The insider's guide, from travelers who've actually been through.
LaGuardia Airport is the closest of New York City’s three major airports to Manhattan, about 8 miles from Midtown in the borough of Queens. It has just come through a roughly 8 billion dollar top-to-bottom rebuild, completed in phases through 2022 to 2024, that transformed it from one of America’s most criticized airports into a genuinely modern one. There are three terminals: Terminal A, the small historic Marine Air Terminal on the west side; Terminal B, the large rebuilt central hub used by American, United and others; and Terminal C, Delta’s exclusive home. LGA is overwhelmingly domestic, with a hub each for Delta and American, and a longstanding perimeter rule that keeps most flights within 1,500 miles.
There is no direct subway or train, since the planned AirTrain was cancelled in 2023, so your options are buses, taxis or rideshare.
After the rebuild, Terminals B and C are bright and spacious, with new concourses, art installations and a strong lineup of dining from quick bites to full sit-down restaurants, though nothing runs 24 hours. Free unlimited wifi covers the airport. Lounges are excellent: Terminal C has the largest Delta Sky Club in Delta’s network, while Terminal B has an American Admirals Club, an Amex Centurion Lounge, a United Club and an Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge.
Here is the catch: the terminals are not connected airside. To switch between A, B and C you take the free airport shuttle, or walk the landside path between B and C, but either way you exit security and re-clear at the next terminal, so budget at least 15 to 20 minutes plus screening time. Connections within a single terminal, like Delta-to-Delta in Terminal C, are much simpler. Since LGA has no customs hall, nearly all connections are domestic.
Use the tools above to check whether your layover is long enough to leave, and how the transit, immigration, and security timings add up for LGA.
