La Guardia Airport’s status as a “third-world” airport just got even worse amidst its eight-year, $8 billion overhaul. As construction blocks the way of travellers and cabs, wait times have skyrocketed and fliers are increasingly forced to haul their luggage down the highway.
Travelers Navigating The Grand Central Parkway is now a common sight, as construction has brought traffic entering the airport to a standstill, according to the New York Times.
The Transportation Security Administration now warns to arrive at La Guardia “a minimum of 2-2 ½ hours” before takeoff. Serious business travelers have told the Times that they are now abandoning the airport altogether.
“I’ve heard too many stories about people missing flights and abandoning taxis to carry their bags, and a trip from car to terminal taking more than half an hour, sometimes as much as an hour,” John J. Degnan, chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said. “It’s totally unacceptable to expect the traveling public to put up with these conditions for a multiple-year period.”
Reconstruction plans include replacing the central terminal, two new concourses and pedestrian bridges. [NYT] –Christopher Cameron