LaGuardia Airport opened its long-awaited new terminal building on Saturday. The towering structure now handles all arriving and departing passengers traveling out of the shared-use Terminal B.
The newly completed facility is the centerpiece of the airport's $5.1 billion massive renovation project. Construction began on the terminal in 2016 and even still, the project is only 80% complete.
Passengers flying American, United, Southwest, and Air Canada on Saturday morning expecting the same old LaGuardia were among the first users to be delighted by the new facility, known as the headhouse. The old 1960s-era Central Terminal Building, which quickly outgrew its size as LaGuardia expanded into the jet age, will likely be demolished before year's end.
The developers used the renovation as an opportunity to rebuild LaGuardia not just to suit the needs of the traveling public but completely upend any negative prior notions of the airport. LaGuardia is no longer an airport to avoid but rather, an airport that passengers want to arrive early to.
Business Insider recently toured the facility prior to its opening with the CEOs of LaGuardia Gateway Partners and Vantage Airport Group, the company tasked with running the redevelopment and the lead developer, respectively, and saw just what makes the terminal special.
Take a look.