LaGuardia has classically been the spiky brown caterpillar, all menacing barbs and boil-like lumps, of the NYC airport family, a travel stop one Democratic presidential candidate famously compared to a "Third-World country." Then, in 2016, it climbed inside an $8 billion construction cocoon from which it is now slowly emerging, a beautiful and pristine butterfly—at least according to the renderings.
On Thursday, Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled futuristic designs for the first of four new Delta concourses being renovated in the Delta terminal on the east side of LaGuardia. The new look is pretty slick, all towering glass and marble panels. Just look at Gates 92-98, surely you can already taste the $15 lager you will swill at this luxe bar and grille?
According to the Governor's office, the new terminal C—a consolidation of the previous terminals C and D—will cost $4 billion (primarily financed by Delta), and it shows, no? The 105,000-square-foot concourse, which is on schedule to open some time in the fall, will reportedly boast "floor-to-ceiling views of Citi Field and Flushing Bay," a raft of amenities—outlets and USB ports at every seat in its fairly fancy food stops, so you can charge while you enjoy your upmarket airport calzone—and a Delta Sky Club with a Sky Deck, so you can watch and wince as the chumps over on Spirit jettison themselves into oblivion.
In a statement, Cuomo said the updates bring "us another step closer in converting the airport into a world-class flight hub in line with New York standards," and yeah, check out this "dual taxiway" that will allegedly keep you from stalling in the pick-up and drop-off lines for full hours while drivers navigate LaGuardia's creatively reimagined traffic routes.
All told, a pretty solid makeover:
LaGuardia's freshly remodeled Terminal B opened in early December, a luxurious oasis of Shake Shacks and bathrooms with actual shelves. Of course, the shiny new terminal quickly sprung a leak, I mean lake, in the middle of the arrivals hall, so nobody is saying the forthcoming Delta concourse won't be without its inconveniences. But don't the little rendering travelers look content in their airy new home?? Just get a load of all that natural light!
