LaGuardia Airport /ləˈɡwɑrdiə/ is an airport in the northern part of the New York City borough of Queens. The airport is on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, in East Elmhurst and borders the neighborhoods of East Elmhurst, Astoria, and Jackson Heights.
The New York City metropolitan area‘s JFK International, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty International airports combine to create the largest airport system in the United States, second in the world in terms of passenger traffic, and first in the world in terms of total flight operations. In 2011 the airport handled 24.1 million passengers;[3] In 2013, LaGuardia Airport had a strong growth in passenger traffic; about 26.7 million passengers used the airport, a 6.6 percent increase from the previous year.[4] JFK handled 50.4 million[1] and Newark handled 35 million,[1] a total of about 112 million travelers using New York airports; the second highest of any city in the world after London, United Kingdom.
The airport is a hub for Delta Air Lines[5] and a focus city for American Airlines and regional affiliate American Eagle.
LaGuardia is the busiest airport in the United States without any non-stop service to Europe.[6] A perimeter rule prohibits nonstop flights to or from points beyond 1,500 statute miles (2,400 km). Exceptions to the perimeter rule are flights on Saturdays and flights to Denver. Most transcontinental and international flights use JFK or Newark.[7]