New York LaGuardia Airport, NY (LGA) Flights & Information

LaGuardia Airport (LGA) may be the least busy of the New York City metro area’s three major airports, but it still lands in the top 20 nationwide. It's also less international than the other NYC area airports, but serves a tremendous number of domestic flights daily. Should you find yourself here, use these expert tips for flying at LaGuardia Airport.

Getting to and from LGA on public transportation

There are no train or subway (metro) stops at LGA, and there’s no air train that connects to these services either. Your first step will always be to take a bus if you choose public transportation to get between the airport and Manhattan.

While there are several local buses that stop at LaGuardia, there are two Select Bus services that will get you on your way to Manhattan. From either, you’ll need to connect to the subway or train to reach a final destination in Midtown or downtown Manhattan.

The M60 bus stops at all three terminals and will connect to 11 different NYC subway lines in both Queens and uptown Manhattan. From these, you can reach any Manhattan neighborhood, but will definitely want to plan your route ahead so you don’t find yourself scrambling on a subway platform with your luggage.

If you do need assistance on the subway, which regularly has spontaneous delays and reroutes, I urge you to simply ask a stranger for directions. Despite what you may have heard, most New Yorkers are friendly and will point you in the right direction. There are also free apps like Citymapper that will direct your every step and transfer, and even tell you which end of the subway train to choose.

From Terminals B and C, you also have the option of taking the free LaGuardia Link Q70 bus. This will take you to Woodside Station, where you can catch the Long Island Rail Road to Penn Station in Midtown. Though the Q70 is free, this option is more expensive overall than the M60-subway route, as the LIRR costs a bit more than the subway and bus system, which always includes one free transfer.

To catch the Q70 and LIRR when you’re arriving in Terminal A, you can take the free airport shuttle to Terminal B or C, but I don’t recommend this. You’ll be adding even more time and transfers to your route, when you could just take the M60 directly from Terminal A (and pay less too).

LaGuardia Airport terminals

LaGuardia Airport is home to three terminals – A, B and C – housing nearly 100 gates. Unfortunately, though Terminals B and C are near each other, none of the three are physically connected. Double check your boarding pass before arriving to be sure you locate the correct building and save valuable check-in time, but also keep in mind that you’ll need some extra time to transfer if you have a connection in a different terminal.

To travel between terminals, you’ll need to exit and take the airport shuttle bus. These buses are easy to locate and you should never have to wait more than 15 minutes for one (10 minutes max during peak hours). But be warned: it has taken me more than 20 minutes total to get between terminals in the past, so budget layovers with this in mind.

You’ll also need to pass through a security checkpoint again at your new terminal, so allow additional transfer time for this. You should additionally be mindful not to pick up large liquids or other TSA-banned items for carry-on while shopping at the airports, since you can’t take them through security at LGA. You’d have to check them or toss them.

Taking a car to and from LaGuardia

Public transportation from LGA to downtown Manhattan isn’t easy for first-timers and takes a bit of muscle if you’re toting baggage, so a car is always the easier option here. Fortunately, LaGuardia is the closest airport to Manhattan of the three area airports and it’s in-state (unlike Newark Liberty International Airport), so it’s also the cheapest by car.

Taxis are metered between LaGuardia and Manhattan so you can’t get a quote upfront, but I’ve always found them cheaper than rideshare services for this route, so this is my preferred method here. They’re also almost always ready and waiting, whereas you’ll have to wait at least a few minutes for a rideshare to arrive, once ordered. You can easily find taxi queues at all three terminals.

If you’re a rideshare app member and receive discounts or rewards, you may still want to hire a ride from LGA to Manhattan. Each terminal has a different pick-up spot, but they’re all close by and easy to locate following signs for rideshare. At Terminal A, just exit the terminal and cross the street to the pick-up point. At Terminal C, simply exit and you’re there.

At Terminal B you’ll need to make the most effort, but it’s still simple. Follow signs to the adjacent Terminal B Parking Garage and you’ll find rideshare pick-up on level 2. The route is well marked. For this one, I recommend waiting until you reach the pick-up point before ordering your car, or you may incur wait fees if the driver arrives before you.

Security lines at LGA

There is only one security checkpoint within each of LaGuardia’s three terminals, but they’re efficient and rarely have long lines on typical days. You shouldn’t need to wait more than 15 minutes in any general security line, though Terminal A does tend to have somewhat longer waits than the other two. Still, 15 minutes is typically the max.

All three terminals have TSA PreCheck lanes to expedite security for program members. With this benefit, I’ve never waited more than five minutes to clear security in any terminal. While both United Airlines and Delta Air Lines support ultra-expediting CLEAR facilities, only Terminal C is equipped with CLEAR kiosks at LGA. United passengers will use Terminal B, so keep in mind that you won’t be able to use CLEAR here if that’s you.

LaGuardia lounges

There are lounges for all three major US airlines at LGA, and a couple more operated by credit cards. Almost all of these are located in Terminal B, with the Delta SkyClub in Terminal C and no lounges in Terminal A.

Terminal B is home to the lounges of American Airlines and United Airlines. While Delta (in Terminal C) doesn’t sell day passes, American and United do, as long as you’re flying with the airline or an alliance partner that day. The prices are steep, but cheaper than the Chase Sapphire Lounge, which is your only other option for buying your way in.

Priority Pass holders can gain access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge without a corresponding credit card, but can only do this once per calendar year, so consider carefully before spending your allowance. Otherwise, Priority Pass members are entitled to one hour at Minute Suite Express and a selection from a menu of mini treatments at Be Relax Spa.

Unless you’re on a very long layover at LaGuardia, I don’t recommend springing for day passes at any of these lounges. The price tags are severe and most (including me) find the benefits to be subpar in comparison. Even if you do have an exceptionally long layover, keep in mind that most lounges have time limits of around three hours, so you may be asked to leave anyway.

Eat local at LGA

Outside of some of the world’s best fine dining, New York City may be best known for pizza and bagels but there’s plenty more to try. And you can find much of it at the airport.

Terminal B is best for sampling the more indulgent dishes of New York favorites, including some of that pizza. Artichoke Basille’s Pizza in the Level 4 food hall serves traditional New York slices (my favorite at the airport) with the option to include its signature artichoke topping. If you haven’t tried it, now is the time. You’ll find more artisanal pizzas at Figs by Todd English, also in the food hall.

Free airport Wi-Fi

LaGuardia Airport offers a free Wi-Fi network for all guests, and it’s unlimited so you won’t need to register repeatedly. Since the recent renovations across the airport, I’ve found the Wi-Fi to have strong signal in every public area I’ve visited, so you can rely on it from check-in through boarding, and will have no problem accessing a digital boarding pass stored in an airline app.