A study in November 2016 found that New York’s three international airports are the very worst among America’s 30 busiest hubs, in terms of ease of access, wait times and amenities.
LaGuardia came in last, with the highest rate of flight delays and cancellations, but the city’s bigger problem is John F. Kennedy Airport, which has more international passengers than any other airport in America. According to the study, it is massively inconvenient, with the longest drive time to the city center and the longest waits to get through security.
That might be about to change. Last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo laid out a plan for a $10bn overhaul of JFK. One-fifth of that funding will go toward improving road access, which is described in the plan as a “confusing spaghetti network for on-airport roads that lead to multiple bottlenecks and chokepoints”. It also recommends exploring the feasibility of building a direct subway route from Manhattan to JFK. (Right now, passengers must transfer to the AirTrain from the subway or the Long Island Rail Road.) Expanding the airport’s terminals is another goal.
In June 2016 work began on the second portion of an $8bn renovation of LaGuardia, which will bring an AirTrain to the hard-to-reach airport. The New York Times described it as “the most ambitious airport project in the country”, at least until the JFK plans were announced.
There are two big caveats, however. The first is that airport projects don’t always go as planned. Mr Cuomo hasn’t given a timeline for the JFK overhaul, but it won’t be quick.
Which brings us to the second caveat, and the one that spells bad news for business travellers. While these massive projects are ongoing, travellers through the airports could experience even more hellish bottlenecks and queues.
The start of the LaGuardia construction has already led to traffic backups bad enough that travellers have been spotted abandoning taxis and cars on the nearby Grand Central Parkway and running down the highway on foot, luggage in tow. The Transportation Security Administration has advised flyers to arrive at LaGuardia at least two to two-and-a-half hours before takeoff. Some travel bloggers have warned it might simply be better to avoid LaGuardia altogether for the next few years – that is, until at least 2024.
Avoiding LaGuardia and JFK won’t be so easy. Newark can only handle so much traffic and so many flights. So while these projects may bring relief to New York travellers once they’re completed, expect some pain in the interim.
Renderings courtesy of New York State:
Renderings courtesy of New York State:
