Airline terminal change-up at LaGuardia goes off smoothly

The relocation of six airlines to different terminals at LaGuardia Airport overnight Friday caused few disruptions for travelers Saturday morning, even as the first snow of the season began falling at the airport.

The move — designed to facilitate the aging airport’s $8 billion, multiyear renovation — did not trigger more traffic or confusion than usual Saturday morning, even as passengers of Delta, JetBlue, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines had to navigate to new departure terminals.

“I didn’t have any problem with it,” said Chuck Runnion, 54, who was waiting for a JetBlue flight back to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

“I was well-informed. I even told the taxi driver where to go,” he said.

Flightaware.com, which tracks airport service, reported 43 canceled flights and 73 delays late Saturday morning at LaGuardia, which handled nearly 30 million passengers last year.

To prepare for the terminal relocation, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey released 1,600 radio advertisements and 70,000 brochures, among other measures, authority spokeswoman Alana Calmi said Friday.

The relocation began late Friday night, with airplanes taxiing past each other to their new terminals and workers uncovering new directional signage in and around the airport, Calmi said.

Whether the relocation will cause greater headaches during the business week remains to be seen.

The Port Authority “has a strong operational readiness plan in place and expects a smooth transition throughout the weekend and into Monday,” Calmi said.