View from LGA post-security. Photo by: Evan Berman

The New York area has 3 airports: LaGuardia International Airport (LGA), John F. Kennedy International (JFK), and Newark International Airport (EWR). Nobody would claim that any of the 3 airports are great, but for years LGA has been regarded as terrible even for this grouping. $8 billion later, the airport is no longer regarded as something that you would see in a Third-World country.

Setup:

There are 4 terminals, A, B, C, and D. Terminals A and B are fully completed. However, there is still construction underway, particularly with the C and D terminals. C and D are connected, but you must take a bus to get from A to B, B to C or D, and any other combination. The buses run sporadically (one notice said that they are only to be expected once every 25 minutes!) and to get from B to C, it is often required to head to A first. My advice: stick to your terminal!

There is no CLEAR line in Terminal B, though there is one for Terminals A, C, and D. B is the main terminal, so if you are not flying Delta, you will most likely be flying from terminal B. In this case, both on the outbound and inbound flights, my flight was in terminal C and my travel companions were in B.

One other item worth mentioning is that LGA has instituted B-FAST, a fast-pass type of service that allows passengers to pay $15 + tax to have a quicker process through security in Terminal B. I did not try this service, though I doubt it saves much time if you have TSA PreCheck.

Airport Lounge Details:

The options for lounge access depend greatly on which airline you are flying. Delta operates out of A, C, and D while all others primarily operate out of Terminal B.

Main Terminal (non-Delta flights):

In Terminal B, there is a United Club, Admirals Club, and Centurion Lounge. As a reminder, you may only access the lounges if you have a ticket for the respective airline and access. The Centurion Lounge was full despite listing “Almost full” on the AmEx app. After putting my number down to receive an update when there was availability, I received a text 29 minutes later saying that I would be able to enter. As I am firmly opposed to arriving early to the airport (or really anywhere else for that matter 🙂 ), by that point it was time to board.

Note: the changing guest policy should lessen the overcrowding issues. Next year you will be charged for each guest if you have an AmEx Platinum unless you spend $75,000 in a calendar year on the card. If you have an AmEx Centurion Card– you probably don’t need my tips on saving money anyway :)– it will remain free to bring in up to two guests.

Terminals C and D (Delta Flights):

In C, there are two Delta Sky Clubs, while D also has one SkyClub. Upon arrival to LGA, I accessed the Delta Sky Club at Airside, near C28 one level above the gates.

While LaGuardia has come a long way, there is still massive room for improvement. Nevertheless, this should serve as a guide should you find yourself transiting through or flying out of LGA.

Evan