Covering acres ha as of January 1, [update] , [ 3 ] the facility was established in and began operating as a public airport in It is named after Fiorello H. La Guardia , a former mayor of New York City. The airport accommodates airline service primarily to domestic but also to limited international destinations.
As of [update] , it was the third-busiest airport in the New York metropolitan area behind Kennedy and Newark airports, and the 19th-busiest in the United States by passenger volume. While the airport is a hub for both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines , commercial service is strictly governed by unique regulations including a curfew , a slot system , and a "perimeter rule" prohibiting most non-stop flights to or from destinations greater than 1, mi 2, km.
Throughout the s and s, LaGuardia was criticized for its outdated facilities, inefficient air operations, and poor customer service metrics. Prior to human development, the coastlines of Bowery Bay and Flushing Bay converged at a natural point that comprised the eventual northern shoreline of Newtown, Queens. By the area was partially contained by the estate of Benjamin Pike Jr. Originally featuring a bathing pavilion, beach, lawns, and boathouse, the resort was renamed North Beach and later expanded with the addition of Gala Amusement Park.
Its fortunes would soon turn, however, as Prohibition in the United States and war-related anti-German sentiment presented significant challenges to the resort's profitability. These factors, combined with increased industrialization and pollution of the Queens waterfront, made the area untenable as a leisure destination, and it was abandoned at some point in the s.
Opening-day festivities for the new airport were attended by a crowd of 5,, and included Air Races with Curtiss Seagulls and Sikorsky flying boats, a dedication address by Borough President George U. By , the airport had been improved with hangars and night-illuminated runways , [ 15 ] and it housed seaplanes of the recently reorganized New York City Police Department Aviation Unit.
