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NEW DATA: GGA analysis shows LaGuardia has the most delays of the busiest U.S. airports
October 26, 2016
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Releases & Coverage
A Rikers Island terminal for LaGuardia Airport?
USA Today | April 4, 2017
Rikers Island could become a key cog for New York’s LaGuardia Airport. At least that’s one vision for the island that's included in a city-sponsored proposal on what to with the notorious island that sits next to the airport.
The report – from the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform – follows last week’s news that New York City will shut down its campus of prisons at Rikers Island.
The commission’s proposal also comes as an $8 billion (or more) overhaul of LaGuardia is already underway. While it’s not clear how easily a Rikers Island proposal could be incorporated into the existing effort, the idea received a favorable reaction from the Global Gateway Alliance that advocates for improving the New York City-area’s airports.
“For decades, LaGuardia Airport has led the nation in delays, with traffic jams in the sky and on the ground,” Global Gateway Alliance Chairman Joe Sitt says in a statement. “But the proposal to knock down Rikers, and extend LaGuardia’s runways to the island, would be a big piece of the puzzle to change all that. By replacing 1960s radar with ‘NextGen’ GPS technology, and making more room on the ground for incoming and outgoing flights, passengers will finally be able to have on-time flights in New York. That is a vision worth working for."
CN Traveler | February 28, 2017
New York hits bottom—again.
The final air travel numbers for 2016 are in, and the results won’t surprise anyone. While flights in general are getting more punctual, some of the most delayed airports in the U.S. are New York’s perennial trio of laggards: JFK, Newark, and LaGuardia.
According to a report from the Global Gateway Alliance, a group of civic leaders pushing for improvements in the Big Apple’s airports, LaGuardia finished dead last in arrival performance of the top 29 airports, with 28 percent—or one third—of flights arriving late. (Silver lining: This is slightly better than 2015, when 29 percent were tardy.) And last year, Newark had the worst on-time departure record, with one out of four flights delayed; that too, was a tiny improvement over 2015. JFK did slightly better than the other two, but still landed in the bottom five in on-time arrivals. Delay information was sourced from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and analyzed on a year-to-date basis for 2016.
CBS NY | February 27, 2017
In a revelation that likely will not be surprising for those who fly into or out of New York City airports, LaGuardia Airport is ranked worst in the nation for arriving flight delays.
Meanwhile, as WCBS 880’s Peter Haskell reported, Joshua Greenwald of the Global Gateway Alliance said Newark Liberty International Airport is even worse than LaGuardia for delays for departing flights.
The advocacy group called for the government to replace radar tracking with GPS.
“There is a still a rollout of NextGen in the New York airspace to alleviate congestion in the skies and clear the way for more on-time departures and arrivals,” Greenwald said.
Crain's NY | February 27, 2017
Travelers faced delays more frequently coming into LaGuardia Airport than at any other airport in the nation last year, an advocacy group found.
According to the Global Gateway Alliance's crunch of federal transportation data, the Queens airport ranked last out of 29 major airports for the percentage of on-time arrivals. LaGuardia was last in 2015 as well.
NY1 | February 27, 2017
It may be no surprise if you frequently travel but LaGuardia Airport now tops the list of U.S. airports with the worst on time arrivals.
That according to data from the Global Gateway Alliance.
Last year, nearly one in every three flights were delayed.
The report says without longer runways and upgrades to air traffic control technology, recent plans to improve terminals at LaGuardia will not help with delays.
LaGuardia is in good company, with JFK and Newark Airports also making the bottom five.
WABC | February 27, 2017
LaGuardia Airport is leading the nation in a not so prestigious category: having the most flight delays.
LaGuardia had the highest percentage of delays in arriving flights last year, according to U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics data analyzed by the advocacy group Global Gateway Alliance.
Newark Airport reached the top percentile in delays for departing trips.
JFK Airport didn't escape the frustration of flyers. It also bottomed out on local airports with severe backups.
All three regional airports ranked among the bottom for delays in both categories, which measure performance of the country's 29 biggest airports.
"Once again, New York airports lead the nation for delays. So while the terminal redevelopment projects are important, these dollars wont be enough unless we address the delay problem too," said Joe Sitt, chairman of the alliance, in a statement. "Put simply, our airports will simply be nicer places to get stuck in."
February 27, 2017
A new study released today by the Global Gateway Alliance shows that LaGuardia was the most delayed airport in the nation for arriving flight in 2016, while Newark and JFK both finished in the bottom five. The analysis, which compared delays at the nation’s top 29 airports for passenger traffic, also found Newark had the worst on-time performance for departing flights.
"Once again, New York airports lead the nation for delays. So while the terminal redevelopment projects are important, these dollars won't be enough unless we address the delay problem too. Put simply, our airports will just be nicer places to get stuck in," said Global Gateway Alliance Chairman Joe Sitt. "The FAA must finally fully roll out NextGen satellite air traffic technology where it's most needed; the New York airspace, and we have to look at how to expand runways to alleviate the chronic congestion."
AMNY | February 26, 2017
New York City’s regional airports continue to lead the nation in delays.
LaGuardia Airport had the highest percentage of delays in arriving flights last year, while Newark Airport notched the top percentile in delays for departing trips, according to U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics data analyzed by the advocacy group Global Gateway Alliance.
All three regional airports ranked among the bottom for delays in both categories, which measure performance of the country’s 29 biggest airports, confirming for another year the frustrations of city flyers.
“Once again, New York airports lead the nation for delays. So while the terminal redevelopment projects are important, these dollars wont be enough unless we address the delay problem too,” said Joe Sitt, chairman of the alliance, in a statement. “Put simply, our airports will simply be nicer places to get stuck in.”
Bergen Record | February 21, 2017
A ride to and from Newark Liberty International Airport could soon get $4 more expensive.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is considering a $4 “access fee” for taxis and ride-sharing companies like Uber that pick up and drop off passengers at Newark, LaGuardia and JFK International airports. [...]
Major airports around the country already impose an access fee. But Joe Sitt, chairman of the Global Gateway Alliance, said in a statement that $4 is too much to ask from passengers in the region.
"Passengers already pay among the highest amounts in the country to get to and from our airports by car, and there shouldn't be a big new fee added on,” Sitt said.
CBS NY | February 13, 2017
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was making moves Monday as traffic at LaGuardia Airport has been turning chaotic.
CBS2 reported on the problem last week. Passengers and even pilots this past Friday were forced to grab their bags and walk on dangerous highways, walk over snowy embankments, and climb over fences to make their flights. [...]
Stephen Sigmund is the executive director of the Global Gateway Alliance, which addresses transportation challenges in the metro area. He said the Port Authority has not done enough to explore solutions.
“The security line is not supposed to start on the Grand Central Parkway,” Sigmund said.
Joe Sitt, also of the Global Gateway Alliance, said the Port Authority should initiate ferry service to the Marine Air Terminal, offer park-and-ride lots at Flushing Meadows and Citi Field, and create an app to report delays.
City & State | February 8, 2017
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is hoping to usher in a new golden age of air travel by extensively renovating John F. Kennedy International Airport, but advocates fear he’s missing an important aspect: the actual travel in the air. [...]
The Global Gateway Alliance, a business group advocating for better airports generally praised the proposal, but noted some shortcomings as well.
“We must renew our focus on implementing 21st-century NextGen air traffic technology and expanding our runways to make sure we tackle the delay problem, otherwise better airports will just be nicer places to be stuck waiting," Global Gateway Alliance Chairman Joe Sitt said in a press release.
New York airports are notorious for delays. JFK, LaGuardia and Newark were all among the five worst airports for on-time flights, according to a 2016 Global Gateway Alliance report. NextGen, an ongoing modernization of the country’s air traffic control infrastructure, seems to be the way to fix that, and the Global Gateway Alliance has been beating that drum for a long time. It’s a federal program that a governor like Cuomo can’t directly implement, but he hasn’t been silent on it. He promised to “work with our federal partners to make air traffic more efficient by expediting new air traffic technology” in a 2014 airport announcement. More than two year later, advocates say NextGen has a long way to go and seems to have lost its urgency. The “vision plan” submitted by Cuomo’s Airport Advisory Panel in January removes the governor from the equation, merely suggesting the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the region’s congressional delegation ensure NextGen’s continued funding.
“The governor has a bully pulpit around it, which he has used and should continue to use,” said Stephen Sigmund, Global Gateway Alliance’s executive director.
Commercial Observer | February 6, 2017
Well, looks like it might happen after all.
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has issued a request for proposals for an engineering firm that will lead preliminary work on an AirTrain leading to LaGuardia Airport in western Queens. A selected engineer would be responsible for early work on a new station at Willets Point in Flushing, two at the new $8 billion airport as well as figure out the line’s path, according to a press release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office. [...]
Joseph Sitt, the founder of Thor Equities and chairman of airport watchdog Global Gateway Alliance, in a statement applauded the plan, but urged that it is approved in the final capital plan.
“The governor and Port Authority’s announcement today turns words into action and brings LaGuardia one step closer to having a direct rail connection to the region’s core,” Sitt said. “For too long, millions of passengers have relied on private cars to get to and from the airport, costing them extra dollars and clogging up the roadways.”
Commercial Observer | February 2, 2017
If you build it, they will come.
Sure, that’s the line ambitious developers will often use when trying to get a project off the ground. When it comes to New York City’s infrastructure, however, experts believe that you have to rebuild it, because so many people have already come and public works have fallen apart.
And this might be the Big Apple’s golden opportunity to get a big injection of cash, courtesy of the federal government. Yes, it’s not even two weeks in and President Donald Trump is sparring with nearly everyone over almost everything under the sun… except a big infrastructure plan that would provide billions in public works. [...]
Joseph Sitt, the founder of Thor Equities and the chairman of infrastructure advocacy group Global Gateway Alliance, noted that the tri-state region’s airports currently employ 500,000 people. Upgrading the airports even more would create jobs in both the short and long run, he said.
“No place is as dependent on our subways, trains, buses and airports as we are, and without good infrastructure our city’s economy literally can’t function,” Sitt said. “That’s why the crumbling infrastructure we’ve been dealing with has cost so many billions of dollars, and that’s why we need to rebuild now.”
Bloomberg | January 9, 2017
New York’s Idlewild Airport opened in the summer of 1948 on a former golf resort. This outpost at the southeastern edge of New York City became an aviation marvel in the late 1950s as several big airlines opened terminals with cutting-edge technology aimed at enhancing the passenger experience. “Its every feature bespeaks speed and function,” Life magazine wrote in a 1961 photo essay.
In 1963, Idlewild was renamed after the U.S. president slain just weeks before in Dallas. John F. Kennedy International Airport has come a long way since—becoming one of the most recognizable airline destinations in the world. More recently, though, it’s better known for a long slide into decrepitude as infrastructure investment failed to keep pace with growth.
New York officials are hoping to change that, announcing a $10 billion program last week to modernize JFK, America’s largest international gateway airport, which sits 15 miles east of Manhattan. [...]
“Yes, the big question is, is this real or just a PR stunt to beat out” whatever type of infrastructure-spending plan the Trump administration may unveil, said Joe Sitt, chairman of the Global Gateway Alliance, a New York infrastructure advocacy group.
For several years, President-elect Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has served as an alliance board member. Last week, Kushner notified the group that he was resigning to avoid any conflicts of interest, Sitt said.
“I’m in the wait-and-see camp,” Sitt said. “I want to see something real.”
Fox Business | January 7, 2017
As the New York region's largest transportation agency prepares to embark on a 10-year, $30 billion infrastructure spending plan amid accusations of political skullduggery, one of its aging — and potentially unsafe — assets apparently has been pushed to the back burner.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's just-released preliminary 10-year capital plan contains $300 million for repairs and maintenance to Newark Liberty International Airport's oft-delayed AirTrain, which agency officials have said will be obsolete by 2022 and should be replaced. [...]
Stephen Sigmund, executive director of the Global Gateway Alliance, an advocacy group for New York-area airports, said the capital planning process invariably contains trade-offs.
"It's a basic question and challenge, that you have all this aging infrastructure and you can't fix all of it at once and add all the things you want to add," he said. "For us it was very important that the PATH to Newark go forward and there be better transit access to the airport in general."
Newsday | January 4, 2017
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo unveiled his vision Wednesday for a modernized Kennedy Airport experience, saying a $10 billion investment could dramatically improve how people maneuver the terminals, surrounding roads and mass transit system.
He said the state is exploring a “one-seat ride” — a direct trip between New York City and the airport. [...]
Joe Sitt, founder of real estate development group Thor Equities, on behalf of transit advocate Global Gateway Alliance, urged that the one-seat ride “move from ‘exploring’ to ‘doing.’ ”
NY Post | January 4, 2016
Gov. Cuomo on Wednesday unveiled a $10 billion plan to revamp JFK Airport that calls for major highway improvements, interconnected terminals, more flights and security that includes facial-recognition technology. [...]
While applauding the overhaul, New York is still is way behind international competitors when it comes to transit access to the airports.
“That part of the plan needs to move from ‘exploring’ to ‘doing,’ ” Joseph Sitt of the airport advocacy group Global Gateway Alliance said of a one-seat AirTrain ride.
Travel Weekly | January 4, 2017
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday unveiled the vision for a $7 billion renovation of John F. Kennedy Airport, plus up to $2 billion in upgrades to roadways and mass transit to the airport. [...]
In a statement Wednesday, Joe Sitt, chairman of Global Gateway Alliance, an advocacy group for users of the New York-area airports, praised the vision for the remake of Kennedy. But he also called for direct train access from the airport to the city as well as for improved air traffic control infrastructure in order to deal with delays.
"Otherwise, better airports will just be nicer places to be stuck waiting,” Sitt said.
DNAinfo | January 4, 2017
New York State will explore creating a direct transportation link between the city and John F. Kennedy International Airport as part of a $10 billion plan to revitalize the hub, Gov. Andrew Cuomo told business leaders Wednesday. [...]
Joseph Sitt, chairman and founder of Global Gateway Alliance, a group that focuses on improving the city's airports and infrastructure, said the one-seat ride element of Cuomo's plan should be the most urgent.
"That part of the plan needs to move from 'exploring' to 'doing,'" Sitt said in a statement.
Air traffic control technology at the airport needs to be updated and the runways also need to be expanded to deal with delays, "otherwise better airports will just be nicer places to be stuck waiting," he added.
JFK to Get $10B Renovation to Link Terminals, Ease Traffic Around Airport
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is floating an overhaul of John F. Kennedy International Airport—a nearly $10 billion proposal that will connect its passenger terminals. [...]
But Joseph Sitt, the founder of real estate firm Thor Equities and transit advocacy Global Gateway Alliances, said a one-seat ride to JFK was a no-brainer.
“That part of the plan needs to move from ‘exploring’ to ‘doing,’ ” Sitt said in a press release following the announcement.
Newsday Editorial Board | December 21, 2016
Travelers knew it wouldn’t be easy.
They knew the $4 billion renovation of LaGuardia Airport would come with mega construction on a relatively small piece of land, leading to headaches and frustration with traffic, parking and more.
But while no one expects the remaking of the airport, which is one of the nation’s busiest, to be painless, there is still too much pain. There are ways to make it better. [...]
Officials also should consider the idea of making the Q70 bus, which goes to the airport and has been rebranded as the LaGuardia Link, free, as suggested by the Global Gateway Alliance advocacy group. Combined with better publicity, that might encourage more airport users to use public transportation.
Crain's NY | November 20, 2016
Even during a divisive campaign, Donald Trump kept saying something that was music to my ears: We must fix our airports. Singling out LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark airports, he lamented at the first debate, “Our airports are like from a Third World country. ... You come in from Dubai and Qatar ... you come in from China, you see these incredible airports.”
Trump’s win is an endorsement of the long-held agenda of the Global Gateway Alliance, the organization I founded and chair, to improve the region’s airports. The president-elect ran on the platform of boosting investment and modernizing the nation’s transportation hubs, rightly singling out New York’s deteriorating airport terminals and physical infrastructure. Indeed, his promise to spend $1 trillion over the next decade on infrastructure through public-private partnerships and private investments from tax incentives would go a long way to bringing the nation’s airports into the 21st century.
AMNY | November 22, 2016
Uber and airport advocates announced a new awareness campaign to help prevent holiday travelers from getting scammed into illegal cabs with imposter Uber drivers.
There will be a new in-app message for travelers who open the Uber app in the Port Authority’s city airports that outlines how to spot hallmarks of fake Uber drivers. [...]
But [Uber New York's general manager Josh] Mohrer said the main purpose of the initiative is customer safety. He announced the initiative alongside Joe Sitt, chairman of the Global Gateway Alliance, an advocacy group for airport travelers.
“One of our biggest challenges is we’ve got the worst transport in and out of the airport system,” said Sitt. “That’s what this day is about ... cleaning up one of those problems and making sure people aren’t robbed, hustled taken advantage of, or worse, god forbid, when they visit our airports.”
CN Traveler | November 18, 2016
By now, it’s no secret that LaGuardia Airport is among the least-liked (and least efficient) airports in the United States. Our readers ranked it the worst airport in the country in our annual Readers' Choice Awards, and The Points Guy agreed months later. There is no mass transit to the airport (save a few buses), which means persistent gridlock; before you’ve even gotten to the airport, you’re already frustrated. [...]
Another solution? Do something about those inadequate runways. Some observers have proposed a plan to close and tear down the nearby Rikers Island prison and use that land to build new runways for LaGuardia and forge better links to the city’s sprawling transit system. The Global Gateway Alliance, a group of New York civic leaders pushing for better airports, would strongly support the additional runways, calling it a "creative idea" that needs to be seriously considered, according to Joe Sitt, the group's chairman. At LGA, the need is even greater, he said. "In the same week that we saw Governor Pence's plane overshoot the runway, we learned the airport is once again the most delayed in the country," he pointed out.
NY Post | November 18, 2016
Passengers trying to fly in and out of JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports for the holidays had better buckle up for disappointments.
A new study shows that flights involving the three New York City-area airports are more than twice as likely to be canceled than the national average during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season. [...]
Industry experts say New York City-area travelers suffer not only because of weather, but because the airspace and the runways are too crowded. They say the airports need to improve air travel control systems and on-the-ground infrastructure to make room for all the flights.
“These findings confirm what we’ve long known — New York airports continue to lead the nation for delays and cancellations, and it’s only getting worse for millions of passengers,” said Joe Sitt, chairman of the Global Gateway Alliance. “The bottom line is more dramatic steps are needed to relieve the problem.”
WSJ | November 13, 2016
When a jet carrying then-Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence skidded on landing Oct. 27 at La Guardia Airport, a debate reignited about whether the airport’s famously short runways are safe enough. [...]
“All our airports need longer runways, but nowhere more so than La Guardia, both for safety and to reduce delays,” the Global Gateway Alliance, an airport advocacy group, said in a statement.
Forbes | October 29, 2016
Newark Airport has long been a trouble spot among U.S. airports, known for ground stops and every other conceivable sort of air traffic control delay.
Yet surprisingly, United, which operates the largest New York area hub at Newark, has apparently devised a method to start to overcome the impediment of operating at Newark.
At Newark, during the first eight months of the year, only 75.3% of all flights arrived on time, the second worst on-time percentage for any major U.S. airport, according to statistics compiled by the Global Gateway Alliance, which advocates for improvements at NY airports. The statistic tracks arrivals within 14 minutes of schedule.
CBS New York | October 28, 2016
Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence called the experience of his campaign plane skidding off the runway at LaGuardia Airport “about 10 seconds of uncertainty” but said “all are well.” [...]
“Creative ideas like extending the runways to Rikers have to be seriously considered if we’re really going to have safe, smart, 21st-century airports in the world’s greatest city,” said Joe Sitt, chairman of the Global Gateway Alliance – a coalition of business, labor and real estate leaders.
AMNY | October 27, 2016
Gilbert Sror was a flight manager for decades, crisscrossing the planet with Israeli carrier El Al — managing 20-person crews, navigating on-board crises including, over the course of his career, eight passengers who fell dead mid-flight of natural causes.
Sror, 69, has chased down luggage, searched for taxis and waited for return flights in airports from Chicago (very good) to Madrid (pretty bad).
But no airport brings a scowl to his face like LaGuardia. [...]
A report released Wednesday by Global Gateway Alliance, an advocacy group of business and labor leaders, found that LaGuardia ranked last among the nation’s 29 busiest airports in terms of on-time performance, surprising absolutely no one.
NBC New York | October 26, 2016
Passengers are more likely to be delayed at LaGuardia Airport than any other major airport in the country, according to a study.
Not only that - the three airports serving New York are the some of the worst performing major airports in America when it comes to delays.
'An analysis of Bureau of Transportation Statistics data on America’s top 29 airports for passenger traffic shows LaGuardia has the lowest on-time performance for the second year in a row, followed by Newark, San Francisco’s SFO and the John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The analysis of the data was done by the Global Gateway Alliance organization, which assessed the last eight months of delay information.
Queens Courier | October 26, 2016
There may be improvements on the rise at LaGuardia Airport, but the hub ranks dead last in the United States in on-time performance, according to a report.
New data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics compared passenger traffic at the nation’s top 29 airports. Numbers showed that LaGuardia had the lowest on-time performance, with JFK following close behind.
A flight is counted “on time” if it operated less than 15 minutes after the scheduled arrival or departure time, and arrival and departure times are calculated from the arrival at or departure from the airport gate.
NJ.com | October 26, 2016
Three of the four major American airports with the most delays this year are in New Jersey and New York City.
LaGuardia is the worst, Newark Liberty is the second-worst and John F. Kennedy is the fourth-worst, according to the United State Department of Transportation.
The statistics cover the first eight months of 2016 for the 29 busiest airports in the country. A flight is considered "on time" if it arrives or departs within 15 minutes of schedule.
NJ Biz | October 26, 2016
With the relative certainty of East Coast-style pizza outranking Chicago deep dish in a national survey, the three airports that service the New York/New Jersey metro area have found themselves at the very bottom of a ranking of on-time flights throughout the country.
La Guardia found itself at the very bottom of the Global Gateway Alliance's list, which looked at on-time performance at the nation’s airports for the first eight months of 2016.
According to the statistics, less than three-quarters of La Guardia’s flights, 73 percent, have operated on time this year.
CBS New York | October 26, 2016
LaGuardia is once again the worst in the nation for flight delays in the country so far this year, according to the FAA.
An analysis from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics on the nation’s top 29 airports for passenger traffic shows that LaGuardia had the lowest on-time performance, followed closely by Newark and JFK airports.
“Despite years of spending on terminals and runway improvements, our New York-New Jersey airports still lead the nation in flight delays, leaving passengers stranded on the runway or in the crowded airways circling our hubs,” said Global Gateway Alliance Chairman Joe Sitt. “The bottom line is more dramatic steps are needed to relieve the problem. It is past time for the FAA to fully implement NextGen in our airspace, where it’s most needed, and we must expand the runways at our airports.”
October 26, 2016
NEW YORK-NEW JERSEY – New data shows that LaGuardia is once again the worst in the nation for flight delays in the first 8 months of the year. An analysis of the most up-to-date data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics on the nation’s top 29 airports for passenger traffic shows that LaGuardia had the lowest on-time performance, followed closely by Newark and JFK (full tables below).
KEY FINDINGS
LaGuardia had the lowest on-time performance of the nation’s major airports so far this year at 73%, followed by Newark in third-to-last place and JFK fourth-to-last.
July was the worst month for delays so far this year at NY-NJ airports.
The percentage of flights operating on time dropped below 70% at all 3 airports for the month, approximately 10 points below their respective year-to-date performance averages.
March was the highest performing month for the three airports; all rose in the rankings and on-time performance improved considerably.
The leading cause of delays at all three airports by a wide margin is the National Aviation System, or the airspace, affecting approximately one in ten flights.
“Despite years of spending on terminals and runway improvements, our New York-New Jersey airports still lead the nation in flight delays, leaving passengers stranded on the runway or in the crowded airways circling our hubs.” said Global Gateway Alliance Chairman Joe Sitt. “The bottom line is more dramatic steps are needed to relieve the problem. It is past time for the FAA to fully implement NextGen in our airspace, where it’s most needed, and we must expand the runways at our airports.”
AMNY | October 26, 2016
New York City’s three regional airports have some of the worst delay records so far this year, according to a new report from the Global Gateway Alliance.
The report, published Wednesday, found that LaGuardia Airport was ranked as the worst among the nation’s top 29 airports when comparing on-time arrival and departure performances over the first eight months of 2016. Newark and Kennedy Airports weren’t far behind, ranking 28th and 26th, respectively.
GGA Chairman Praises Portal Bridge Project; Urges Officials to Advance Gateway Tunnel Project to Improve Airport Access
October 20, 2016
(NEW YORK) ― Global Gateway Alliance Chairman Joe Sitt released the following statement today on the Port Authority Board of Commissioners authorizing funding for the Portal North Bridge project:
"Modernizing the Portal Bridge is vital to replacing the crumbling,116-year-old, one-track-in one-track-out rail tunnel that causes such a bottleneck in efficient passenger transportation between New York and New Jersey. A 21st century rail tunnel will finally provide millions of passengers with better, safer and more reliable access between Newark Airport and the region's core, meaning fewer missed flights and more passengers choosing mass transit over clogging the roadways.
"Strong transportation connectivity is the lifeblood of our region and yet rail transportation remains a constant cause of concern. Now, New Jersey, New York and federal officials must work together so the Gateway project gains the momentum it needs so it can't be stopped."
FT | October 5, 2016
Manhattan traffic jams offer lessons for business-travel planning
My 17-mile taxi journey from John F Kennedy International Airport into Manhattan the Saturday before last took three hours and 41 minutes because of a tunnel closure.
Returning to London’s Heathrow a few days later, and too weary to face the 90-minute late-night Tube and bus journey home, I treated myself to the 15-minute Heathrow Express to Paddington, only to discover that signalling problems meant there would not be another train for 48 minutes.
Of all urban centres, New York and London have the greatest claim to be world cities. They are culturally vibrant, financially powerful and magnets for the brightest and most ambitious from around the globe.
Yet there they were, struggling to get people to and from their principal airports. And those who travelled by road would see, in both cities, streets that were shabby, littered and badly maintained. The contrast with the gleaming airports, fast rail services and manicured roadside verges in Asia, the Middle East and much of Europe was stark. [...]
JFK came last in an international 32-airport ranking of transport connections carried out last year by the Global Gateway Alliance, a US-based campaigning organisation. Heathrow did far better, with only six international airports ranked higher.
Newsday | October 3, 2016
An airport advocacy group is urging the Port Authority to improve its communications after the agency twice failed to alert the public about a possible terrorism event at an area airport.
“Security must be priority number one, and both recent incidents at New York airports demonstrate the need for a better airport-wide responses and clearer communication with passengers,” the Global Gateway Alliance said. [...]
The Global Gateway Alliance, a business-oriented group that promotes local airports, said the two incidents showed passengers should be kept informed “so they know what to do to be safe in a real emergency,” its chairman, Joe Sitt, said in the email.
The Port Authority communications should include phone alert for people in the immediate area and more timely updates on social media and websites, he said.
“Passengers need to know who the security buck stops with,” he said.
Times Ledger | September 30, 2016
The MTA relaunched its Q70 bus on Sunday as the new LaGuardia Link special bus service which will provide travelers and airport employees with better transit options to and from LaGuardia to transit hubs at 61st Street in Woodside and 74th Street/Broadway in Jackson Heights. The specially marked buses will speed service with off-board fare collection. [...]
Transportation advocacy groups Global Gateway Alliance and Riders Alliance applauded the MTA for providing riders with quick, convenient and recognizable access from LaGuardia to the E, F, M, R and 7 trains and the Long Island Rail Road. The new transit access will provide relief for travelers from traffic snarls at the airport due to the airport reconstruction project now underway. [...]
Raskin and Joe Sitt, the Chairman of Global Gateway Alliance, urged the MTA to make the LaGuardia Link a free service to maximize its ridership and alleviate congestion at the airport by motor vehicles.
“In order to be truly effective, the MTA must now also make the route free,” Sitt said. The Q70 was already popular with more than 4,000 daily riders, an 18 percent increase from 2014.
Metro News | September 26, 2016
“In the wake of the traffic nightmares plaguing LaGuardia, this new innovative mass transit route to LaGuardia couldn't have come soon enough,” Global Gateway Alliance chairman Joe Sitt said.
MTA launched a new service on Sunday for those trying to catch a flight at LaGuardia Airport. The new Q70 LaGuardia Link SBS will provide travelers and airport workers with access from Woodside and Jackson Heights to terminals B, C and D. The bus, which is clearly marked as a shuttle to the airport, according to the transportation advocacy groups that made the proposal last year, will link the airport with the E, F, M, R and 7 trains and LIRR.
The last piece of the proposal the citywide transportation advocacy groups Riders Alliance and Global Gateway Alliance are pushing for is to make the shuttle free to riders.
“In the wake of the traffic nightmares plaguing LaGuardia, this new innovative mass transit route to LaGuardia couldn't have come soon enough,” Global Gateway Alliance chairman Joe Sitt said. “The quick and clearly branded route will get more passengers off the roads and onto mass transit, and finally provide the airport with 21st century mass transit access. But in order to be truly effective, the MTA must now also make the route free."
La Presse | September 10, 2016
[TRANSLATED] Joe Sitt, president of the American organization Global Gateway Alliance, which aims to improve airport infrastructure in the New York region, notes that the use of technology like the automated kiosks have been successful in reducing Customs wait times at New York and New Jersey airports in recent years. "Now, we are told that the Customs kiosks in New York are often out of order, leading to longer lines and wait times," he said. For Fynnwin Prager, the technology could also be better utilized by border agencies. "The wait times could be reduced by better management of the queue system, and also by the use of better technologies to accelerate the interviews at Customs and immigration," he said.
Travel Weekly | September 5, 2016
The contractor overseeing the rebuilding of LaGuardia Airport last week defended itself against criticism over traffic delays caused by construction, but the company also said it was taking more steps to help the roadways flow better. [...]
Still, critics expressed skepticism that the steps taken will actually reduce traffic snarls around the airport.
Among them is Joseph Sitt, chairman of the Global Gateway Alliance (GGA), an advocacy group for users of the New York-area airports, who said last week that the measures taken by the Port Authority and Gateway Partners are not adequate.
“One of the questions we have is: If they had four years to plan this, why are they making these quick fixes now?” Sitt said.
The GGA has created a six-point list of steps it believes would be easy to implement and would help alleviate delays.
Those recommendations include an increase in park-and-ride lots; free bus service to LaGuardia on the newly renamed “LaGuardia Link” route in Queens; the launch of shuttle service to a nearby subway station; temporary ferry service to LaGuardia from Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens; opening temporary highway access ramps from the Grand Central Parkway; and launching a website and app that would provide real-time LaGuardia traffic updates.
Sitt predicted that days such as Aug. 22 will be repeated throughout the LaGuardia project if those changes aren’t made to the airport’s transit infrastructure.
NY Daily News | September 4, 2016
We are only three months into an eight-year overhaul at LaGuardia Airport, and yet the traffic disruptions have already spiraled out of control, with some passengers even abandoning their rides and taking to the highways on foot to get to their flights.
We must aggressively address the problem before a state of permanent disarray settles on the airport, or a safety hazard turns into a tragedy.
When Gov. Cuomo and the Port Authority announced a major overhaul of LaGuardia, we knew minor disruptions and delays were in store. But with four years to plan and billions of dollars at stake, hours-long traffic delays causing passengers to miss their flights are not only unexpected but also unacceptable.
Travel Pulse | August 30, 2016
Air travelers passing through New York's LaGuardia Airport would be wise to leave themselves some extra travel time. The airport, which serves as many as 28 million passengers per year, is coming off of a nightmarish traffic backup last week that has many questioning the planning behind the $4 billion overhaul currently underway, the Associated Press reported. [...]
Global Gateway Alliance chairman Joe Sitt, whose organization advocates for improving air travel in the region, has been critical of the renovation efforts thus far. "They're just not doing a very good job right now, the traffic situation is spiraling out of control," Sitt told the AP. "They need to do a better job of promoting the alternatives that they're already talking about," he added, referring to the Port Authority's goals of promoting bus service and encouraging passengers to use a remote drop-off lot.
USA Today | August 26, 2016
NEW YORK (AP) — There could be turbulence for travelers during the multibillion dollar renovation of New York's LaGuardia Airport. Vice President Joe Biden said the aging LaGuardia reminded him of a "Third World country" — and that was before a massive traffic tie-up related to a $4 billion overhaul prompted passengers to abandon their cabs and cars and walk to the terminals. [...]
But critics say the Port Authority must do more to ensure that the airport functions smoothly during the prolonged redevelopment.
"They're just not doing a very good job right now, the traffic situation is spiraling out of control," said Joe Sitt, chairman of the Global Gateway Alliance, which advocates for improving air transportation in New York and New Jersey.
Sitt said the Port Authority must keep travelers informed about buses to LaGuardia and parking options if they choose to drive, preferably with an app that would provide real-time traffic data. "They need to do a better job of promoting the alternatives that they're already talking about," he said.
AP | August 25, 2016
There could be turbulence for travelers during the multibillion dollar renovation of New York's LaGuardia Airport. Vice President Joe Biden said the aging LaGuardia reminded him of a "Third World country" — and that was before a massive traffic tie-up related to a $4 billion overhaul prompted passengers to abandon their cabs and cars and walk to the terminals. [...]
"They're just not doing a very good job right now, the traffic situation is spiraling out of control," said Joe Sitt, chairman of the Global Gateway Alliance, which advocates for improving air transportation in New York and New Jersey. Sitt said the Port Authority must keep travelers informed about buses to LaGuardia and parking options if they choose to drive, preferably with an app that would provide real-time traffic data. "They need to do a better job of promoting the alternatives that they're already talking about," he said.
Conde Nast Traveler | August 19, 2016
Days after a major airport was brought to its knees by a false report of a gunman on the loose, there are still many unanswered questions about what happened—and why the situation was allowed to spiral out of control. And the problems this episode exposed go beyond one airport: Security experts have long warned that large U.S. airports aren’t adequately prepared for emergencies, especially those occurring on the non-secure side of their facility, and with multiple agencies arguably in charge, the lines of authority are unclear. [...]
"The chaos that ensued across terminals does show the need for a better airport-wide response, and clearer communication with passengers so they know what to do to be safe in a real emergency,” said Joe Sitt, chairman of Global Gateway Alliance, an organization of civic leaders in New York advocating for airport improvements. “At such a large and far-flung airport as JFK, passengers need to know who the security buck stops with."
WSJ | August 12, 2016
Since construction began this summer to overhaul New York’s aging La Guardia Airport, many travelers say things have gotten worse. [...]
Joseph Sitt, the chairman of the Global Gateway Alliance, a group that advocates for airport improvements, criticized the Port Authority and the consortium overseeing Terminal B’s overhaul. Both “have had four years to plan for this and need to do a much better job of communicating to the public, and promoting transportation alternatives,” Mr. Sitt said.
The city’s three airports receive over 110 million passengers a year and delays are a major concern for tourists and residents alike.
According to a report by the Global Gateway Alliance, LaGuardia ranked last in the country in 2015 when it comes to on-time arrivals, but the two other airports in the area aren’t excelling either.
New York’s John F. Kennedy airport receives over 50 million passengers every year, and according to the that same study, in 2015 just 76 percent of planes arrived on time.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Delta Air Lines have reached a nearly $4 billion deal to redevelop LaGuardia Airport Terminals C and D, the authority and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Thursday.
After its meeting Thursday, the Port Authority’s Board of Commissioners moved to contribute $600 million to support the combining of current Terminals C and D into one Delta facility the airline would lease through 2050. The authority’s investment will leverage about $3 billion in Delta’s financing of the new facilities, Cuomo said in a Thursday news release.
Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey voted today to earmark $600 million for its part of building the Delta Air Lines component of the new LaGuardia Airport, with the rest of the $4 billion project under negotiation.
Delta has a handshake agreement with the agency, which controls the ground at the airport, in which it will build new Terminal C and Terminal D buildings closer to theGrand Central Parkway. Patrick Foye, the Port Authority executive director, said the agency is currently working out a renewed ground lease with the airline.
(NEW YORK) ― Global Gateway Alliance Chairman Joe Sitt released the following statement today after the Port Authority board approved a deal with Delta to redevelop LaGuardia's Terminals C and D at its monthly board meeting.
"Redeveloping terminals C and D is the final missing piece in the LaGuardia overhaul that will bring the airport as a whole into the 21st century. And with terminal improvements finally underway, the Port should also now consider lifting the perimeter rule to boost competition at our airports.
"However, cost estimates have more than doubled in the last year, so it's time now for partners to bring greater transparency to the overhaul and build confidence in the project by posting clear budgets and timelines to the project website, and updating it regularly so the public can keep track."
(NEW YORK) ― Global Gateway Alliance Chairman Joseph Sitt released the following statement today in response to a commitment from the TSA and United Airlines to improve security at a number of US airports and open permanent PreCheck enrollment centers, including at Newark Liberty Airport:
"TSA and United are taking the right steps to address the hours-long security lines plaguing the region's airports. And opening a permanent PreCheck enrollment center at Newark Airport to meet passengers where they are – something GGA has long called for – just makes good common sense. The next step is TSA opening enrollment centers at all three of the region's airports and ensuring the right level of staffing is there to meet rising demand."
As with any major revamp of a big airport, the cost of dragging LaGuardia International into the modern era is measured in billions of dollars. It started at $3.6 billion, but that was just for a three-story terminal to replace a 1964-era shell that leaks water, squeezes travelers, and inspired U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to dub the runt of New York’s three main airports a “third world” facility.
The refit of the central terminal, also called Terminal B, rose to $4 billion with the later addition of a “Great Hall” entry to connect the 35-gate structure with Terminal C. The entire project also seeks to expand onto real estate now allocated to parking, hard up against the traffic-clogged Grand Central Parkway. The planning and design work alone got $1 billion back in 2004.
NY Business Journal | July 5, 2016
Travelers looking to connect their computers and other devices to the internet at the three major N.Y.C.-area airports pay more for these services than they do at other airports around the nation, a new report finds.
According to the Global Gateway Alliance, an advocacy group that despite its name is focused primarily on New York City's airports and related infrastructure, travelers at the three airports only get 30 minutes of free WiFi before they have to pay rates of $4.95 for an hour, $7.95 for a day, or $9.95 for a month of access.
Newark Patch | July 5, 2016
Which large American airports are among the few who don’t provide free Wi-Fi?
According to a recent study from air travel advocacy group Global Gateway Alliance (GGA), only five out of the 20 busiest airports in the nation fail to provide unlimited free Wi-Fi to their passengers.
The Wi-Fi-challenged airports include the three under Port Authority of New York and New Jersey auspices: Newark, JFK and LaGuardia.
AMNY | July 5, 2016
Transportation advocates want unlimited free Wi-Fi to take off at Port Authority airports.
After an anticipated 2.6 million commuters traveled through LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark airports during the Fourth of July Weekend, the Global Gateway Alliance is calling for the bi-state agency to expand its policy of 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi to unlimited, around-the-clock access.
Out of the 20 busiest American airports, LaGuardia, JFK and Newark are three of five that don’t provide the amenity, according to the alliance.
NY Post | July 5, 2016
Wi-Fi service is needlessly expensive at all three New York City-area airports compared with the free access that travelers get at most other US facilities, a new study has found.
Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark airports, which are all run by the Port Authority, offer fliers only 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi before they have to pay, according to the study by transportation-advocacy group Global Gateway Alliance.
NY Daily News | July 5, 2016
Wi-Fi at New York area airports won’t make time fly — it’s too expensive and the free version doesn’t get you far, according to Global Gateway Alliance, an airport advocacy group.
At Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports, harried fliers get 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi after watching an ad, but then have to pay $4.95 for an hour of internet or $7.95 for the whole day.
But 15 of the nation’s busiest airports allow fliers to connect for free — or at least make them fill out a short survey or view a quick ad before getting Wi-Fi on the house, according to a roundup from Global Gateway Alliance.
NY-NJ AIRPORT WI-FI ACCESSIBILITY STILL AMONG WORST IN U.S.
GGA Finds Area Airports 3 of only 5 in Nation Without Unlimited Wi-Fi
(NEW YORK) ― A new analysis released today by Global Gateway Alliance reveals New York metropolitan airports lag behind national competitors in providing a critical, 21st century amenity; unlimited Wi-Fi availability. The analysis compared NY area airports with the 20 busiest airports in the country.
In 2013, the Port Authority renegotiated its contract with Boingo to provide passengers at NY-NJ airports with access to a half-hour of free Wi-Fi, after which it costs either $4.95 an hour or $7.95 for 24 hours for continued access.
Released on July 5, 2016.
Newsday | June 30, 2016
The airport security screening system criticized earlier this year for hourslong waiting lines in the New York City area and nationwide faces its second major test of the summer travel season over the Independence Day weekend. [...]
TSA said in a Twitter message this week that it expects passenger volumes “to drastically increase” this weekend, but declined to elaborate.
For Memorial Day weekend, TSA reported that its internal data showed 99 percent of passengers nationwide waiting an average of less than 30 minutes. The agency said 99 percent of passengers at the three major New York City-area airports — Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty — waited an average of less than 20 minutes.
Those wait times were for the standard lines, and passengers who registered for the TSA pre-check program waited less than five minutes on average at all airports, the agency said.
The Global Gateway Alliance, which advocates for better New York area airports, surveyed 300 passengers in May and only 5 percent said they used the TSA app.
Federal security officials said Tuesday they are opening three temporary offices in the New York City area to help enroll travelers in a program meant to speed them through airport security checkpoints.
One office in the United Airlines ticket office in Penn Station will be open from July 11 to July 29, the Transportation Security Administration said in a news release.
The Global Gateway Alliance, which advocates for better New York area airports, said it welcomed the “temporary fixes.”
“It’s just common sense to put enrollment centers in places that meet passengers where they are, rather than in far-off and hard-to-find locations, and now [the] TSA needs to make this move permanent,” the group’s chairman, Joseph Sitt, said.
(NEW YORK) ― Global Gateway Alliance Chairman Joseph Sitt released the following statement today in response to a commitment from the TSA to open three additional, temporary PreCheck enrollment centers in the metropolitan area to meet an increase in demand for the program:
“We’re glad TSA is finally taking steps to address the demands made by both GGA and New York area passengers to enroll more people in PreCheck by opening enrollment centers that are convenient to passengers, but temporary fixes are not the answer.
"It's just common sense to put enrollment centers in places that meet passengers where they are, rather than in far-off and hard-to-find locations, and now TSA needs to make this move permanent. The PreCheck program has the potential to curb lines in the long term while boosting the region's security, but it cannot succeed without proper marketing and availability.”
The LaGuardia renovation, which is overseen by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, will involve the demolition and replacement of LaGuardia’s main terminal, Terminal B, as well as Terminal A. Trains will be built to connect commuters to the Long Island Railroad and ferry passengers around the airport. New infrastructure will be built for high-speed water taxis into Manhattan. The entire terminal area will be moved 600 feet closer to the Grand Central Parkway, providing more space for airplane taxiways.
Like the Regional Planning Association’s Barone, Joe Sitt, chairman of Global Gateway Alliance, which advocates on New York-area airport issues, isn’t quite as bullish about what LaGuardia passengers will encounter in the coming years.
With travelers struggling to get to and from LaGuardia Airport — and Gov. Cuomo planning to spend billions on a rail link — a grand idea for improved access at low cost surfaced last November.
The Riders Alliance and the Global Gateway Alliance, which advocate for improved transportation, brought to our attention that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority actually had a workable LaGuardia connection.
The Q70 bus makes a 10-minute run between the airport and two important transit hubs: the Jackson Heights subway station at Roosevelt/74th St. (7, E, F, M and R trains) and the Woodside stop on the Long Island Rail Road. Both are within 15 minutes of Manhattan.
DNA Info | June 15, 2016
The Q70 bus to LaGuardia Airport is getting a new name and look to help straphangers find the right bus to catch a plane, the governor's office announced Tuesday. [...]
“The best mass transit option to LaGuardia shouldn't be a secret, but for too long that's what the Q70 has been," said Joe Sitt, chairman of Global Gateway Alliance.
AMNY | June 15, 2016
As part of the groundbreaking of the new LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the Q70 bus would be rebranded as the “LaGuardia Link,” operating as Select Bus Service to the Queens airport. [...]
“LaGuardia has the worst mass transit access of any of our major airports,” Joe Sitt, Chairman of Global Gateway Alliance, in a statement. “Both passengers and airlines agree that transit to and from the city’s airport is in desperate need of an overhaul. Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction for millions of passengers.”
Vice President Joseph Biden and Gov. Andrew Cuomo ceremoniously kicked off the $4.2 billion construction of a new 1.3-million-square-foot Terminal B building at LaGuardia Airport in Queens today.
Terminal B is part of a larger plan to essentially rebuild LaGuardia, which has long been the butt of infrastructure jokes. Cuomo and Biden last July announced a plan to replace the existing four-terminal LaGuardia Airport in Elmhurst, Queens, with new structures that will allow for more tarmac space. The veep has pushed for more infrastructure investment across the country, particularly at LaGuardia, and in February 2014 referred to it as a “third-world country.” Cuomo said today the entire project would cost $7 billion when all the terminals are rebuilt.
(NEW YORK, NY) — Transportation advocacy groups Riders Alliance and Global Gateway Alliance (GGA) hailed Governor Cuomo’s announcement today of a new “LaGuardia Link” shuttle bus that will connect airport visitors with the subway—an idea that the two groups had originally proposed last November. The rebranded shuttle bus will operate as a Select Bus Service route and will replace the Q70 bus, offering airport visitors and transit riders a convenient, intuitive way to take public transit to LaGuardia.
The full proposal, laid out in a report from the Riders Alliance and endorsed by the Global Gateway Alliance, can be found at www.ridersny.org/LGA and is described in more detail below.
NY1 | June 7, 2016
During the past weeks, the TSA administrator has been spending a lot of time before Congress.
The agency he leads is pretty unpopular with some U.S. travelers, and long security lines have made hundreds miss their flights.
A recent poll by the Global Gateway Alliance says 43 percent of New York City fliers have a bad impression of the TSA.
The longest lines are at the 20 busiest U.S. airports, which includes LaGuardia and JFK.
MORE THAN 70% WANT TSA TO TRACK AND PUBLISH WAIT TIMES, ONLY 5% USE MYTSA APP
(NEW YORK) ― A new survey released today by Global Gateway Alliance showed passengers are fed up with security lines at New York area airports and think TSA needs to do a better job of improving the experience and tracking wait times. The survey of more than 300 individuals in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area found that for every positive impression of airport security in the region, there were two “bad” or “very bad” ones.
NY Daily News | June 5, 2016
New York area fliers think air travel is for the birds due to annoyingly long security lines, a new survey being released Monday shows.
The survey on the Transportation Security Administration from the Global Gateway Alliance, an airport advocacy group, found that 43% of fliers had a bad impression of TSA security lines, while more than a third said it has been getting worse in recent months.
Queens Courier | June 1, 2016
If you traveled to or from New York and New Jersey airports in the last year and experienced major delays, it wasn’t just your bad luck. The New York and New Jersey airports ranked the worst in the national delay rankings.
The study was issued on Monday by Global Gateway Alliance (GGA), which is a nonprofit advocacy organization whose aim is to address major challenges of the metropolitan region’s airports. According to the study, LaGuardia Airport (LGA), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport (Newark) were the most delayed in the nation. The study compared the arrival and departure performance of the 29 top U.S. airports in the last year and compared the data with 2014.
“Passengers flying through our airports are getting held up at every turn and with the busy summer period ahead, delays will only get worse,” GGA Chairman Joe Sitt said in the statement. “It is past time for Congress to fully fund the roll out of the NextGen air traffic control system here in the New York region where it’s most needed, because delays are bad for passengers, the airports and our reputation, hurting our economy in the long term.”
Passengers going through the New York City area’s three major airports this summer are more likely to experience flight delays than most other U.S. airports, an advocacy group said Wednesday.
Data from the past five summers shows Newark finished in last place among 29 major airports, with a combined arrival and departure on-time rate of 68 percent, according to the Global Gateway Alliance. Newark was the only airport to average an on-time performance rate below 70 percent. [...]
“It is past time for Congress to fully fund the rollout of the NextGen air traffic control system here in the New York region where it’s most needed, because delays are bad for passengers, the airports and our reputation, hurting our economy in the long term,” said Joe Sitt.
(NEW YORK) ― New data released today by Global Gateway Alliance shows that passengers traveling
through New York and New Jersey airports should prepare for significant delays this summer. Over the
last 5 years, all three of the region’s airports ranked in the bottom third for on-time performance among
the nation’s top airports, and Newark ranked last.
Inhumane TSA lines are just the beginning for long-suffering air travelers in the New York area — as JFK, La Guardia, and Newark Airports are among the worst in the country in summertime delays, a new study has found.
And the situation is not expected to improve anytime soon, say officials at the Global Gateway Alliance. [...]
A big part of the problem is that all three airports still operate on an antiquated air traffic system that often leads to congestion, said Sitt. Some airports around the country have more modern, “next gen,” satellite-based air traffic systems that are more efficient, said GGA officials.
WSJ | May 26, 2016
To move more quickly through security, get to the airport early, leave prohibited items at home and have identifications ready to be checked, the Transportation Security Administration suggested Thursday.
But the advice, offered at La Guardia Airport as a busy travel weekend loomed, didn’t seem to tamp down the criticism of the agency.
Instead of offering tips, a group that advocates for airport improvements called Global Gateway Alliance said, the TSA needed to push for more staff, track actual wait times and get more people into PreCheck—the TSA’s trusted-traveler program.
“Blaming passengers won’t solve the problem of unconscionably long security lines at our airports,” said Joe Sitt, chairman of the group.
Statement on Plans to Improve Security Lines at Newark Airport
GGA Chairman Joseph Sitt released the following statement today, May 23, 2016:
"With summer travel season approaching, we're grateful that Senators Booker and Menendez, Reps. Payne and Sires, and officials are taking action. But these steps must only be the beginning to ensure this summer isn't a nightmare for security lines at our airports.
"GGA has repeatedly called for TSA to increase staffing and open PreCheck enrollment centers in the airports to meet passengers where they are. And with passenger traffic on the rise, we need long term commitments from TSA and long term funding from Congress to ensure proper staffing stays in place, more PreCheck lanes are open, and enrollment centers are in places where people will actually use them. Last, it's past time for TSA to relaunch its public website tracking wait times so passengers actually know how long the lines really are."
New York officials have joined their counterparts in Newark in supporting the effort to keep proposed PATH rail extension to Newark airport off the Port Authority's fiscal chopping block.
A letter to top Port Authority officials pitches the $1.5 billion PATH extension as a benefit to New Yorkers, providing a 35-minute ride to the airport from lower Manhattan.
GGA | May 19, 2016
Global Gateway Alliance Chairman Joe Sitt, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, ABNY, and the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association sent a letter today to the Port Authority calling on the agency to continue with plans to extend the PATH train to Newark Liberty Airport Station.
Authors of the letter wrote, "Extending the PATH train two miles to Newark Liberty Airport Station is a common sense project that will provide passengers with a quick and affordable ride from Lower Manhattan to the airport and local residents with greater access all along the PATH system, from Jersey City to Harrison and surrounding towns."
WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — Under fire from Congress and outraged passengers over long wait times at security checkpoints, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced new steps Friday aimed at easing delays during the busy summer travel season. TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger appeared before the House Oversight Committee Thursday to answer for the agency's failings. "I am systematically and deliberately leading the transformation of the TSA," said Neffenger, who took control of the embattled agency last summer[...]
"Lines at our airports are already too long, but come summer, they'll only get worse," said Joe Sitt, chairman of the Global Gateway Alliance, in a statement. "It's past time now for Congress to fund increased staffing at the nation's busiest hubs like those in the New York area, and for TSA to focus on getting more passengers enrolled in PreCheck."
Waiting to go through the airport security checkpoint is one of the most dreaded parts of taking a trip, right up there with everyone lining up to board the plane in Group 1. But though the Transportation Security Administration admits it needs to hire more staffers to handle the influx of travelers, the agency also wants to remind everyone that they are part of the problem[...]
However, traveler advocacy group Global Gateway Alliance thinks Homeland Security and the TSA aren't taking enough responsibility. GGA chairman Joe Sitt (the head of real estate development firm Thor Equities) told the Post, "Blaming passengers won’t solve the problem of unconscionably long security lines at our airports."
The security lines at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta have been dominating headlines lately, and for good reason. They are out of control. It’s no longer rare for travelers to spend an hour or more in security lines that stretch through the domestic terminal and out into baggage claim. In response, Hartsfield-Jackson has closed its south security checkpoint for three weeks to install new automated screening equipment to help process the airport’s staggering 101.5 million annual visitors[...]
“The LaGuardia overhaul is a critical and long-overdue project that will upgrade the airport from ‘third world’ to world class and strengthen the region's economy,” said Joe Sitt, chairman of the Global Gateway Alliance. “Now the Port Authority and LaGuardia Gateway Partners must focus on bringing transparency to the project so passengers know whether budgets and timelines are met."
NY Post | May 12, 2016
New Yorkers can blame themselves for unbearably long lines at area airports, the Transportation Security Administration said in response to criticism from the Port Authority. The TSA admitted that waiting times at Newark, JFK and LaGuardia airport security checkpoints had increased since last year — hitting a high of 55 minutes this spring — but blamed the spike on passengers who clog up checkpoints with too many carry-on bags[...] “Blaming passengers won’t solve the problem of unconscionably long security lines at our airports,” GGA chairman Joseph Sitt said Thursday.“Instead, TSA needs to address the issue head on to avoid a real crisis during the busy summer travel season,” he added.
May 12, 2016
“Blaming passengers won't solve the problem of unconscionably long security lines at our airports. Instead, TSA needs to address the issue head on to avoid a real crisis during the busy summer travel season, including:
Relentlessly advocating for increased staffing, which has been cut by 70 positions at Newark, and creatively deploying current staff to ensure the most effective coverage of the security lines themselves;
Better marketing of PreCheck and bringing enrollment centers to our airports and to more convenient locations; and
Tracking and publishing real wait times on publicly available websites.
Safe and efficient security at our airports is too important to get wrong.”
Multiple factors have contributed to long airport security lines
Travel Weekly | May 9, 2016
A perfect storm of events has created some of the longest airport security wait times in recent memory. From Seattle to Minneapolis to Atlanta, passengers are complaining of three-hour security lines, and airlines are asserting that thousands of people are missing their flights because of those lines[...] “It’s just marketing and getting out there and thinking like a business,” said Joseph Sitt, chairman of the Global Gateway Alliance.
TSA unveils plans to reduce long lines at airport security checkpoints
WABC7 | May 4, 2016
The TSA is unveiling its plans to reduce long lines at security checkpoints. [...] However some new changes are on the horizon that could help people get cleared for takeoff a lot faster[...]
"The TSA needs to put specificity to them, how many staff, are they going to replace the staff that has been lost and bringing back some transparency," said Stephen Sigmund of the Global Gateway Alliance. "They used to post wait times, security wait times on their web site."
Bloomberg | May 5, 2016
There is broad agreement that U.S. airports will not be a pleasant place this summer as security screening lines swell and officials warn that delays will trigger missed flights and may even harm the economy. [...] TSA should open more enrollment facilities at airports, Joseph Sitt, chairman the Global Gateway Alliance, which advocates on behalf of New York-area travelers, said in an e-mailed statement.
GGA Chairman Joe Sitt released the following statement today, May 4, 2016, following a commitment from the DHS Secretary Jeh C. Johnson to increase TSA staffing and to better market PreCheck:
"We're glad TSA is beginning to respond to passenger demands to fix out of control security lines with these initial steps. But now TSA must provide firm commitments on increased staffing levels and timelines for deployment, especially at the busiest airport hubs like those in the New York area. TSA also needs to bring back its website tracking real wait time data so the flying public knows the real extent of the problem, and open PreCheck enrollment centers in the airports to meet passengers where they are."
Link to DHS release: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2016/05/04/statement-secretary-johnson-transportation-security-administration#
NJ.com | May 01, 2016
In the fall, the federal government will lift the cap on the number of hourly takeoffs and landings at Newark-Liberty International Airport.[....]
"Lifting arbitrary slot restrictions means greater competition at our airports and lower prices for passengers," said Joe Sitt of Global Gateway Alliance, an advocacy group. "[But] the FAA and TSA have to make smart decisions so delays and security lines don't get even worse."
Joe Sitt | Star-Ledger | May 2, 2016
With hours-long delays and no end in sight, security lines at the nation's airports have spiraled out of control.
Nowhere is that clearer than at Newark Liberty International Airport, where months of long lines and passenger horror stories have led lawmakers — like Sens. Cory Booker and Robert Menendez as well as Congressmen Alberto Sires and Donald Payne Jr. — to call for action. With summer around the corner, interminable waits will become even longer.
Newsday | April 28, 2016
January’s blustery blizzard was a record one. The snowfall, from Jan. 22 to 23, totaled 27.5 inches, an all time high in New York City’s history, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday. [...]
The storm brought whiteout conditions and saw Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo issue a travel ban. Area airports had almost 6,000 flights canceled or delayed, according to an analysis by the Global Gateway Alliance.
NJ.com | April 28, 2016
A transportation advocacy organization, in a statement, said an Elizabeth ordinance that would prevent ride-sharing companies from operating at Terminal A and at both city train stations is "ill-conceived" and asked the city to drop their plan altogether.
"Now it's time to take this bad idea off the table entirely," said Joe Sitt, chairman of New York-based Global Gateway Alliance. "The airport needs better transportation options, and Elizabeth needs the jobs and economic opportunity that comes with airport Uber pickups."
Times Ledger | April 28, 2016
On Earth Day last Friday, City Comptroller Scott Stringer blasted a tax giveaway that allows airlines at LaGuardia and JFK airports to avoid paying city sales tax on airline fuel. [...]
Joseph Sitt, founder of Global Gateway Alliance, which advocates for improved airports, backed Stringer’s call for a new city tax to help fund airport improvement projects. “New York airports need billions to finally make them world class instead of Third World,so dedicated new revenue sources are the right approach,” Sitt said.
GGA Statement on Elizabeth Decision to Table Uber Ban
April 27, 2016
(NEW YORK) ― Global Gateway Alliance Chairman Joe Sitt released the following statement today on the news that the City of Elizabeth has delayed voting an ordinance banning Uber pickups from Newark Terminal A:
"It's good news that the City of Elizabeth tabled an ill conceived ordinance that would ban Uber for over 10 million passengers at Newark airport, but now it's time to take this bad idea off the table entirely. The airport needs better transportation options, and Elizabeth needs the jobs and economic opportunity that comes with airport Uber pickups."
Newsday | April 23, 2016
Weary travelers, take heart. The “nap pod” awaits. JetBlue has unveiled a handful of the futuristic-looking recliners at its Kennedy Airport terminal. [...]
Global Gateway Alliance, a travelers’ advocacy group based in Manhattan, called the investment a step forward for metro area airports.“NYC airports rank last in the world for amenities, so we applaud JetBlue for leading the way in finally offering a 21st Century passenger experience,” Alliance chairman Joe Sitt said in a statement.
The Bergen Record | April 23, 2016
Elizabeth’s City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on a proposal to rein in operations of unregulated, app-based rides-for-hire businesses within the city, such as Uber and Lyft, and ban them from picking up passengers at Newark Liberty International Airport’s Terminal A, which lies within the limits of New Jersey’s fourth-largest city. [...]
The Global Gateway Alliance, a group of business and labor leaders who advocate for airport and infrastructure development, has made it clear that it wants Uber to continue to operate at the airport. Joseph Sitt, the group’s chairman, sent a letter Thursday to Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage saying the proposed rules are "overly onerous."
Travelers’ access to the airport is "already seriously restricted and often costly" and the ordinance "will only make matters worse," Sitt wrote.
Newsday | April 22, 2016
City Controller Scott Stringer wants airlines to pump sales tax revenue into New York each time an airplane fuels up, just like drivers do. In a report to be released Friday, Stringer found that this exemption on a 4.5% sales tax means $100 million a year in lost revenue, based on the current low cost of fuel. [...]
Joseph Sitt, real estate mogul and founder of the Global Gateway Alliance, an airport advocacy group, backed the tax as a way to turn make the facilities “world class instead of ‘third world’ ” — a reference to Vice President Joe Biden’s infamous description of LaGuardia Airport. “With gas prices at historic lows, it's time for everyone to pitch in,” Sitt said in a statement.
April 21, 2016
GGA Chairman Joe Sitt sent a letter today to the Mayor and City Council President of Elizabeth, calling on them to reconsider the pending City ordinance to ban Uber pickups at Newark Airport Terminal A.
“Banning pickups by Uber drivers at the Terminal and putting overly onerous requirements on drivers is clearly designed to drive the service away from a terminal that serves over 10 million passengers a year. Coming on the heels of the City of Newark reaching an agreement with Uber to continue operations at the airport, it makes no sense for Elizabeth to institute an ordinance that would create separate and unequal transportation for so many passengers. “
Travel + Leisure | April 15, 2016
...Believe it or not, New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA)—an international hub with a reputation for being the single worst airport in the United States—was once a bustling, modern entryway to New York. “It was a jewel when it was built [in 1939],” New York’s Global Gateway Alliance executive director, Stephen Sigmund, told the LA Times.
NJ Advance | April 2, 2016
More flights will be allowed at Newark Airport as the Federal Aviation Administration removes its caps on takeoffs and landings. [...] The Global Gateway Alliance, an advocacy group, applauded the move and called for similar restrictions to be lifted at LaGuardia and Kennedy.
"We have long called for an end to the arbitrary restrictions imposed on the region's airports by antiquated slot rules, and the FAA's decision to lift the rules at Newark will pave the way for greater competition at the airport," chairman Joe Sitt said.
WSJ | March 31, 2016
[...] Even though LaGuardia’s rebuilding will double their costs, airlines have been clamoring for it. So has a group of New York business and civic leaders called Global Gateway Alliance. Joe Sitt, founder and chairman and a real-estate developer, says the Port Authority’s approval last week was a huge step, but he’s still skeptical it can pull off the task.
Reuters | March 24, 2016
The New York City metro area took a giant step toward revitalizing its crumbling capacity-strained transport hubs on Thursday as a major bistate agency authorized up to $22 billion of spending on air, rail, and bus infrastructure. [...]
Global Gateway, a group that advocates for the region's airports, welcomed the move but cautioned against resources being "siphoned off" for other projects and challenged the Port Authority to "stick to its commitments."