The Port Authority Board of Commissioners has approved nearly $60M in investments for improvements at LaGuardia (LGA) and Newark Liberty International (EWR).
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has opened a Welcome Center at LGA, designed to help arriving passengers with ground transportation, hotel information and other needs. PANYNJ opened the first such in the new Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International (JFK) recently, and plans more than 20 throughout all passenger terminals at the agency’s airports by 2012.
The board also will advance the second phase of a $40M study, expected to be completed by 2010, to modernize and redevelop LGA’s Central Terminal Building; the facility handles about half of the airport’s 24 million annual passengers.
For EWR, $19.75M was approved to improve navigational aids, which will enable more arrivals in bad weather by allowing aircraft to operate in low-visibility conditions.
“Today’s board actions reflect the agency’s commitment, first and foremost, to improving the travel experience for our customers,” says Chairman Anthony R. Coscia . “We’re also calling on the federal government to put customers first, by modernizing the air traffic control system and implementing the 77 technical recommendations of our Flight Delay Task Force.”
In the past 18 months, the board has approved several measures and investments to help travelers including having more customer care representatives; adding seating to terminals at LGA, EWR and Stewart International (SWF); and offering stations where passengers can recharge batteries for portable electronic devices at JFK, EWR and LGA.
