LaGuardia Airport (IATA: LGA, ICAO: KLGA, FAA LID: LGA) ( /ləˈɡwɑrdiə/) is an airport located in the northern part of the New York City borough of Queens. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst.
The New York City metropolitan area's JFK International, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty International airports combine to create the largest airport system in the United States, second in the world in terms of passenger traffic, and first in the world in terms of total flight operations. In 2011, the airport handled 24.1 million passengers; JFK handled 47.4 million and Newark handled 33.9 million, making for a total of approximately 105 million travelers using New York airports.
The airport serves as a domestic hub for Delta Air Lines. The airport also serves as a focus city for American Airlines and regional affiliate American Eagle.
LaGuardia is the busiest airport in the United States without any non-stop service to and from Europe. A perimeter rule prohibits nonstop flights to or from points beyond 1,500 statute miles (2,400 km). Exceptions to the perimeter rule are flights on Saturdays and flights to Denver. Transcontinental and international flights use JFK or Newark.
The airport was originally named Glenn H. Curtiss Airport after aviation pioneer Glenn Hammond Curtiss then renamed North Beach Airport, The official name after New York City's takeover and reconstruction was New York Municipal Airport-LaGuardia Field, then in 1953 named solely "LaGuardia Airport" for Fiorello La Guardia, the mayor of New York when the airport was built.
Read more about LaGuardia Airport: Terminals, Airlines, and Destinations, Other Facilities, Accidents and Incidents
Famous quotes containing the word airport:
“Airplanes are invariably scheduled to depart at such times as 7:54, 9:21 or 11:37. This extreme specificity has the effect on the novice of instilling in him the twin beliefs that he will be arriving at 10:08, 1:43 or 4:22, and that he should get to the airport on time. These beliefs are not only erroneous but actually unhealthy.”
—Fran Lebowitz (b. 1950)