Image Courtesy of LaGuardia Gateway Partners
LaGuardia Terminal B Becomes First Airline Terminal in the United States to Earn Gold RHF Accessibility Certification
Gold Rating Affirms Commitment to Accessibility by the Port Authority and Terminal B Developer and Operator, LaGuardia Gateway Partners
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and LaGuardia Gateway Partners, the manager and developer of LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B, announced that the terminal has achieved the highest possible rating for accessibility in the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility CertificationTM (RHFAC) program, earning Gold from the Canada-based foundation dedicated to raising awareness, changing attitudes, and removing barriers for people with disabilities. This recognition makes LaGuardia Terminal B the first airline terminal in the United States to receive this distinction.
Accessibility has been a key element of the transformation of the Port Authority’s airports from outdated and undersized facilities to world-class and state-of-the-art. As part of the redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport, Terminal B was designed to be accessible for guests with hearing, vision, and mobility disabilities. The terminal is equipped with hearing loops available at all guest experience desks, intuitive departure board displays in two formats along with color coding to support easy interpretation and gate distance information, accessible assistance at curbside drop-off/check-in service with call button, color-coded wayfinding across the airport, and a calming seating area with sensory stimulation features such as plants and foliage. Terminal B also offers the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard to guests with disabilities that may not be easy to observe such as autism, PTSD and hearing loss. The lanyard identifies these guests and communicates that they may need extra help while traveling through the terminal.
The RHFAC program helps organizations understand their level of meaningful accessibility from a people-centric perspective of those with varying disabilities. Using common methodology and language, it provides a roadmap on how to improve, helps organizations prioritize decision making based on data and celebrates achievements in their journey towards improved access. More than 1,800 sites have been rated through the program to-date with more than 1,300 becoming certified.
In addition to the Gold RHF accessibility certification, LaGuardia Airport and Terminal B individually have received multiple awards for excellence. Most recently, Terminal B was named best new airport terminal in the world and awarded five stars by Skytrax. Over the last two years, Terminal B was awarded the UNESCO Prix Versailles, the world architecture and design award; the National Academy of Construction’s Special Achievement Award; NYC & Company Foundation’s “Visionaries and Voices” award; and awards from the Urban Land Institute New York and the Design-Build Institute of America.
About the LaGuardia Redevelopment Project
In 2015, a comprehensive plan to construct a whole new LaGuardia Airport was unveiled with the goal of creating a world-class, 21st century passenger experience featuring modern customer amenities, state-of-the-art architecture, more spacious gate areas and a unified terminal system. The $8 billion project, two-thirds of which is funded through private financing and existing passenger fees, broke ground in 2016 and was substantially completed in 2022.
In February 2018, the new Terminal B parking garage opened with more than 3,000 spaces and a dedicated level for Uber, Lyft and other for-hire car services. In December 2018, the first 18 new gates and the first new concourse in Terminal B opened. In June 2020, the soaring new 1.3 million-square-foot arrivals and departures hall at Terminal B opened its doors. Terminal B, with 35 gates, has since won awards as best new airport terminal in the world, including the Prix Versailles from UNESCO and Skytrax, which also gave the terminal the first 5-star rating in the nation. In June 2022, Delta Airlines opened the new 1.3 million-square-foot Terminal C, which features 37 gates across four new or transformed concourses, world-class amenities, state-of-the-art technology and inspiring public art.
About The Rick Hansen Foundation
The Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) was established in 1988, following the completion of Rick Hansen’s Man In Motion World Tour. For nearly 30 years, RHF has worked to raise awareness, change attitudes, and remove barriers for people with disabilities. To learn more about the RHFAC program, visit http://www.RickHansen.com/RHFAC.
About LaGuardia Gateway Partners
LaGuardia Gateway Partners (LGP) is the private manager and developer of the new award-winning, state-of-the-art LaGuardia Terminal B. LGP is composed of Vantage Airport Group, Skanska, Meridiam, and JLC Infrastructure for development and equity investment with Vantage Airport Group leading the terminal management.
LGP won the bid issued by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to deliver the extensive capital redevelopment project of LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B and provide world-class terminal facilities and operations for passengers and airlines. In 2022, the project – a $4 billion public-private partnership — finished on time and on budget.
LaGuardia Terminal B is home to Air Canada, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state agency that builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. For over a century, the agency’s network of major airports; critical bridges, tunnels and bus terminals; a commuter rail line; and the busiest seaport on the East Coast has been among the most vital in the country – transporting hundreds of millions of people and moving essential goods into and out of the region. The Port Authority also owns and manages the 16-acre World Trade Center campus, which today welcomes tens of thousands of office workers and millions of annual visitors. The agency’s historic $37 billion 10-year capital plan includes unprecedented transformation of the region’s three major airports – LaGuardia, Newark Liberty and JFK – as well as an array of other new and upgraded assets, including the $2 billion renovation of the 90-year-old George Washington Bridge. The Port Authority’s annual budget of $8 billion includes no tax revenue from either the states of New York or New Jersey or from the City of New York. The agency raises the necessary funds for the improvement, construction or acquisition of its facilities primarily on its own credit. For more information, visit www.panynj.gov or check out the Now Arriving blog.
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