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Laughing kookaburra

The laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is a bird in the kingfisher subfamily Halcyoninae. It is a large robust kingfisher with a whitish head and a brown eye-stripe. The upperparts are mostly dark brown but there is a mottled light-blue patch on the wing coverts. The underparts are cream-white and the tail is barred with rufous and black. The plumage of the male and female birds is similar. The territorial call is a distinctive laugh that is often delivered by several birds at the same time, and is widely used as a stock sound effect in situations that involve a jungle setting.

The laughing kookaburra is native to eastern mainland Australia, but has also been introduced to parts of New Zealand, Tasmania, and Western Australia. It occupies dry eucalypt forest, woodland, city parks and gardens. This species is sedentary and occupies the same territory throughout the year. It is monogamous, retaining the same partner for life. A breeding pair can be accompanied by up to five fully grown non-breeding offspring from previous years that help the parents defend their territory and raise their young. The laughing kookaburra generally breeds in unlined tree holes or in excavated holes in arboreal termite nests. The usual clutch is three white eggs. The parents and the helpers incubate the eggs and feed the chicks. The youngest of the three nestlings or chicks is often killed by the older siblings. When the chicks fledge they continue to be fed by the group for six to ten weeks until they are able to forage independently.

A predator of a wide variety of small animals, the laughing kookaburra typically waits perched on a branch until it sees an animal on the ground and then flies down and pounces on its prey. Its diet includes lizards, insects, worms, snakes, mice and it is known to take goldfish out of garden ponds.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classed the laughing kookaburra as a species of least concern as it has a large range and population, with no widespread threats.

Taxonomy
The laughing kookaburra was first described and illustrated (in black and white) by the French naturalist and explorer Pierre Sonnerat in his Voyage à la nouvelle Guinée, which was published in 1776. He claimed to have seen the bird in New Guinea. In fact Sonnerat never visited New Guinea and the laughing kookaburra does not occur there. He probably obtained a preserved specimen from one of the naturalists who accompanied Captain James Cook to the east coast of Australia. Edme-Louis Daubenton and François-Nicolas Martinet included a coloured plate of the laughing kookaburra based on Sonnerat's specimen in their Planches enluminées d'histoire naturelle. The plate has the legend in French "Martin-pecheur, de la Nouvelle Guinée" (Kingfisher from New Guinea).

In 1783, the French naturalist Johann Hermann provided a formal description of the species based on the coloured plate by Daubenton and Martinet. He gave it the scientific name Alcedo novæ Guineæ. The current genus Dacelo was introduced in 1815 by the English zoologist William Elford Leach, and is an anagram of Alcedo, the Latin word for a kingfisher. The specific epithet novaeguineae combines the Latin novus for new with Guinea, based on the erroneous belief that the specimen had originated from New Guinea. For many years it was believed that the earliest description was by the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert and his scientific name Dacelo gigas was used in the scientific literature, but in 1926 the Australian ornithologist Gregory Mathews showed that a description by Hermann had been published earlier in the same year, 1783, and thus had precedence. The inaccurate impression of geographic distribution given by the name in current usage had not by 1977 been considered an important enough matter to force a change in favor of D. gigas.

In the 19th century this species was commonly called the "laughing jackass", a name first recorded (as Laughing Jack-Ass) in An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales by David Collins which was published in 1798. In 1858 the ornithologist John Gould used "great brown kingfisher", a name that had been coined by John Latham in 1782. Another popular name was "laughing kingfisher". The names in several Australian indigenous languages were listed by European authors including Go-gan-ne-gine by Collins in 1798, Cuck'anda by René Lesson in 1828 and Gogera or Gogobera by George Bennett in 1834. In the early years of the 20th century "kookaburra" was included as an alternative name in ornithological publications, but it was not until 1926 in the second edition of the Official Checklist of Birds of Australia that the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union officially adopted the name "laughing kookaburra". The name comes from Wiradjuri, an endangered Aboriginal language.

The genus Dacelo contains four kookaburra species of which the rufous-bellied kookaburra and the spangled kookaburra are restricted to New Guinea and islands in the Torres Straits. The blue-winged kookaburra and the laughing kookaburra are both widespread in Australia.

Two subspecies are recognised:
 * D. n. novaeguineae (Hermann, 1783) – the nominate subspecies, east Australia, Tasmania and introduced into southwest Australia
 * D. n. minor Robinson, 1900 – Cape York Peninsula south to Cooktown

Description

The laughing kookaburra is the largest species of kingfisher, outsizing even the giant kingfisher in body mass. It is a stout, stocky bird 41-47 cm in length, with a large head, prominent brown eyes, and a long and robust bill. The sexes are very similar, although the female is usually larger and has less blue to the rump than the male. The male weighs 196–450 g, mean 307 g and the female 190–465 g, mean 352 g. They have a white or cream-coloured body and head with a dark brown stripe across each eye and more faintly over the top of the head. The wings and back are brown with sky blue spots on the shoulders. The tail is rusty reddish-orange with dark brown bars and white tips on the feathers. The heavy bill is black on top and bone-coloured on the bottom. The subspecies D. n. minor has a similar plumage to the nominate but is smaller in size.

The laughing kookaburra can be distinguished from the similarly sized blue-winged kookaburra by its dark eye, dark eye-stripe, shorter bill and the smaller and duller blue areas on the wing and rump. Male blue-winged kookaburras also differ in having a barred blue and black tail.

Call
The name "laughing kookaburra" refers to the bird's "laugh", which it uses to establish territory among family groups. It can be heard at any time of day, but most frequently at dawn and dusk.

This species possesses a tracheo-bronchial syrinx, which creates two sources of vibrations so it can produce two frequencies at the same time with multiple harmonics. The laughing kookaburras call is made through a complex sound production system, by forcing air from the lungs into the bronchial tubes. While the structure for producing calls is present from an early age, the kookaburra's song is a learned behavior. The breeding pair within a riot of kookaburra teach the fledglings to produce the signature laughing call after the young have left the nest. The adult male will sing a short portion of the call while the offspring mimics this call, usually unsuccessfully. The singing lessons tend to last two weeks before the fledgling can properly sing and take part in crepuscular choral songs. Once mastered, the young can join in crepuscular chorus songs that aid in establishing territory.

One bird starts with a low, hiccuping chuckle, then throws its head back in raucous laughter: often several others join in. If a rival tribe is within earshot and replies, the whole family soon gathers to fill the bush with ringing laughter. The laughing chorus has 5 variable elements: 1. "Kooa"; 2. "Cackle"; 3. "Rolling", a rapidly repeated "oo-oo-oo"; 4. Loud "Ha-ha"; followed by 5. Male's call of "Go-go" or female's call of "Gurgle". Hearing kookaburras in full voice is one of the more extraordinary experiences of the Australian bush, something even locals cannot ignore; some visitors, unless forewarned, may find their calls startling.

Those calls are produced to attract/guard mates, establish and maintain the social hierarchy, and declare and defend a territory, as their calls are more often correlated with aggressiveness. Calls are utilized as neighbour/kin recognition to exhibit that groups are still inhabiting a territory. These calls also demonstrate to receivers that highly coordinated groups are of better quality and health. Acoustic communication between laughing kookaburras increases 2–3 months before the breeding season, September to January, because male aggression also increases.

The duetting call requires higher levels of cooperation within the group. The coordination of calls amongst kookaburras has been hypothesized to strengthen the main long-term pair bond and may have evolved as a mechanism to solidify the group's bonds since it is energetically costly to learn a new song. Neighbouring groups exhibit degrees of cooperation as well since chorus songs between neighbours are delivered without any overlap, alternating between groups.

Other forms of acoustic communication
Squawking is another common form of acoustic communication in D. novaeguineae that is used in a slew of different contexts. Laughing kookaburras have been noted to squawk when nesting, exhibiting submissive behavior, and when fledglings are waiting to be fed. Laughing kookaburras have a greater repertoire of calls than other kookaburra species like the Blue-winged kookaburra (Dacelo leachii) that produces two simple types of calls: “barks” and “hiccups”. This large range of calls is highlighted through cadencing, intonation, and frequency modulations that allow more detailed information to be conveyed.

Distribution and habitat
The laughing kookaburra is native to eastern Australia and has a range that extends from the Cape York Peninsula in the north to Cape Otway in the south. It is present on both the eastern and the western sides of the Great Dividing Range. In the south the range extends westwards from Victoria to the Yorke Peninsula and the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.

It has been introduced into many other areas probably because of its reputation for killing snakes. In December 1891, the Western Australian parliament included 'Laughing Jackass' in the schedule of strictly preserved Australian native birds in the Game Bill, moved by Horace Sholl, member for North District. He described it as native of the North West. His nomination is, therefore, certainly a reference to the blue-winged kookaburra (Dacelo leachii), not the laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae). The Game Act, 1892 (Western Australia), "An Act to provide for the preservation of imported birds and animals, and of native game," provided that proclaimed Australian native birds and animals listed in the First Schedule of the Act could be declared protected from taking. Laughing Jackass was one of 23 Australian native bird species named in the schedule.

Laughing kookaburras from Eastern States were released to the South West as early as 1883, with birds being noted between Perth and Fremantle, as well as up in Mullewa around 1896. The Acclimatization Society (or Animal and Bird Acclimatization committee of WA) imported and released hundreds of birds between 1897 and 1912. Mainly via Ernest Le Souef who was Secretary of the Acclimatization Society and Director of Perth Zoological Gardens, an enthusiastic supporter of the Kookaburra who admitted to releasing hundreds from the Zoo, including 50 in 1900 at the Royal request of the visiting Duke of York.

By 1912 breeding populations had been established in a number of areas. The present range in Western Australia is southwest of a line joining Geraldton on the west coast and Hopetoun on the south coast. In Tasmania the laughing kookaburra was introduced at several locations beginning in 1906. It now mainly occurs northeast of a line joining Huonville, Lake Rowallan, Waratah and Marrawah. It was introduced on Flinders Island in around 1940, where it is now widespread, and on Kangaroo Island in 1926.

In the 1860s, during his second term as governor of New Zealand, George Grey arranged for the release of laughing kookaburras on Kawau Island. The island lies in the Hauraki Gulf, about 40 km north of Auckland on the North Island of New Zealand. It was thought that the introduction had been unsuccessful but in 1916 some birds were discovered on the adjacent mainland. It now breeds in a small region on the western side of the Hauraki Gulf between Leigh and Kumeū.

The usual habitat is open sclerophyll forest and woodland. It is more common where the understory is open and sparse or where the ground is covered with grass. Tree-holes are needed for nesting. It also occurs near wetlands and in partly cleared areas or farmland with trees along roads and fences. In urban areas it is found in parks and gardens. The range of the laughing kookaburra overlaps with that of the blue-winged kookaburra in an area of eastern Queensland that extends from the Cape York Peninsula south to near Brisbane. Around Cooktown the laughing kookaburra tends to favour areas near water while the blue-winged kookaburra keeps to drier habitats.

A single individual Laughing Kookaburra, has been living wild, in Suffolk, in the UK, since at least 2015, being most recently sighted in 2024. Additional sightings of laughing kookaburras have been recorded in Scotland, suggesting that individuals of the species may be being intentionally or accidentally released.

Behaviour
Kookaburras occupy woodland territories (including forests) in loose family groups, and their laughter serves the same purpose as a great many other bird calls—to mark territorial borders. Most species of kookaburras tend to live in family units, with offspring helping the parents hunt and care for the next generation of offspring.

Breeding
During mating season, the laughing kookaburra reputedly indulges in behaviour similar to that of a wattlebird. The female adopts a begging posture and vocalises like a young bird. The male then offers her his current catch accompanied with an "oo oo oo" sound. However, some observers maintain that the opposite happens – the female approaches the male with her current catch and offers it to him. Nest-building may start in August with a peak of egg-laying from September to November. If the first clutch fails, they will continue breeding into the summer months.

The female generally lays a clutch of three semi-glossy, white, rounded eggs, measuring 36 x 45 mm, at about two-day intervals. Both parents and auxiliaries incubate the eggs for 24–26 days. Hatchlings are and, fledging by day 32–40. If the food supply is not adequate, the third egg will be smaller and the third chick will also be smaller and at a disadvantage relative to its larger siblings. Chicks have a hook on the upper mandible, which disappears by the time of fledging. If the food supply to the chicks is not adequate, the chicks will quarrel, with the hook being used as a weapon. The smallest chick may even be killed by its larger siblings. If food is plentiful, the parent birds spend more time brooding the chicks, so the chicks are not able to fight.

Feeding
Kookaburras hunt much as other kingfishers (or indeed Australasian robins) do, by perching on a convenient branch or wire and waiting patiently for prey to pass by. Common prey include mice and similar-sized small mammals, a large variety of invertebrates (such as insects, earthworms and snails), yabbies, small fish, lizards, frogs, small birds and nestlings, and most famously, snakes. Small prey are preferred, but kookaburras sometimes take large creatures, including venomous snakes, much longer than their bodies. When feeding their young, adult laughing kookaburras will make “Chuck calls”, which are deep, guttural calls that differ significantly from their daily chorus songs.

Visual displays
To further enhance territorial behavior, kookaburras will partake in two types of aerial displays: trapeze and circular flights. Trapeze flights are aptly named after the swooping motion that neighbouring kookaburras will make towards one another in midair when defending territory. During trapeze flights, an individual from each riot will perch on branches bordering the others' territory and fly back and forth between trees within their established home range and trees bordering neighbouring kookaburras territory. These displays have been observed to last up to a half an hour and are usually accompanied by calls from the sender and members of that individual's riot. Circle flights are initiated when an individual circumnavigates a neighbouring territory by flying over the area and then quickly invading neighbouring territory. Once inside the neighbouring territory, the individual will fly in circles around the other kookaburras inhabiting the area, which results in a typical laughing call or squawking depending on whether the neighbours' dominance status. Flight displays are useful for communicating over long distances, but other forms of visual signals can be effective for short-range communication.

Close range visual signals can be used to convey aggression or indicate incoming threats to the flock. Aggressive posturing is used as a warning before attacking, a signal that is commonly received by foreign kookaburras encroaching on another groups' territory. Laughing kookaburras will splay out their wings and propel their head forward while shaking their tail feathers to exhibit dominance and ward off intruders. The aggressive posturing is followed up by chasing off the unwanted individual before attacking. Visual displays are also used to communicate vigilance and the presence of threats via alert postures. D. novaeguineae will open its beak, ruffle up the feathers surrounding its cap, and angle their heads towards the direction of the threat. Depending on the urgency of the threat, alarm postures may be followed by loud laugh-like calls to warn other members of the flock.

Relationship with humans
Laughing kookaburras are a common sight in suburban gardens and urban settings, even in built-up areas, and are so tame that they will often eat out of a person's hands, and allow them to rub their bellies. It is not uncommon for kookaburras to snatch food out of people's hands without warning, by swooping in from a distance. People often feed them pieces of raw meat. Laughing kookaburras are often kept in zoos.

The kookaburra is also the subject of a popular Australian children's song, the "Kookaburra" which was written by Marion Sinclair in 1934.

Recordings of this bird have been edited into Hollywood movies for decades, usually in jungle settings, beginning with the Tarzan series in the 1930s, and more recently in the film The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997).

Conservation status
The population density of the laughing kookaburra in Australia varies between 0.04 and 0.8 birds/ha depending on the habitat. Assuming an average of 0.3 birds/ha the total population may be as large as 65 million individuals. However, this may represent a severe over-estimate since the population of the laughing kookaburra seems to be undergoing a marked decline with Birdata showing a 50% drop in sightings from 2000 to 2019, and a drop in the reporting rate from 25% to 15% over the same period. The population in New Zealand is relatively small and is probably less than 500 individuals. Given the extended range and the large stable population, the species is evaluated as of "least concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

title: Laughing kookaburra


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Blue-winged kookaburra

The blue-winged kookaburra (Dacelo leachii) is a large species of kingfisher native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea.

Measuring around 40 cm, it is slightly smaller than the more familiar laughing kookaburra. It has cream-coloured upper- and underparts barred with brownish markings. It has blue wings and brown shoulders and blue rump. It is sexually dimorphic, with a blue tail in the male, and a rufous tail with blackish bars in the female.

Taxonomy
The blue-winged kookaburra was first collected by Sir Joseph Banks in 1770, but was initially overlooked and confused with the laughing kookaburra, and was finally officially described by Nicholas Aylward Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1826, its specific name commemorating British zoologist William Elford Leach. It is one of four members of the genus Dacelo which are commonly known as kookaburras. Alternative common names include barking or howling jackass, or Leach's kookaburra.

The number of subspecies is unclear - with four recognised by most authorities, although others have proposed that the three Australian subspecies gradually change across Australia and should be treated as one.
 * D. l. leachii is the nominate subspecies, found from Brisbane to Broome.
 * D. l. cervina is found on Melville Island and the adjacent mainland.
 * D. l. cliftoni is found in the Pilbara and Hamersley regions of northwestern Australia.
 * D. l. intermedia is found in southern New Guinea.

Description
The adult blue-winged kookaburra measures around 38 to 42 cm in length and weighs 260 to 330 g. Compared to the related laughing kookaburra, it is smaller, lacks a dark mask, has more blue in the wing, and has striking white eyes. It has a heavier bill than its larger relative. The head and underparts are cream-coloured with brownish streaks. It is sexually dimorphic, with a blue tail in the male, and a rufous tail with blackish bars in the female. Immature birds have more prominent brown bars and marks in their plumage, giving a "dirty" appearance, and their eyes are predominantly brown for the first two years of life.

Their call has been described as a maniacal cackling or barking.

Distribution and habitat
The blue-winged kookaburra has a distribution from southern New Guinea and the moister parts of northern Australia, to the vicinity of Brisbane in southern Queensland across the Top End, and as far down the Western Australian coast as the Shark Bay area. It does not occur between Broome and Port Hedland in northwestern Australia. Widespread and common throughout its large range, the blue-winged kookaburra is evaluated as of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Found in family groups of up to 12 individuals, it lives in open savannah woodland and Melaleuca swamps, as well as farmlands such as sugarcane plantations.

Feeding
The blue-winged kookaburra hunts and eats a great variety of animals that live on or close to the ground. In the summer wet season, insects, lizards and frogs make up a higher proportion of their diet, while they eat arthropods such as crayfish, scorpions, and spiders, as well as fish, earthworms, small birds and rodents at other times. They have even been recorded waiting for and snatching insects flushed out by bushfires.

Breeding
The blue-winged kookaburra is a co-operative breeder, a group being made up of a breeding pair and one or more helper birds that help raise the young. Breeding occurs once a year in late spring (September to December). The nest is a hollow high up in a tree, often 25 m or so above the ground. Three or four white, slightly shiny eggs, measuring 44 x 35 mm or a little larger, are laid. The female incubates the eggs around 26 days, and nestlings spend another 36 days in the nest before fledging. Chicks are born pink, blind, and naked (i.e. ), and break their way out of the egg with an egg tooth on the bill. Feathers appear by 7 days and their eyes open from the 10th day onwards. Kookaburra hatchlings are often highly aggressive in the first week of life, and the youngest chick is often killed by the older chicks during this period. Once fledged, juvenile birds must be taught how to hunt by their parents for a further 6–10 weeks before they can properly fend for themselves.

Threats
The red goshawk and rufous owl prey upon the blue-winged kookaburra. Adult birds are also slow flyers and vulnerable to being hit by cars on country roads. Nests are susceptible to raids by olive pythons, quolls, and goannas.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Blue-winged kookaburra


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LaGuardia Airport

LaGuardia Airport  is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City. Covering 680 acre, the facility was established in 1929 and began operating as a public airport in 1939. It is named after former New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia.

The airport primarily accommodates airline service to domestic and limited international destinations. , 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. The airport is located directly to the north of the Grand Central Parkway, the airport's primary access highway. 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 1500 mi.

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, LaGuardia was criticized for its outdated facilities, inefficient air operations, and poor customer service metrics. In response, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) in 2015 announced a multibillion-dollar reconstruction of the airport's passenger infrastructure, which is expected to be completed by 2025.

Original site
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 1858 the area was partially contained by the estate of Benjamin Pike Jr. based around what is today known as the Steinway Mansion, which was soon purchased and consolidated with other property by William Steinway. In June 1886, Steinway opened a summer resort development known as Bowery Bay Beach on the peninsula. 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. By the turn of the century, North Beach's German-influenced development drew comparisons to Brooklyn's Coney Island. 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 1920s.

North Beach Airport
In April 1929, New York Air Terminals, Inc., announced plans to open a private seaplane base at North Beach later that summer. The 200 acre facility was christened on June 15 and initially featured a 2 acre concrete plateau connected to the water by a 400 ft amphibious aircraft ramp, with the former resort converted to a passenger terminal. Opening-day festivities for the new airport were attended by a crowd of 5,000, and included Air Races with Curtiss Seagulls and Sikorsky flying boats, a dedication address by Borough President George U. Harvey, and the commencement of airline service to Albany and Atlantic City by Coastal Airways and Curtiss Flying Service. One month later, service to Boston was launched using Savoia-Marchetti S.55 aircraft operated by Airvia.

Glenn H. Curtiss Airport
By 1930, the airport had been improved with hangars and night-illuminated runways, and it housed seaplanes of the recently reorganized New York City Police Department Aviation Unit. On September 23, the site was renamed Glenn H. Curtiss Airport in honor of the New York aviation pioneer who had died one month earlier (not to be confused with the preexisting Curtiss Field in nearby Garden City, nor a similarly renamed airport in Valley Stream). In a ceremony that same day, representatives from the forerunner to Trans World Airlines announced their bid to establish the nation's first transcontinental airmail route to the airport using Ford Trimotors; in attendance were Eleanor Roosevelt and Charles Lindbergh.

On August 27, 1931, the airport welcomed the arrival of the world's then-largest airplane, the Dornier Do X, after a 10-month transatlantic journey. Over 18,000 people visited the huge flying boat on its first day of static display, and it remained in the city for nine months. While the Do X was ultimately a commercial failure, its presence demonstrated the viability of long-distance air travel terminating a mere 20-minute drive from Manhattan. Likewise, this centralized location also enabled the airport to host hourly air taxi services between Newark and Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field that September.

While Curtiss Field was quickly becoming a magnet of aviation, Newark Airport remained the primary terminal for New York City-bound passengers and mail. The city's lack of its own central airport lingered as the 1930s wore on—especially as discussion grew regarding the commercial viability of privately operated fields.

Municipal Airport 2
The 1934 election of mayor Fiorello La Guardia ushered in a new era of public investment in New York City's airports. LaGuardia had been a long-time aviation advocate; in a 1927 editorial penned while serving as a US Representative of New York, he criticized both the federal and state governments' slow progress in establishing municipal airports in the city. Although several potential sites had been identified, LaGuardia mainly pushed for the transformation of Governors Island into a combined airport and seaplane base. "No greater monument to the life and activity of the Republic can be imagined," he wrote, painting it as a teeming transportation hub at the extreme center of the city. Military and shipping concerns eventually shut down the proposal, but LaGuardia and industry leaders maintained consensus that New York City needed a central "express" airport to complement the farther-flung Floyd Bennett Field, which it completed in 1930.

While the Governors Island proposal was being litigated, LaGuardia also saw development potential in Curtiss Airport. Under his administration, the City entered a 5-year contract with its owners, agreeing to lease the field for $1 per year, with an option to purchase the property for $1,500,000. The airport was officially dedicated Municipal Airport 2 on January 5, 1935. At a key ceremony that day, LaGuardia also received a signed lease from Trans World Airlines (TWA) for hangar space at Floyd Bennett Field—making it the first major US airline to serve New York City directly. While it would still be years before TWA arrived at North Beach, LaGuardia had begun fulfilling one of his ultimate goals: extracting New York City from "the humiliating position of seeing all its passengers and mail traffic go to a nearby state."

LaGuardia Airport
The initiative to develop the airport for commercial flights began with an outburst by New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia (in office from 1934 to 1945) upon the arrival of his TWA flight at Newark Airport – the only commercial airport serving the New York City region at the time – as his ticket said "New York". He demanded to be taken to New York, and ordered the plane to be flown to Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field, giving an impromptu press conference to reporters along the way. He urged New Yorkers to support a new airport within their city.

American Airlines accepted LaGuardia's offer to start a trial program of scheduled flights to Floyd Bennett, although the program failed after several months because Newark's airport was closer to Manhattan. La Guardia went as far as to offer police escorts to airport limousines in an attempt to get American Airlines to continue operating the trial program.

During the Floyd Bennett experiment, LaGuardia and American executives began an alternative plan to build a new airport in Queens, where it could take advantage of the new Queens–Midtown Tunnel to Manhattan. The existing North Beach Airport was an obvious location, but much too small for the sort of airport that was being planned. With backing and assistance from the Works Progress Administration, construction began in 1937, it is on the waterfront of Flushing and Bowery Bays in East Elmhurst and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria and Jackson Heights. Building on the site required moving landfill from Rikers Island, then a garbage dump, onto a metal reinforcing framework. The framework below the airport still causes magnetic interference on the compasses of outgoing aircraft: signs on the airfield warn pilots about the problem.

Because of American's pivotal role in the development of the airport, LaGuardia gave the airline extra real estate during the airport's first year of operation, including four hangars, which was an unprecedented amount of space at the time. American opened its first Admirals Club (and the first private airline club in the world) at the airport in 1939. The club took over a large office space that had previously been reserved for the mayor, but he offered it for lease following criticism from the press, and American vice president Red Mosier immediately accepted the offer.

The airport was dedicated on October 15, 1939, as the New York Municipal Airport, and opened for business on December 2 of that year. The modest North Beach Airport was transformed into a 550-acre (220-ha) state-of-the-art facility at a cost of $23 million to New York City. Not everyone shared La Guardia's enthusiasm for the project; some thought it was a $40 million waste of money. However, the concept of air travel itself captivated the public, and thousands of people went to the airport to see the planes take off and land in exchange for a dime. After two years, these fees and the parking they generated had already brought in $285,000. In addition, $650,000 was made annually from non-travel-related sources like restaurants. The airport was soon a financial success. A smaller airport in nearby Jackson Heights, Holmes Airport, was unable to prevent the expansion of the larger airport and closed in 1940.

Newark Airport began renovations, but could not keep up with the new Queens airport, which TIME called "the most pretentious land and seaplane base in the world". Even before the project was completed LaGuardia had won commitments from the five largest airlines (Pan American Airways, American, United, Eastern Air Lines and Transcontinental and Western Air) to begin using the new field as soon as it opened. Pan Am's transatlantic Boeing 314 flying boats moved to La Guardia from Port Washington in 1940. During World War II the airport was used to train aviation technicians and as a logistics field. Transatlantic landplane airline flights started in late 1945; some continued after Idlewild (now John F. Kennedy International) opened in July 1948, but the last ones shifted to Idlewild in April 1951.

Newspaper accounts alternately referred to the airfield as New York Municipal Airport and LaGuardia Field until the modern name was officially applied when the airport moved to Port of New York Authority control under a lease with New York City on June 1, 1947.

LaGuardia opened with four runways at 45-degree angles to each other, the longest (13/31) being 6000 ft. Runway 18/36 was closed soon after a United DC-4 ran off the south end in 1947; runway 9/27 (4,500 ft) was closed around 1958, allowing LaGuardia's terminal to expand northward after 1960. Circa 1961 runway 13/31 was shifted northeastward to allow construction of a parallel taxiway (such amenities being unknown when LGA was built) and in 1965–66 both remaining runways were extended to their present 7000 ft.

The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 283 weekday fixed-wing departures from LaGuardia: 126 American, 49 Eastern, 33 Northeast, 31 TWA, 29 Capital and 15 United. American's flights included 26 nonstops to Boston and 27 to Washington National (mostly Convair 240s). Jet flights (United 727s to Cleveland and Chicago) started on June 1, 1964.

Although LaGuardia was a large airport for the era in which it was built, it soon became too small. Starting in 1968 general aviation aircraft were charged heavy fees to operate from LaGuardia during peak hours, driving many LGA operators to airports such as Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, New Jersey. The increase in traffic at LaGuardia and safety concerns prompted the closure of nearby Flushing Airport in 1984. Also in 1984, to further combat overcrowding at LGA, the Port Authority instituted a Sunday-thru-Friday "perimeter rule" banning nonstop flights from LaGuardia to cities more than 1500 mi away; at the time, Denver was the only such city with nonstop flights, and it became the only exception to the rule. (In 1986 Western Airlines hoped to fly 737-300s nonstop to Salt Lake City and unsuccessfully challenged the rule in federal court.) Later, the Port Authority also moved to connect JFK and Newark Airport to regional rail networks with the AirTrain Newark and AirTrain JFK, in an attempt to make these more distant airports competitive with LaGuardia. In addition to these local regulations, the Federal Aviation Administration also limited the number of flights and types of aircraft that could operate at LaGuardia.

LaGuardia's traffic continued to grow. By 2000, the airport routinely experienced overcrowding delays, many more than an hour long. That year, Congress passed legislation to revoke the federal traffic limits on LaGuardia by 2007. The reduced demand for air travel following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City quickly slowed LaGuardia's traffic growth, helping to mitigate the airport's delays. Ongoing Port Authority investments to renovate the Central Terminal Building and improve the airfield layout have also made the airport's operations more efficient in recent years. FAA approved Instrument Departure Procedure "Whitestone Climb" and the "Expressway Visual Approach to Runway 31". When adopting the Expressway Approach, when the aircraft crosses the intersection of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway and the Long Island Expressway in Long Island City, it turns northeast on 85° and follows the Long Island Expressway, after reaching Flushing Meadow Park, the aircraft executes a 135° left turn over the Flushing Bay and joins the final approach to the Runway 31. When adopting Whitestone Climb, aircraft will circle over Flushing and head to Whitestone Bridge on the North upon takeoff from Runway 13. Such patterns aim to reduce the noise, avoid the traffic of the JFK Airport and maximize the air traffic capacity in the New York TRACON. LGA and JFK approach airspaces borders around the Belmont Park.

In late 2006, construction began to replace the Wallace Harrison designed air traffic control tower built in 1962 with a more modern one. The tower began operations on October 9, 2010.

On August 12, 2009, Delta Air Lines and US Airways announced a landing slot and terminal swap in separate press releases. Under the swap plan, US Airways would have given Delta 125 operating slot pairs at LaGuardia. US Airways, in return, would have received 42 operating slot pairs at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Crystal City, Virginia, and be granted the authority to begin service from the US to São Paulo, Brazil, and Tokyo, Japan. When the swap plan was complete, Delta Shuttle operations would have moved from the Marine Air Terminal to Terminal C (the present US Airways terminal), and Terminals C and D would have been connected together. US Airways Shuttle flights would have moved to the Marine Air Terminal, and mainline US Airways flights would have moved to Terminal D (the present Delta terminal). The deal would allow Delta to create a domestic hub at LaGuardia.

The United States Department of Transportation announced that it would approve the Delta–US Airways transaction under the condition that they sell slots to other airlines. Delta and US Airways dropped the slot swap deal in early July 2010 and both airlines filed a court appeal. In May 2011, both airlines announced that they would resubmit their proposal of the slot swap to the US DOT. It was tentatively approved by the US DOT on July 21, 2011. The slot swap received final approval from the US DOT on October 10, 2011.

On December 16, 2011, Delta Air Lines announced plans to open a new domestic hub at LaGuardia Airport. The investment was the largest single expansion by any carrier at LaGuardia in decades, with flights increasing by more than 60 percent, and destinations by more than 75 percent. By summer 2013, Delta increased operations to 264 daily flights between LaGuardia and more than 60 cities, more than any other airline at LaGuardia.

In November 2019, Southwest Airlines ended service to Newark primarily due to the Boeing 737 MAX groundings, poor performance, and inadequate facilities, and consolidated its New York–area operations to LaGuardia and Islip.

Redevelopment
In April 2010, Port Authority director Christopher Ward announced that the agency had hired consultants to explore a full demolition and rebuilding of LaGuardia's Central Terminal. The project would create a unified, modern, and efficient plan for the airport, currently an amalgam of decades of additions and modifications. The project, expected to cost $2.4 billion, will include the demolition of the existing central terminal building and its four concourses, garage, Hangar 1, and frontage roads; building temporary facilities, and designing and building a new central terminal building. The rebuilding would be staged in phases in order to maintain operations throughout the project.

Proposals were due on January 31, 2012. Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority, said, "It's got a quaint, nostalgic but unacceptable kind of the 1940s, 1950s feel that's just not acceptable." The Port Authority was seeking a private company to develop and operate the replacement terminal with private funds, similar to how Delta operates the other terminals at the airport. However, in January 2014, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a plan for the state to oversee the construction of the long-stalled new terminal project instead of the proposed public-private partnership.

On July 27, 2015, Governor Andrew Cuomo, joined by then-Vice President Joe Biden, announced a $4 billion plan to rebuild the terminals as one contiguous building with terminal bridges connecting buildings. Airport officials and planners had concluded that the airport essentially had to be torn down and rebuilt.

Under the airport redevelopment plan disclosed in 2015, a single terminal building is to be constructed in stages, with a people mover, retail space and a new hotel. Some 2 mi of additional taxiways are to be built, and the Grand Central Parkway is to be reconfigured. A proposed high-speed ferry, if introduced, will service the Marine Air Terminal, a national historic landmark, which will remain intact. An onsite tram has also been proposed to move passengers more quickly within the central terminal. The new airport is to be eco-friendly and contain accommodations such as a hotel of approximately 200 rooms and a business/conference center. The entire airport will move 600 ft closer to the Grand Central Parkway. New parking garages replaced parking facilities between the existing terminals and Grand Central Parkway, creating space for the new facilities. By locating the terminals closer to the Grand Central Parkway, additional space for aircraft taxiways and hold areas was created, reducing ground delays. The runways themselves were not reconfigured.

Construction of the project's first phase started in spring of 2016, once final plans were approved by the Port Authority board, with the entire redevelopment scheduled to be completed by late 2022. Terminal B will be demolished, and Delta will rebuild its terminals C and D in coordination with the plan. The new airport will feature an island gate system, with passengers connecting between the terminal building and the gates via bridges that will be high enough for aircraft to taxi under. In late March 2016, the comprehensive plans for the redevelopment were approved unanimously between the Port Authority of New York, New Jersey, and LaGuardia Gateway Partners for the Terminal B Project. Construction costs were estimated to range from $4 billion to $5.3 billion. In August 2017, Magic Johnson Enterprises and Loop Capital created a joint venture named JLC Capital to invest in Phase 2 of LaGuardia Airport's reconstruction. The same month, Delta broke ground on the last phase of the airport's reconstruction. On December 9, 2017, six airlines moved at LGA in anticipation of the new terminals. Alaska Airlines (originally Virgin America) and JetBlue moved to the Marine Air Terminal. American consolidated in Terminal B. Frontier and Spirit depart from Terminal C and arrive at Terminal D. Since the move, there have been further changes with Alaska Airlines ending service to LaGuardia, JetBlue moving all but Boston flights to Terminal B, and Spirit consolidating its operations in Terminal A.

LaGuardia Gateway Partners, which manages the construction of Terminal B, has completed most of the complex. The first half of the seven-level West Parking Garage opened in February 2018, with 1,600 of 3,100 parking spaces being made available, and the rest of the garage was opened later that year. Eleven new gates at Terminal B opened on December 1, 2018, and were used by Air Canada, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. Five additional gates opened on June 2, 2019, when United relocated most of its operations to the new concourse. The new space included a concourse with a 55 ft ceiling, food concessions, an FAO Schwarz toy store, and an indoor play area. The new headhouse at Terminal B opened on June 13, 2020, along with the new connector to the Eastern Concourse. On August 5, 2020, American opened the first seven gates of the Western Concourse, with ten additional gates and the bridge connector scheduled to open at the end of 2021. The second bridge connecting to Terminal B was later completed and opened to the public on January 27, 2022.

On the east side of the airport, Delta is consolidating its two terminals, Terminal C and D, into a centralized Terminal C headhouse, which is located on the former Terminal D parking site. In addition, Delta is rebuilding its airside facilities into four "finger" concourses. The first concourse to open was Concourse G on the eastern end of the airport, which opened on October 29, 2019. Delta Shuttle flights moved to the Concourse G on November 16, 2019. On June 4, 2022, Delta unveiled its new Terminal C headhouse to the public in tandem with concourse E, which boasts 10 narrow body gates. The Terminal C headhouse consolidates the former Terminal C and D's security checkpoint into 11 lanes which, if necessary, can be expanded to 16 lanes. Other features include a dedicated drop-off area for carry-on-only passengers, biometric scanning technology, a sensory room designed for those with autism, and Delta's largest Sky Club to date.

As of June 2022, Delta is in the process of replacing Terminal D's gates and will start construction of Concourse D. Delta is fast-tracking its remaining projects at Terminal C due to the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed the airline to use the decrease in passage traffic to speed up construction by two years.

In March 2024, LaGuardia won the Airport Service Quality Award for "best airport of 25 to 40 million passengers in North America" in 2023.

Operations
While LaGuardia frequently accommodates general aviation, the airport is primarily serviced by Part 121 scheduled air carriers providing passenger service to regional, domestic, and limited international destinations. Because of its congested nature and proximity to dense urban neighborhoods, commercial flights to and from the airport are subject to several restrictions enacted by both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). The airport almost only ever handles narrow-body aircraft; though it can handle Airplane Design Group (ADG) IV widebody aircraft such as the Boeing 767 and the Airbus A310, aircraft in this group are rarely seen at LaGuardia.

International flights
LaGuardia, unlike JFK and Newark, does not have U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities. As such, international arrivals are only possible from airports serviced by United States border preclearance. Passengers and crewmembers on these flights clear customs at their departure airport and—for immigration purposes—are considered to be on the US territory during their entire journey, allowing them to exit LaGuardia in the same manner as domestic travelers.

Curfew and perimeter rule
To mitigate the impact of aircraft noise pollution and facilitate airfield maintenance, a seasonal curfew traditionally exists between the hours of 12am and 6am during the warm months of the year. Additionally, a 1984 "perimeter rule" implemented by PANYNJ bars airline flights to and from points farther than 1500 mi, except on Saturdays or to Denver, Colorado. With long haul operations generally requiring heavier fuel loads and larger aircraft, the regulation aims to eliminate excess perceived noise generated by such flights. Changes to the perimeter rule were considered as recently as 2015, but a New York State Senate bill was introduced in 2021 with the intent of codifying the rule into law.

Slot system
As one of the United States' most-dense and congested Class B airports, LaGuardia's IFR operations are governed by an FAA slot system. Operators are granted time-sensitive individual takeoff and landing rights in accordance with the International Air Transport Association's Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG). In 2020, the FAA responded to drastic reductions in air traffic caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by suspending the expiration of unused slots at several US airports including LaGuardia.

Terminals
LaGuardia has three active terminals (A, B, and C) with 72 gates. The terminals are all connected by buses and walkways. Signage throughout the terminals was designed by Paul Mijksenaar. As with the other Port Authority airports, some terminals at LaGuardia are managed and maintained by airlines themselves. Terminal B was under direct Port Authority operation; however, in 2016, operation of Terminal B was transferred to a private company, LaGuardia Gateway Partners.

LaGuardia is undergoing a multi-billion dollar redesign that resulted in a new Terminal B and a new Terminal C (encompassing the old Terminals C and D). Terminal A remains unchanged except for minor updates. The new layout will consist of new gate concourses as well. The new Terminal B has two gate concourses referred to as the Western Concourse (Gates 11–31) and Eastern Concourse (Gates 40–59). The new Terminal C has four gate concourses (numbered 61–69, 71–79, 82–89, and 92–98).

Terminal A
Terminal A, known as the Marine Air Terminal (MAT), was the airport's original terminal for overseas flights. The waterfront terminal was designed to serve the fleet of flying boats, or Clippers, of Pan American Airways, America's main international airline throughout the 1930s and 1940s. When a Clipper landed in Long Island Sound, it taxied to a dock where passengers could disembark into the terminal. During World War II, new four-engine land planes were developed, and flying boats stopped carrying scheduled passengers out of New York after 1947. The last Pan American flight left the terminal in February 1952, bound for Bermuda.

Inside the terminal hangs Flight, a mural measuring 12 ft in height and 237 ft in length; it was the largest mural created as part of the Great Depression–era Works Progress Administration (WPA). Completed by James Brooks in 1942, Flight depicts the history of humanity's involvement with flight. The mural was painted over without explanation by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in the 1950s, possibly because some saw left-wing symbolism in it. After an extensive restoration project headed by aviation historian Geoffrey Arend, the mural was rededicated in 1980.

In 1986, Pan Am restarted flights at the MAT with the purchase of New York Air's shuttle service between Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C. In 1991, Delta Air Lines bought the Pan Am Shuttle and subsequently started service from the MAT on September 1. In 1995, the MAT was designated as a historic landmark. A $7 million restoration was completed in time for the airport's 65th anniversary of commercial flights on December 2, 2004. On December 9, 2017, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines relocated to the MAT, while Delta consolidated all Delta Shuttle flights to Terminal C. On October 27, 2018, Alaska Airlines ended all service from LaGuardia Airport, leaving JetBlue as the terminal's only tenant. On April 28, 2021, Spirit Airlines started operating its Fort Lauderdale–bound flights from Terminal A. On July 20, 2021, JetBlue announced that they will be relocating from the MAT to Terminal B, a move they completed on July 9, 2022, with the relocation of Boston flights to Terminal B. On March 29, 2022, all flights operated by Spirit Airlines now operate out of the MAT. On September 13 of that year, Frontier Airlines moved all of its flights to Terminal A. On April 10, 2024, Frontier moved all flights to Terminal B, leaving Spirit as the only airline operating at Terminal A.

Terminal B
Terminal B serves many airlines, and it functions as a large hub for American Airlines. In 2017, work started on the first of two new concourses, which replaced the old A, B, C, and D concourses. The new terminal was designed by Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum.

In 2020, the new Terminal B headhouse opened with a bridge connecting it to the completed Eastern Concourse. On January 27, 2022, a second bridge was completed, connecting Terminal B's headhouse to the Western Concourse. In 2022, the old Terminal B was demolished.

On October 31, 2021, JetBlue moved to Terminal B (except for flights to Boston), as the airline wanted to make connections easier with American Airlines due to the "Northeast Alliance" between them. JetBlue's Boston flights moved to Terminal B on July 9, 2022. Headhouse Floorplans:

Western Concourse (Gates 11–31)

Airlines that operate out of the Western Concourse include: Eastern Concourse (Gates 40–59)
 * American Airlines / American Eagle

On December 1, 2018, eleven gates at Terminal B's new Eastern Concourse opened. Five additional gates opened on June 2, 2019, allowing United Airlines to move all of its operations at LaGuardia to the new concourse. Airlines operating out of the Eastern Concourse include:
 * Air Canada / Air Canada Express
 * Frontier Airlines
 * JetBlue
 * Southwest Airlines
 * United Airlines / United Express

Terminal C

The new Terminal C, designed by Corgan, opened on June 4, 2022, and connects to four concourses serving Delta Air Lines and Delta Connection flights. Three of these concourses are new (E, F and G) and one (D) is part of the original Terminal C and is being refurbished while new concourses are completed. While the old Terminal C and Terminal D buildings remain while its concourses are still active, the ticketing and baggage operations of these gates have been consolidated into the new Terminal C. When completed, the new Terminal C will include access to 37 gates in its four concourses. The new Terminal C also has a Delta Sky Club, the airline's largest.

Terminal B (1964–2022)
The Central Terminal Building (CTB) was originally six blocks long, and consisted of a four-story central section, two three-story wings, and four concourses (A, B, C, and D) with 40 aircraft gates. The $36 million facilities designed by Harrison and Abramovitz was dedicated on April 17, 1964. Delta and US Airways left the CTB in 1983 and 1992 respectively for their own dedicated terminals on the east side of the airport. The Port Authority and various airlines carried out a $340 million improvement project in the 1990s to expand and renovate the existing space. The terminal was replaced by the new Terminal B, with the final gates (Concourse D) and terminal already demolished in early 2022.

Terminal C (1992–2022)
The original Terminal C (formerly known as the East End Terminal and USAir Terminal) was a 300000 sqft facility that opened September 12, 1992, at a cost of $250 million. Designed by William Nicholas Bodouva + Associates Architects and Planners, it housed part of Delta's operations at LaGuardia. On June 4, 2022, Terminal C's check-in and baggage claim areas were closed.

The building was initially conceived in a 1989 agreement between the Port Authority and Texas Air Corporation (then-owner of Continental Airlines and Eastern Air Lines). When Eastern was forcibly bankrupted by Texas Air, its assets—including the new terminal's leases—were transferred to Continental. Continental never moved in, and in turn, sold the leases (along with most of its LaGuardia slots) to US Airways as part of a bankruptcy restructuring. Trump Shuttle, successor to the Eastern Air Shuttle, also occupied the terminal before becoming US Airways Shuttle.

As a result of a slot-swap deal between Delta and US Airways, as of July 2012, Delta occupied the majority of the terminal (gates C15–C44). American (the former US Airways flights) operated some flights from gates C35–C44 until December 9, 2017. The eastern concourse connected to Terminal C has been closed and demolished (Gates C15-C24), and the construction of the new Concourse E has been completed. The new concourse opened to the public on June 4, 2022. This new concourse is numbered 70–79 for its gates.

Terminal D (1983–2022)
Terminal D opened on June 19, 1983, at a cost of approximately $90 million, and was designed by William Nicholas Bodouva + Associates Architects to accommodate Delta's new Boeing 757 and Boeing 767 aircraft. This terminal also housed Northwest Airlines and Northwest Airlink from its opening in 1983 until the merger into Delta in 2009.

As of January 8, 2020, Delta Air Lines and Delta Connection operate out of the new Concourse G that was connected to Terminal D. Terminal D was connected to Terminal C by a 600-foot walkway, which opened in early 2013 as part of Delta's effort to build a hub at LaGuardia. As of September 1, 2020, the walkway between Terminals C and D were demolished, and the construction of the new Concourse F is currently underway.

As of June 4, 2022, Terminal D's check-in and baggage claim areas were closed. During the week of September 12–18, 2022, the central and eastern sections of Terminal D were demolished. The West end of Terminal D with a Delta Sky Club and gates 81–85 remain standing and are still in use. This section is connected to the new Terminal C via a walkway bridge. The remaining gates will stay in operation until the new Concourse F is complete which will use gate numbers 82–89.

General aviation
Although there is no separate terminal building for general aviation aircraft a pseudo-terminal is operated within the Marine Air Terminal (Terminal A), which is currently run by Modern Aviation providing full FBO services to private and charter aircraft owners-pilots including 100LL and Jet A fueling, computerized weather, and flight planning as well as pilot and passenger lounges. To access the General Aviation terminal an on-airport tenant must possess a SIDA (Security Identification Display Area) badge for unescorted access, transient aircraft owners-pilots and passengers must be escorted at all times into and out of the GA Terminal and to the ramp and hangar areas by the FBO staff.

Following the September 11 attacks, the Federal Aviation Administration changed the rules for the landing and departure of general aviation aircraft at LaGuardia. Pilots operating a non-scheduled instrument flight rules (IFR) flight are now required to make a reservation via the FAA's e-CVRS system no more than 72 hours prior to the flight's arrival or departure while public charter flights may make a reservation up to six months prior. Unscheduled IFR flights may only operate at LaGuardia with a reservation from the hours of 6:00 am to 9:59 pm local time Monday thru Friday and 12:00 pm to 9:59 pm local time on Sundays. Reservations for unscheduled IFR flights are not required all day on Saturdays. Aircraft without a reservation will be redirected to either Teterboro Airport or Linden Airport.

A private seaplane base, EDO, operates three waterways in Flushing Bay and the East River north of LaGuardia Airport.

Other facilities
When New York Air was in operation, its headquarters were in Hangar 5 at LaGuardia.

Law enforcement and Aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) services are provided by the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD). The agency's LaGuardia Airport Command (Building 137) was completed in 2010. Emergency medical services are provided by North Shore University Hospital under contract to the Port Authority.

Overlooking the approach end of runway 4 is Planeview Park, a public park operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The 1.03 acre space contains park benches and lawns adjacent the Grand Central Parkway along the southern perimeter of the airport and is a prime viewing location for aircraft spotting.

Ground transportation
, buses are the only mode of mass transit to connect the airport with its surroundings. All terminals are served by accessible public MTA bus lines—including two Select Bus Services (SBS)—and free transfers to the New York City Subway are provided when passengers pay using OMNY or MetroCard. The airport also features a complementary internal shuttle bus route which makes stops at all terminals.
 * M60 Select Bus Service (all terminals)
 * Q47 (Terminal A only)
 * Q48 (all terminals)
 * Q70 "LaGuardia Link" Select Bus Service (all terminals except Terminal A)
 * Q72 (all terminals except Terminal A)

Despite many failed proposals throughout its history, LaGuardia is not served directly by rail. Nearby lines of the New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), however, provides northern Queens with connections to the greater New York metropolitan area and are commonly accessed from the airport by public bus or private car services.

The airport is mainly accessible via the Grand Central Parkway and overpasses at 94th Street and 102nd Street. Taxicabs serving LaGuardia are metered and licensed by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, and uniformed airport employees are stationed to dispatch fares. For-hire-vehicles (FHV) including limousines and rideshare operators are accommodated at designated locations. In 2019, PANYNJ approved the implementation of "airport access fee" surcharges on FHV and taxi trips, with the revenue earmarked to support the agency's capital programs.

title: LaGuardia Airport


text:
Megumi Hayashibara

Megumi Hayashibara (林原 めぐみ) is a Japanese voice actress, singer, lyricist and radio personality from Kita ward in Tokyo and is affiliated with self-founded Woodpark Office. One of the most prominent Japanese voice actresses since the 1990s, Hayashibara is best known for her roles in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Saber Marionette J, Magical Princess Minky Momo, Mashin Hero Wataru, Ranma ½ along with Noriko Hidaka, Kikuko Inoue, Minami Takayama & Rei Sakuma, Cowboy Bebop, Slayers, Detective Conan, Pokémon, All Purpose Cultural Catgirl Nuku Nuku, Hello Kitty, Video Girl Ai, Chihar Reicha and Biker Girl alongside with Kenichi Suzumura, Shinichiro Miki, Neya Michiko and Kazusa Murai in BOYS BE and Anna Kyoyama alongside with Yūko Satō, Yōko Hikasa, Inuko Inuyama, Masahiko Tanaka & Yūji Ueda in Shaman King where she also performs the opening themes for the 2001 series, Over Soul and Northern Lights, as well as the 2021 adaptations theme Soul Salvation & & Sailor Galaxia in Sailor Moon Cosmos.

Biography
Hayashibara was born on March 30, 1967, in Kita Tokyo, Japan. She studied at a Catholic school and at one point was bullied in fifth grade. She was an active club member and participated in the Badminton, Biology, Broadcasting, Drama and English clubs. She played the role of Alice in an English language production of Alice in Wonderland. Despite qualifying as a nurse, she has never been employed in a nursing position.

On March 30, 1998, Hayashibara got married. On January 10, 2004, Hayashibara announced on her radio show that she was pregnant with her first child. On June 28 of the same year, she gave birth to her daughter by via caesarian section.

Voice acting
On the same day as submitting the application for nursing school, Hayashibara went to a book store and found an advert offering free anime voice acting auditions at Arts Vision. Several months after submitting a demo tape, she received a confirmation of passing the first stage of the audition, and eventually decided to continue training as a nurse while doing voice acting. In 1986, after a year of voice actor training, Hayashibara was chosen to voice small roles on Maison Ikkoku. Initially, she had difficulty with her lines and had to redo many lines after the main recording sessions. Hayashibara later auditioned for Ranma ½ expecting to be cast as Akane Tendo, but was cast as the female half of Ranma Saotome instead. In 1993 and 1995, Hayashibara was a guest at Anime America. At the 1995 event, she decided to give a speech in English after believing the translation at the 1993 event did not reflect what she had said. In 1995, Hayashibara provided the voice of Rei Ayanami in Neon Genesis Evangelion, a role referred to as "innovative casting".

In addition to voicing Musashi/Jessie of Team Rocket in Pokémon, Hayashibara has also voiced Ash's Pidgeotto and Pidgeot, May's Skitty, Whitney's Miltank, Clair's Dratini and Dragonair, Latios, Latias, and Anabel's Espeon in both the Japanese and English-language versions of the anime. She also provides the voice for Ai Haibara in the ongoing anime series, Detective Conan.

While Hayashibara rarely voices male characters, she voiced as Shuichi Saihara in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony due to her deep and vast experience connected to detective characters. She has actually helped the team on making Shuichi more detective-like.

In 2001, Hayashibara was cast as Anna Kyoyama In the anime adaptation of the Shonen series Shaman King while also performing the opening themes Over Soul and Northern Lights. Twenty years later she reprised her role as Anna in the 2021 remake and performed the first opening theme Soul Salvation and the first ending theme #Boku no Yubisaki. Over Soul was used as the credits song for episode 5. Hayashibara's 2010 song Osorezan Revoir would also be used as the ending theme of episode 33: which concluded the Osorezan Revoir arc of the story.

DJ
While at nursing school, Hayashibara started a temporary job as a DJ at a local ice skating rink. After becoming better known as a voice actress, she was given her own radio show, Heartful Station. After 17 shows, the broadcasting station cancelled the show and other anime related programming to concentrate on traditional music. However, six months later, Hayashibara started a new radio show at another broadcaster.

Writing
Hayashibara wrote a series of manga for Anime V magazine, with artwork by Sakura Asagi. The comics, known as "Megumi-Toons", talked about her personal life and career. The individual chapters were collected into the book "There is always Tomorrow" (明日があるさ), which has been reprinted several times. Hayashibara has also contributed two columns to Newtype magazine; Aitakute Aitakute, and Speaking in Character. Aitakute Aitakute is a series of interviews conducted by Hayashibara with people from all walks of life. Three compilations of the column have been published. Speaking in Character has been translated into English for Newtype USA.

In February 2021, Yen Press announced the release of Hayashibara's memoir The Characters Taught Me Everything: Living Life One Episode at a Time, in which she examines her career and the ways the characters she portrayed in various anime series affected it. The book is currently available for digital release, with the physical release slated for August 2021.

Substitutes

 * Akiko Hiramatsu—Pokemon: Advanced Generation: Musashi

title: Megumi Hayashibara


text:
Yui Horie

Yui Horie (堀江 由衣) is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with VIMS and Starchild. She has been affectionately nicknamed "Hocchan" (ほっちゃん) by her Japanese fans. She debuted as a voice actress in 1997, releasing her debut single "My best friend" on 1998-11-18. Since then, she has been involved in excess of 350 productions in addition to promotional material, concert performances, as well as charting several albums and singles. She won the award for Best Supporting Voice Actress in the 4th Seiyu Awards.

She is one of a handful of Japanese idol voice actors that rose to prominence in the 2000s, whose popularity today has been attributed to their solid experience and long-term interaction with their fan base, as opposed to the contemporary norms of youth and beauty in the entertainment industry. As a result of her ongoing success, she has performed solo at large music venues, such as the Nippon Budokan in 2009 and the Yoyogi National Gymnasium's First Stadium in 2015, each with capacities of approximately 14,000 and 13,000, respectively. Her official fanclub is the "Black Cat Alliance".

Some of her notable roles in anime include Naru Narusegawa in Love Hina, Izayoi Riko/Cure Magical's speaking voice in Witchy PreCure!, Multi in To Heart, Tohru Honda in Fruits Basket, Ai in Dōbutsu no Mori, Ayu Tsukimiya in Kanon, Yuki Cross in Vampire Knight, Hanyuu and Maria Ushiromiya in, respectively, Higurashi When They Cry and Umineko When They Cry, Miss Monochrome in Miss Monochrome, Minori Kushieda in Toradora!, Tsubasa Hanekawa in Monogatari, Chie Satonaka in Persona 4, Kōko Kaga in Golden Time, Carla in Fairy Tail and Wiz in KonoSuba.

Personal life
Born in Tokyo, Horie spent much of her younger years as a latchkey kid. As an only child, (at that time) she would spend most of her time alone, playing outside of her residence after school until 7pm, when her parents would return from work. In junior high school, she joined the volleyball club but did not enjoy it much. Horie refers to her time at junior high and high school as her 'dark era'. Early childhood interests included watching the anime series Dirty Pair. She was fascinated by the main premise as a detective. She would act out scenes from memory with a school friend and also record herself with a cassette player.

In 1995, during the first year of college, Horie auditioned at the Japan Voice Acting Institute for a scholarship, the voice training school for Arts Vision. She can be quoted as saying "I went for an audition instead of hunting for a job, hahaha....". Horie graduated after 4 years of training. During this time she entered the SME Voice Actor Audition in 1996, winning the Namco Prize, (with Ayako Kawasumi winning the Special Award). On August 28, 1996, Horie and 21 other voice students (including Yukari Tamura) were unveiled at Nippon Cultural Broadcasting Inc.'s "SOMETHING DREAMS '96" at the Tokyo International Exhibition Centre as the Dorikan Club, a group of aspiring voice actresses.

1997–1999: Early career
Whilst still training and under the representation of Arts Vision, Horie was able to make her voice actor debut in the 1997 Sega Saturn game, Voice Fantasia: Ushinawareta Voice Power. Her first leading role was in the 1998 anime Kurogane Communication, of which she sang the theme songs, "My best friend" and "Dear Mama". These two songs were released as Horie's first single under the Pony Canyon music label. In 1999, with the increasing number of eroge and visual novels being adapted to anime, Horie was able to win a major role as Multi, a robotic girl, in the romantic anime To Heart.

2000–2003: Growing success
The following year, Horie succeeded in auditioning for the lead female role of the TV anime adaptation of the shōnen manga comedy Love Hina, as Naru Narusegawa. Love Hina was a huge hit, with sales of over one million DVDs. The high popularity at the time lead to Lycos Japan using the anime to advertise its search engine and other services, with narration from Horie. This was to be her first CM. The ascending popularity of Love Hina spawned a lucrative franchise of OVAs, Drama CDs and games, of which Horie reprised the star role.

In regard to their rising fame, Horie worked with Yukari Tamura and form the group Yamato Nadeshiko (やまとなでしこ). This group had two debuts in 2000, on April 30 at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium and May 13 at Nagoya's Nadia Park Complex. The first of these was called "Yamato Nadeshiko Debut Kinen First Live ~suddenly 1000 seconds live in Yoyogi~", which happened during the "Dorikan Club Fifth Anniversary Event". Together they would release two singles, "Mō Hitori no Watashi" (もうひとりの私) in 2000 and "Merry Merrily" in 2001, the latter being used as an insert song in the Love Hina Christmas Special. This collaboration ended with a seven date concert tour during June 2003, including stops at Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo.

2000 also saw Horie publish her first photobook, Kingyobachi Puranetto (金魚鉢プラネット), and the release of her debut album, Mizutamari ni Utsuru Sekai, through the Starchild label which featured two songs from Love Hina.

In 2001, Starchild established her official fan club called Kuroneko Union (黒ネコ同盟), where member benefits included fan events, priority seating in concerts, bimonthly newsletters, and access to exclusive merchandise. The first meeting, which was named "Black Cat Rally Vol.1 - Akasaka BLITZ" was on July 21, where they held a rally and a quiz show.

Early in 2002, Horie's first solo concert tour kicked off on January 26 at the Club Diamond Hall in Nagoya, a 1000 capacity venue. "堀江由衣 First Live Tour", lasted a total of 6 nights, travelling to Tokyo and ending on February 11 in Osaka at the Matsushita IMP Hall. In 2002, she voiced Ayu Tsukimiya in the anime adaptation of Kanon, an adult visual novel that she had also voiced in 1999. Horie released her first collection of music videos on July 29. The 27 minute VHS tape was called Yui Horie CLIPS 0 〜since '00〜'01〜, featuring interviews, making-ofs and notably the music video for "Love Destiny" the theme song of the 2001 anime adaptation of Sister Princess.

The same year, Horie started her weekly radio show, "Horie Yui no Tenshi no Tamago" (堀江由衣の天使のたまご), which was first broadcast on October 6, and can currently be heard on the station JOQR (文化放送) (AM 1134 kHz) at 22:00 – 22:30 every Sunday. Her signature catchphrase is "Angel Beam in your Heart!" and frequently features anison guests such as angela, Nana Mizuki and Megumi Hayashibara. As of the end of 2016, the show has run in excess of 740 episodes.

In 2003, Horie established herself as a popular singer when her third album "Sky" peaked at 10th in the Oricon charts.

Other activities
In October 2005, she founded Aice5, a J-Pop group consisting of four other voice actors, to help launch their careers. Their debut single was "Get Back", released March 13, 2006. Aice5 was disbanded on September 20, 2007, at their farewell concert "Final Aice5 Party LAST Aice5" at the Yokohama Arena. During this time, they released six singles and one album. Their album "Love Aice5" was released on February 26, 2007, remaining in the Oricon charts for four weeks with a highest rank of eight. Aice5 has since been revived, announced on July 17, 2015, with the intention to release a new single on September 30 and have their comeback concert on November 22.

Horie has collaborated with a few other artists. In 2004, she released "Scramble" together with Unscandal. This ska inspired song was used as an opening theme song for the romantic comedy anime School Rumble. And in 2006, she formed the goth band Kurobara Hozonkai (lit. "Black Rose Preservation Society"), with Horie taking the stage name of YUIEL. This band released the album "A Votre Sante!!" in 2008 and has been relatively inactive since.

Horie was affiliated with Arts Vision. However, she eventually left the agency in mid-2007 during an unrelated scandal in the agency's top management and became a freelance voice actress. Today, she's affiliated with VIMS, a division of I'm Enterprise. She has published seven independent musical albums. Nearly all of them incorporate at least one track from an anime she has worked with. She currently releases music under the Starchild label (a subdivision of King Records).

In late 2012, Horie created and voiced the 3D animated character Miss Monochrome. Her first appearance was in The Adventure Over Yui Horie III ~Secret Mission Tour~ concert, acting as the antagonist who wanted to turn the world black and white. The character has since had a self-titled anime series, with the premier season televised on 2013-10-01. The opening theme song, Poker Face, was released as a musical single. Other notable appearances include the iOS game Girlfriend Beta, a self-titled manga series and cameos in other anime.

Discography
All releases are under King Records, sub-label Starchild, unless otherwise noted.

title: Yui Horie