LaGuardia Airport Like a "Third World Country"

Joe Biden Says LaGuardia Airport Like a "Third World Country"

Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday said LaGuardia Airport is like a "third world country" while speaking about infrastructure in Pennsylvania.

Biden said if someone were blindfolded and taken to the airport in Hong Kong at 2 a.m. and asked "where do you think you are," the person would say "'This must be America, it's a modern airport.'"

He went on: "If I took you and blindfolded you and took you to LaGuardia Airport in New York you must think, 'I must be in some third world country.'"

"No, I'm not joking!" he added. "Why did we lead the world economically for so long? We had the most modern infrastructure in the world."

The vice president was unveiling Amtrak's newest engine at an event in Philadelphia and touting the need for more investment in U.S. infrastructure.

LaGuardia was turned into a private flying field in 1929 after it was transformed from an amusement park. It became New York Municipal Airport-LaGuardia Field in 1937, and was leased to the Port Authority 10 years later.

It has four terminals, the newest of which was built in 1992.

It's among the busiest airports in the world, with more than 25 million travelers passing through in 2012.

Well cue the Sarah McLachlan and send a guy with a big booshey beird.

It is E36 M3 hole.

He isn't kidding. The only way you know you are still on US soil is the TSA patches and all the fat people waddling about.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

Don't forget the 24 hour cable news E36 M3 on the TV's. That's definitely a fixture of American airports.

Yup. We should give the govt more money so's they can fix it up nice!

"The vice president was unveiling Amtrak's newest engine at an event in Philadelphia and touting the need for more investment in U.S. infrastructure."

Amtrak, the company that can't sustain itself. Yup, better invest in top-notch infrastructure!

The biggest problem with LaGuardia can't be fixed. They are cramming 20 lbs of E36 M3 into a 5 lb bag. There is no room to expand. This also makes upgrading anything difficult because closing off a section to renovate causes backups everywhere else around it.

The best thing to do would be to convince some of the passengers to go in and out of some of the other area airports but people would rather be herded through there than spend more time on the road.

I'm guessing his solution is to fire a couple warning shots at it.

Sounds like a NY problem.

Will wrote: I'm guessing his solution is to fire a couple warning shots at it.

Nah... this is a bigger problem. Just shoot through the door first.

Wally wrote: The biggest problem with LaGuardia can't be fixed. They are cramming 20 lbs of E36 M3 into a 5 lb bag. There is no room to expand. This also makes upgrading anything difficult because closing off a section to renovate causes backups everywhere else around it. The best thing to do would be to convince some of the passengers to go in and out of some of the other area airports but people would rather be herded through there than spend more time on the road.

Wally speaks truth. I've been through there a couple of times, it's definitely a pesthole but there's no real way to fix it. I swear the Third World airport in Cancun is much better even though it's constantly under reconstruction. I will say LaGuardia's runways are smoother than Cancun's but otherwise... nope.

The best way to fix it would be to build a whole new one inland then level LaGuardia and turn it into housing or something. But no one wants to drive that far... once again the American truth rears its ugly head: 'Ya want it fast or ya want it right? Fast, of course.'

DaveEstey wrote: "The vice president was unveiling Amtrak's newest engine at an event in Philadelphia and touting the need for more investment in U.S. infrastructure." Amtrak, the company that can't sustain itself. Yup, better invest in top-notch infrastructure!

but Amtrak is important... it takes people directly from their cushy offices in NYC to the offices of the congresscritters that they need to schmooze/buy off and back home in time for dinner. when Uncle Joe was in congress, that was how he commuted every day, so it's important to the whole country.

novaderrik wrote:

DaveEstey wrote: "The vice president was unveiling Amtrak's newest engine at an event in Philadelphia and touting the need for more investment in U.S. infrastructure." Amtrak, the company that can't sustain itself. Yup, better invest in top-notch infrastructure!

but Amtrak is important... it takes people directly from their cushy offices in NYC to the offices of the congresscritters that they need to schmooze/buy off and back home in time for dinner. when Uncle Joe was in congress, that was how he commuted every day, so it's important to the whole country.

Amtrak is pretty heavily used here on the West Coast to travel between San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. Its okay though, you don't have to use it, but lets not forget that it does actually get used by people all over the country.

turboswede wrote: Amtrak is pretty heavily used here on the West Coast to travel between San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. Its okay though, you don't have to use it, but lets not forget that it does actually get used by people all over the country.

Amtrak is used heavily here on the East Coast as well. Mostly in the Northeast corridor from Richmond to NYC and all points in between. It's much more pleasant than flying considering that the TSA hasn't stepped in to make it inefficient and extremely unpleasant....yet.

I rode amtrak a few years back (in the SE), and it was really nice.

If our government didn't waste money elsewhere, they could afford to fix LaGuardia. Here's a good way to spend federal money on an airport:

72 passenger a day airport gets $7.5 million

turboswede wrote:

novaderrik wrote:

DaveEstey wrote: "The vice president was unveiling Amtrak's newest engine at an event in Philadelphia and touting the need for more investment in U.S. infrastructure." Amtrak, the company that can't sustain itself. Yup, better invest in top-notch infrastructure!

but Amtrak is important... it takes people directly from their cushy offices in NYC to the offices of the congresscritters that they need to schmooze/buy off and back home in time for dinner. when Uncle Joe was in congress, that was how he commuted every day, so it's important to the whole country.

Amtrak is pretty heavily used here on the West Coast to travel between San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. Its okay though, you don't have to use it, but lets not forget that it does actually get used by people all over the country.

All over the country? No. On each coast where there's lots of political money? Yes.

Kramer wrote: If our government didn't waste money elsewhere, they could afford to fix LaGuardia. Here's a good way to spend federal money on an airport: 72 passenger a day airport gets $7.5 million

These are the same people we want running healthcare? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Good one!

"Amtrak points out that in 2010, its farebox recovery (percentage of operating costs covered by revenues generated by passenger fares) was 79%, the highest reported for any U.S. passenger railroad."

Yup, so popular that it can't pay its own bills with fares. I'd venture to guess that if they raised fares to the point where they wouldn't need Government subsidies, nobody would use them at all.

"The bill appropriates $2.6 billion a year in Amtrak funding through 2013."

Kramer wrote: If our government didn't waste money elsewhere, they could afford to fix LaGuardia. Here's a good way to spend federal money on an airport: 72 passenger a day airport gets $7.5 million

It's called bring home the bacon. I have no idea why they building fancy terminals if we have such a huge deficit.

I have actually flew in and out of the Montgomery airport several times many years ago.

DaveEstey wrote: "Amtrak points out that in 2010, its farebox recovery (percentage of operating costs covered by revenues generated by passenger fares) was 79%, the highest reported for any U.S. passenger railroad."

Wait. There are other US passenger railroads?

Will wrote: Wait. There are other US passenger railroads?

Yeah La Guardia is crap, but most of the time flights are cheaper than Newark. I like to save money and I don't need a fancy airport. If anything, MacArthur needs to expand and that would service 3/4 of the island and lighten the load on La Guardia.