Amazon HQ2 closest airport is LaGuardia, the worst in US: Pictures

LaGuardia Airport in New York City.Reuters/Andrew Kelly

• Amazon is closing in on a deal to bring part of its second headquarters, HQ2, to New York City, The New York Times reports.
• The headquarters will reportedly be located in Long Island City, which is a neighborhood of Queens.
• The city’s pitch to Amazon highlighted Long Island City’s proximity to LaGuardia Airport, which has a reputation for being one of the worst airports in the US.
• A 2018 study of more than 40,000 travelers by JD Power found that respondents were less satisfied with their experiences at LaGuardia than at any other large or medium airport in North America.

Amazon is closing in on a deal to bring part of its second headquarters to New York City, The New York Times reports. The headquarters will reportedly be located in Long Island City, a neighborhood of Queens, and the city’s pitch to Amazon highlighted Long Island City’s proximity to LaGuardia Airport, which has a reputation for being one of the worst airports in the US.

According to the proposal, it takes 15 minutes to travel from Long Island City to LaGuardia by car and 45 minutes to get there by public transit. But HQ2 employees could find their relatively quick commutes outweighed by the airport’s cramped, dirty, and poorly-lit terminals, as well as its narrow pick-up and drop-off areas.

While renovations to the airport’s terminals, parking system, and drop-off and pick-up areas are underway, the airport is sorely lacking in its current state, according to a 2018 study of more than 40,000 travelers by JD Power, which found that respondents were less satisfied with their experiences at LaGuardia than at any other large or medium airport in North America.

I used LaGuardia when I flew to Chicago in December 2017 and realized why its reputation is so horrible.

Here’s why being close to LaGuardia may not be a huge perk for part of Amazon’s new headquarters.