Changes Coming To LaGuardia: What To Expect This Weekend
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The forecast is cloudy with a chance of chaos this weekend at LaGuardia Airport.
Six airlines are packing up and relocating to new terminals.
As CBS2's Tony Aiello reported, it's a big job. So passengers are advised to buckle up and prepare for a potentially bumpy ride.
Signs of change are everywhere, and new signs are going up while others are being covered up – like the Delta logos at the Marine Air Terminal A. For more than 20 years, it's been an easy place for frequent fliers to catch a shuttle to Chicago or Washington, D.C.
"It actually makes it a real pleasure to fly here," traveler David Becker said.
Now, Marine Air Terminal A is getting a makeover, including new kiosks for JetBlue, new check-in counters for Alaska Airlines, and the Delta Shuttle is relocating to Terminal C.
"We'll see what Terminal C is like, but I don't think it's going to be like this," said Becker.
Big changes start Saturday morning.
"The Marine Air Terminal has been a longtime favorite of our Delta Shuttle customers, but it does lack amenities and connectivity to the rest of the airport," Ginny Elliott, of Delta LGA Operations, said.
She's been working on the move for months.
The terminal changes impact six airlines. All American flights move to Terminal B, Delta Shuttle moves to Terminal C, JetBlue relocates to Terminal A, along with Alaska Airlines. Frontier flights will move – departures from Terminal C and arrivals at Terminal D. Same goes for Spirit Airlines.
As terminal relocations go, this one is on the modest side, Aiello reported. Earlier this year, 21 airlines changed terminals over the course of three days at Los Angeles International Airport.
With traffic already a nightmare as LaGuardia is rebuilt, there's anxiety about the impact of the terminal changes.
"People come to this airport, they don't know where they're going, and messy – you know?" said taxi driver Alexander Reis.
Planners hope to work out any kinks over the weekend.
The Port Authority says the terminal changes should improve operations. For example, passengers on American will no longer have to take a shuttle bus between Terminals B and C.
There will be traffic agents on duty this weekend as the changes take effect.