Shiny New LaGuardia Terminal Half-Opens With BBQ And Hand Sanitizer

June 11, 2020, 1:54 p.m.

The $8 billion project to remake the entire airport, while still keeping it in operation, has caused many travelers a headache, but the end is near.

The latest new portion of LaGuardia airport to open is half of Terminal B, which will welcome fliers starting Saturday with food from Hill Country BBQ, Junior’s Cheesecake, and an admirable attempt at a Keith Haring mosaic, as well as plenty of hand sanitizer and wipes for the new coronavirus era of air travel.

The $8 billion project to remake the entire airport, while still keeping it in operation, has caused many travelers a headache, but the end is near. With Saturday’s opening of Terminal B that leaves just the other half of the terminal and a pedestrian walkway to finish, which the Port Authority estimates could take another year-and-a-half.

“From worst airport in the country, to the best,” Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Executive Director Rick Cotton said Wednesday. “From the laughing stock on Saturday Night Live skits, to bringing into reality the extraordinary vision of Governor Cuomo to have a world class airport worthy of New York.”

Of course whether most people will actually see the gleaming modern marvel is another question. Air travel at the region's airports is down 95 percent due to the coronavirus. And the controversial LaGuardia AirTrain, another $2 billion project, is on hold now because of lost revenue. The Port Authority has asked for $3 billion in federal relief.

But back to the fun stuff that’s already paid for. There are lots of touchscreens at check in, with canisters of sanitizer wipes next to them. Going through security is supposed to be speedier with a new technology that Cotton calls “the most advanced and most up to date” passenger screening devices in any airport in the country. Passengers simply walk through like it’s a metal detector, but it is doing the same type of body screening the old full body scanners used to do, just without having to stop and put your hands on your head.

Other fun things to do while waiting for your domestic flight include staring at the dribbles of water shooting out of this fountain.

Or marvel at the subway inspired mosaics and think about how nice a subway that goes directly to the airport would be. There are also four site-specific art installations by Jeppe Hein, Sabine Hornig, Laura Owens, and Sarah Sze, commissioned through a partnership with the Public Art Fund.