Terminal B at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is less than a decade old. It’s state-of-the-art, airy and home to three premium credit card lounges.
So why would JetBlue want to trade those digs for the airport’s 80-year-old terminal building?
Money.
“While people love fountains and artwork, at the end of the day, we need to make sure that these airports are really providing what matters most to people,” CEO Joanna Geraghty said of LaGuardia Tuesday.
And what matters most, she argued, is paying less money to fly.
Out with Terminal B, in with Terminal A?
JetBlue is hoping to exit LaGuardia’s Terminal B, with its signature water feature and natural-lit concourses, in favor of the 1940s-era Marine Air Terminal.
The older facility (also known as Terminal A) doesn’t currently house any airlines; Spirit Airlines had been the only commercial carrier in the building prior to the airline’s collapse in May.
But after JetBlue won Spirit’s coveted “slots” (or takeoff and landing rights) this month, executives confirmed the airline also hoped to take over its old gates.
What moving to the Marine Air Terminal would mean for JetBlue
For passengers, a move to Terminal A would certainly mean a different airport experience. They’d be flying out of a terminal that’s a lot less modern and lacks the frills of JetBlue’s current LGA digs, which were instrumental in helping the airport shed its forgettable pre-2020s reputation.
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But JetBlue executives say the economics of the Marine Air Terminal would make the move worthwhile for the company and, perhaps, its passengers.
“Significantly cheaper … versus what we see in Terminal B,” JetBlue president Marty St. George said, speaking on a call with analysts Tuesday. “Definitely lower-cost, which means, hopefully, better fares for our customers.”
A cost-motivated move … if it happens
LaGuardia is one of the nation’s most expensive airports for airlines to operate in.
Those high costs were a big reason JetBlue had pulled back at the airport in recent years, focusing more of its New York operation on its home base at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
But with clearance now to fly roughly 12 additional daily round-trip flights from the airport, industry watchers believe a takeover of the Marine Air Terminal could suddenly make LaGuardia more appealing to the hometown carrier.
“I would say it’s a unique opportunity,” industry analyst Bob Mann told TPG last week.
“It’s a good insular facility,” he added. “No waterfalls. No shopping malls. There’s a great old diner, though.”
The airport authority weighs in
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates LGA, will ultimately have a big say in whether JetBlue actually gets to move terminals.
“The Port Authority is in dialogue with JetBlue regarding their space needs at LaGuardia, in light of the Spirit slot acquisition,” the agency told TPG Tuesday, noting it would “look forward to working with JetBlue” as it expands at LGA.
JetBlue, for its part, said it was “working with” the airport operator and was “very optimistic and hopeful” about the proposed terminal switch.
Terminal A, meanwhile, is slated for renovations in the coming years its 1980s-era concourse. The historic rotunda, which dates back more than 80 years, is landmarked.
Where JetBlue will fly with its new LGA slots
Speaking of JetBlue’s expansion at the airport: Where is the airline planning to fly?
After all, the carrier now has permission to add a dozen more trips per day.
If you’d placed your bets on Florida, you’d be in luck.
Executives on Tuesday confirmed the airline plans to use its new LGA slots to add additional service between New York City and the Sunshine State.
It was a relatively predictable move for the airline; three of the four cities JetBlue already flies to from LaGuardia are in Florida. And the airline has long made its living shuttling passengers between the two regions.
Now, this added flight capacity could mean more Florida destinations out of LGA — or, just as likely, additional daily nonstops on JetBlue’s existing routes to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and West Palm Beach.
“We have a very successful franchise from LaGuardia to Florida, and obviously Florida is a very important destination for metro New York customers,” St. George said Tuesday. “So I think we said that we see this as a chance to bolster our Florida services out of LaGuardia.”
Fun facts
JetBlue isn’t a total stranger to LGA’s Terminal A. The carrier previously operated out of the historic facility, completing its move to Terminal B in 2022 at the height of its former partnership with American Airlines. That Northeast Alliance was later blocked in federal court.
JetBlue had the sixth most departures of any airline at LGA last year, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, which both have LGA hubs, led the way. But Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Air Canada each had more departures, too.
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