates

Terminal A
Welcome Center at Arrivals.

Terminal B
Guest Service Desk between Gates 40 and 59.

Nearby
The neighborhood that includes the airport is called East Elmhurst. Other nearby neighborhoods with easy bus connections from the airport include Jackson Heights, Flushing, Astoria, Corona and Woodside.