The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey proudly announced on Oct. 22 that Forbes Travel Guide selected LaGuardia Airport as the best airport in the United States a decade after then-Vice President Joe Biden likened the transportation hub to one that would be found in a third-world nation in a speech lamenting the state of infrastructure in America.
Forbes released its first Verified Air Travel Awards based on a survey of 5,000 hospitality and travel experts and the guide’s most well-traveled fliers. The recognition is the latest in a long list of accolades given to LaGuardia throughout the course of the airport’s historic $8 billion transformation.
“From the very start, our mission at LaGuardia Airport was to transform what was once the worst airport in the nation into an airport that would rival the best in the world,” Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said. “Today’s award for Forbes Travel Guide is further proof that with our private partners, Delta Air Lines and LaGuardia Gateway Partners, we have created a new LaGuardia Airport that is no longer a national laughingstock, but something our region and country could be proud of.”
A year after Biden’s remarks, a comprehensive plan to construct a whole new LaGuardia Airport was unveiled in 2015 with the goal of creating a world-class 21st century passenger experience featuring modern customer amenities, state-of-the-art architecture, more spacious gate areas and a unified terminal system. The $8 billion project, two-thirds of which is funded through private financing and existing passenger fees, broke ground in 2016 and was substantially completed in 2022.
In February 2018, the new Terminal B parking garage opened with more than 3,000 spaces and a dedicated level for Uber, Lyft, and other for-hire car services. In December 2018, the first 18 new gates and the first new concourse in Terminal B opened. In June 2020, the soaring new 1.3 million-square-foot arrivals and departures hall at Terminal B opened its doors. Terminal B, with 35 gates, has since won awards as the best new airport terminal in the world, including the Prix Versailles from UNESCO and Skytrax, which also gave the terminal the first 5-star rating in the nation. In June 2022, Delta Airlines opened the new 1.3 million-square-foot Terminal C, which features 37 gates across four new or transformed concourses, world-class amenities, state-of-the-art technology and inspiring public art. Delta’s Terminal C was completed in 2024.
“This award from Forbes Travel Guide, recognizing LaGuardia as the best airport in the nation, is affirmation of all the hard work and resources that the Port Authority and our partners have invested to reimagine what LaGuardia could become,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said. “Today, we are no longer imagining what our airports can become — we are realizing our goal to create world-class airports across our region.”
The Forbes Travel Guide also ranked Delta One at JFK International Airport’s Terminal 4 as the best U.S. airline lounge.
