Delta Air Lines breaks ground on the LaGuardia Terminal expansion

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta), along with city, state and federal officials, yesterday (April 11) broke ground on a $160 million renovation and expansion of its facilities at New York LaGuardia Airport.

The project, which includes a 630-foot connector bridge linking Terminals C and D, a new Delta Sky Club in Terminal C and expanded security lanes in both terminals, comes as Delta creates a new domestic hub at LaGuardia, with service to 26 new cities by July 11. It represents the largest expansion project at LaGuardia in more than 40 years.

The new bridge will allow Delta customers to walk between terminals behind security, providing easy access to departure and arrival gates and facilitating convenient connecting flights. Delta has operated out of both terminals since March 25, when it began expanded service at LaGuardia.

Delta’s renovations at LaGuardia will support 700 new jobs along with additional jobs for construction.

Work is also underway on a $1.2 billion enhancement and expansion of Delta’s facilities at New York John F. Kennedy Airport, where Delta operates an international hub.

The expansion includes a new Delta Sky Club in Terminal C that is expected to open this summer. Additionally the Delta Sky Club in Terminal D will undergo an expansion.

The airline will increase service at LaGuardia with 100 new flights in spring and summer 2012. When its full schedule is implemented, Delta will operate more than 260 daily flights between LaGuardia and more than 60 cities, exceeding any other carrier. Delta expanded its operations to Terminal C after reaching an agreement with US Airways to exchange takeoff and landing rights in New York and Washington, D.C.

Delta will operate many of the new LaGuardia routes with regional jets that offer two-class service and in-flight Wi-Fi, amenities that other carriers don’t offer. Previously, these routes were served with smaller, turboprop aircraft.

Last month, Delta added service from LaGuardia to new business markets, including Dallas/Ft. Worth; Miami; Washington-Dulles; Syracuse, N.Y.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Rochester, N.Y.; Richmond, Va.; Norfolk, Va.; Manchester, N.H.; Burlington, Vt.; Greensboro, N.C., and Louisville, Ky.

The second phase of the expansion starts July 11, when Delta will add new service from LaGuardia to Denver; Houston; Cleveland; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Milwaukee, Wis.; Charlotte, N.C.; Wilmington, N.C.; Roanoke, Va.; Charlottesville, Va.; and Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Delta will offer four million additional seats in New York without adding to congestion.

To further enhance its new domestic hub, Delta has increased frequencies from LaGuardia to cities that include Fort Lauderdale; Orlando; Jacksonville, Fla.; Ft. Myers, Fla.; Indianapolis; Chicago; Nashville; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Greenville, S.C.; Columbia, S.C.; Portland, Me.; and Bangor, Me.

Besides modernizing facilities at LaGuardia, Delta also is part of a $1.2 billion expansion project at JFK to add nine additional gates to Terminal 4. That terminal, which will become Delta’s international gateway, will include a state-of-the-art baggage handling system, additional Customs and security lanes and one of the largest Delta Sky Clubs in the airline’s system.

At JFK, Delta also serves domestic cities with new routes that include Austin, Texas; Jacksonville, Fla.; Louisville, Ky.; Charleston, S.C.; Dayton, Ohio; Elmira, N.Y.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Greensboro, N.C. and New Orleans. Customers can use Delta’s international hub at JFK to reach five continents, a claim no other airline can make.

Delta’s three metropolitan area airports carried 20.8 million domestic and international passengers in 2011. The preferred airline for New York travelers expects that number will rise to 24.6 million in 2012, mostly due to the increase at LaGuardia. The airline has 7,000 New York-based employees.

A portion of travel for some itineraries may be on the Delta Connection® carriers: Chautauqua, Comair, Compass Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines, GoJet Airlines, Mesaba, Pinnacle Airlines, Shuttle America dba Delta Shuttle, and SkyWest.

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