Why LaGuardia is one of the worst airports in the US

I counted five garbage cans that were used to catch water dripping from the ceiling in Terminal B.Mark Matousek / Business Insider

• LaGuardia Airport has a reputation for being one of the worst airports in the US.
• When I used the airport in December 2017, I noticed it was dirty, cramped, and poorly lit.
• The airport is undergoing significant renovations over the next few years.

While the future of American transportation could involve self-driving cars, supersonic jets, and flying Ubers, our current transportation infrastructure needs some work.

Airports, in particular, have struggled to keep up with an increasing demand for air travel. Compared to some of their international counterparts, American airports are lacking. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the American aviation industry a “D” grade in its 2017 Infrastructure Report Card. 

“Progress at the nation’s airports and in the air traffic control system is slow, as investment has been consistently lagging in the past 18 years, unable to keep up with demands of increased traffic and new technologies,” the report said.

New York’s LaGuardia Airport has a reputation for being one of the worst airports in the US. A 2017 study of more than 34,000 travelers by JD Power found that respondents were less satisfied with their experiences at LaGuardia than at any other large or medium airport in North America.

While renovations to the airport’s terminals, parking system, and drop-off and pick-up areas are underway, the airport is cramped, poorly-lit, and dirty in its current state.

I used LaGuardia when I flew to Chicago in December 2017 and realized why its reputation is so horrible.

Here’s what I saw.