obvs i meant free to riders, as it was in the case of the pre-airtrain busses. thats part of an airport tax. so not a tax on everybody, only flyers. but since the bus era has passed and the airtrain is here, it would be nice if monthly, ie. regular local riders, could use it with their metrocards instead of the high fee.

If your destination is Manhattan, JFK has the worst transit options.

LGA is the closest to Manhattan by transit, then Newark, then JFK. Probably once the PATH is fully extended to Newark, it will be even more convenient than LGA, but, until then LGA is a quicker route, even if it's by bus or by bus/rail. The new bus line is nonstop to the train.

Messing AT ALL with the elevated will bring people out of the woodwork in Astoria. You are vastly underestimating the political opposition this would run into.

I don't want to risk traffic if flying close to rush, which I often have to do. My destination is generally midtown or downtown Brooklyn on about a 50-50 basis.

Newark would become a more attractive option when PATH is extended.

The PA just announced a few days ago that they are going to extend the PATH to EWR.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...icle-1.1601857

It's going to cost them 1.5 billion dollars and take them 10 years to build two miles of above ground track?

Are you kidding me?

Doing this way would make the disruption so localized that it could get through, especially as the deficiencies of the NY airports are becoming a bigger issue. How many city council, state assembly, state senate, and congressional districts would be disrupted? Likely one of each. That wouldn't be enough to stop it.

Whenever I go to JFK now (from the UES of Manhattan), I use the Airtrain. This works pretty well.

The Airtrain is fine, I just wish there was a non-stop option from one of Manhattans major transit hubs.

The logic doesn't matter. If any proposal includes additional elevated structure (no matter how minimal) in Astoria it is DOA. NIMBYs will use the original N extension plan to whip up opposition....the same kind that successfully killed the earlier proposal.

The AirTrain ROW was designed to accept a (yet to be designed) hybrid rolling stock comparable with LIRR. Such service would not be out of the question in the future.

You're wrong. Especially with Cuomo behind an LGA redevelopment, and it getting attention to the national level. What local opposition there may be can be crushed.

I was quite offended by our VP saying what he did. He needed to be far more tactful. A person can make a point without being offensive or insulting. New Yorkers (and others) have their differences with LaGuardia, but they still love their hometown airport. LaGuardia isn't 3rd world, it's a busy airport that is hemmed in. New York City is in a league all by itself, it's huge, massive, difficulties are multiplied by simply the sheer size. NYC will be able to handle this situation, just let them do it.

The state of New York shouldn't be taking over the airports, either.

Well ok, but the bus to LGA doesn't run in traffic; it's primarily in an exclusive bus lane. They're doing the same on 125th Street for the M60 bus to LGA.

I don't see why a nonstop bus in a bus lane is more subject to traffic than a train making all kinds of stops, and subject to train traffic.

Agreed, you can already take NJ Transit from Penn Station to the airport, but PATH will be cheaper and more convenient from downtown.

are you kidding me? LaGuardia is a SHITHOLE and a disgrace to NYC. It needs to be completely demolished and re-made. I hope this redevelopment project happens ASAP. I'm from NJ, but I've flown out of and into LaGuardia many times. It feels like a third world country.

It would. Less waiting times, and generally no where near as busy.

I love NYC, but I gotta agree with you, the airports in general are in need of modernization. I have flown to Madrid's Barajas, Barcelona's El Prat Airport, Reagan Airport in Arlington County., and Charles de Gaulle in Paris, and I always say wow when I'm there. Those airports are just nice, and seem so luxurious. Then I return back to the states, and see airports with carpet, instead of marble floors. As one of the few Alpha cities out there, NYC should have something respectful.

Hear Hear!!! You are right my good sir! By jove, the sorry sate of infrastructure is appalling in what is the most important city in the USA. Have you traveled through the airports in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Savannah, GA? Far better. I thought aviation was at least one area that Americans actually valued though, so it surprises me that NYC has such a second rate airport.. Laguardia's main terminal is the penn station of aviation, now that JFK terminal 3 is gone. I bet the new design will look modest though, i'm not expecting any Barajas or CDG splendor on the east river sadly given the current political climate. It might not even approach Reagan. I'm expecting a slightly more upscale version of JFK T5, hopefully i'll be shocked and will be eating crow when Hadid builds her terminal that could be mistaken for a terminal built in 2050, but i'm just dreaming :(

agreed 100pct. It's disgraceful that NYC has something as atrocious as LaGuardia. It seriously looks worse than some 3rd world countries. Even archaic airports in India are starting to look better than LaGuardia. And trust me, India was pretty bad 5-6 years ago. The new terminal just opened last week in Mumbai is ridiculous looking! and this is INDIA, considered a 3rd world country by most people's standards.

http://businesstoday.intoday.in/stor.../1/203258.html

http://media2.intoday.in/btmt/images...1214020817.jpg

Logan's one terminal gives it a run for its money.