TSA Urges Labor Day Travelers From LaGuardia To Arrive Early

by Cheryl Rosen August 25, 2016

Anyone departing New York’s LaGuardia Airport for Labor Day weekend will need to get a really big head start, insiders say, as the renovation project at the nation’s least-favorite airport intersects with upgraded TSA security. In short, get in your taxi now.

This past week already has been rough at LGA, as road work on the Grand Central Parkway and construction on Terminal B snarled traffic so badly that many travelers on Monday abandoned their taxis and walked from the highway.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) now reports “an increase in the number of travelers who are arriving late to the security checkpoints, with the travelers reporting that their drive to the airport was impacted as a result of construction.”

TSA recommends that travelers with flights out of LaGuardia Airport plan to arrive a minimum of 2 to 2.5 hours prior to their scheduled departure “to allow enough time for traffic, parking, check-in, baggage check and security checkpoint processing,” it said, noting it “will not compromise security if individuals are showing up late to the checkpoint. Travelers may want to arrive even earlier during holiday travel periods such as Labor Day weekend.”

“As construction on the new Central Terminal has gotten underway, a combination of factors have caused traffic delays getting into and out of LaGuardia Airport. We are aware of the stress this is causing, realize it is untenable, and apologize to passengers. We are working around the clock to address this issue as quickly as we can, together with the Port Authority,” LaGuardia Gateway Partners, which heads up the project to renovate terminal B, spokesperson Chris Bastardi told TMR.

The Port Authority and TSA suggest parking in the Terminal B parking lot, P10, and taking the free shuttle bus. There’s also a cell-phone lot there where friends and families can wait for up to two hours at no charge to pick you up.

Traffic issues at the airport are not expected to improve until the end of September.