NY LaGuardia Airport should be torn down

[Pieter C. 5]

NY LaGuardia Airport Should Be Torn Down

 

April 28, 2010

 

New York City's LaGuardia Airport, one of the nation's busiest with about 26 million passengers a year, is so outdated that it should be completely demolished and rebuilt, a Port Authority official said on Wednesday.

 

The airport, located in the borough of Queens, is managed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, but its current capital plan only has enough money for modest upgrades which fall short of the full modernisation that is needed, according to Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward.

 

The airport offers passengers a "chaotic" experience, he said, partly because the security required in a post-September 11, 2001, world has had to be added to buildings that were erected over several decades. One such building, the landmarked Marine Air Terminal, was used for international travel by seaplanes in the 1940s.

 

"LaGuardia should not be the gateway for fliers into New York City; it should fundamentally be torn down and rebuilt again," Ward said at a Crain's business breakfast.

 

Asked if the agency would consider a privatisation of the airport, Ward told reporters: "At this point, it would be foolish to rule out any funding option."

 

The Port Authority already has turned to Delta Air Lines and US Airways to help build terminals at LaGuardia. Other airlines did the same at John F Kennedy Airport and Newark Liberty Airport.

 

The Port Authority should not be constrained by nationwide limits on so-called passenger facility charges, Ward said. Those fees are now set at USD$4.50 per passenger, according to the Federal Aviation Administration's website.

 

(Reuters)

[Alif A. F. 0]

Seldom I hear La Guardia compared to Newark and JFK

[Yusoff 1]

It's like when you play SimCity. First you would built something (say airport) quite near to your city. Fortunately or unfortunately (depends on how you see it), the city gets bigger and bigger that it's boundary engulfed your entire airport altogether. One way or another, up to a certain point, you may want to keep using it (with updated equipments and utilities and what not) or completely demolish it and build a new one somewhere else.

 

But in NYC case, aren't there's enough airports already?

[Y. J. Foo 0]

It's like when you play SimCity. First you would built something (say airport) quite near to your city. Fortunately or unfortunately (depends on how you see it), the city gets bigger and bigger that it's boundary engulfed your entire airport altogether. One way or another, up to a certain point, you may want to keep using it (with updated equipments and utilities and what not) or completely demolish it and build a new one somewhere else.

 

But in NYC case, aren't there's enough airports already?  

Apart JFK and EWR, most people are not too familiar with other airports around NYC IMO. Furthermore those regional airports, from what I see at Wikipedia, are particularly small and with limited services. Also EWR is technically not in NYC - it's in Newark, NJ. So, I'd say NYC can, and has the need to use 3 major airports.

 

 

Speaking of EWR and LGA, rumour has it that the Mayor of NYC at that time Fiorello La Guardia once was flying back to NYC and ended up in EWR, which he was not too pleased. He insisted the plane to be flown with him alone to Floyd Bennett Field. After the incident, the Mayor believed NYC should have an airport closer to the city than that of Floyd Bennett, and developed the then-North Beach Airport to become NYC's gateway, La Guardia Field. 

La Guardia Field was considered large at that time when it was opened in 1939, but not a decade later La Guardia had to find new place to build another airport to accommodate the traffic, which would be at Idlewild, nowadays called JFK.

 

I would say that, given the conveniences LGA brings due to its proximity to the city, it is gonna stay there and be redeveloped as needed. BTW the airport's current main terminal building was redeveloped in the 1960s, so it's mature for redevelopment to meet 21st century's requirements.

 

BTW regarding Simcity, regardless of which version, I always end up building skyscrapers next to the airport, sometimes directly in the path of the runways   In SC2K, if the plane flies to the building it's gonna be fun    

[Yusoff 1]

And if you play SC4 Deluxe Ed., you can see the most of the planes are 707 and an MH-colored BAE... funny.

 

See..

 

Sorry OT

[Y. J. Foo 0]

And if you play SC4 Deluxe Ed., you can see the most of the planes are 707 and an MH-colored BAE... funny.

 

See..

 

Sorry OT

 

This thread has become Simcity Airport Thread...

 

 

I once had KLM and ANA 767 textures to replace the 707-alikes in the game. I always had thought the 707-alikes looked like BOAC's, didn't pay much attention to those BAE-alike though... Maybe I could pitch the idea on Simtropolis to see if one would do a MH texture...

 

Back to topic, if PANYNJ turns to US Airways and Delta to help rebuild the airport, does that mean the airlines also chip in to fund the project?

 

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Bae146 looks to me to be in Dan Air London colours

 

See also:

 

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Dan-Air-London/British-Aerospace-BAe-146-100/1652625/L/&sid=0e1028074f3b7987861505bf40a5ef5e

 

They operated 2 series 100 and 2 series 300 at the time...

[Yusoff 1]

Wow... great photo-memory, Pieter...