VP Biden: LaGuardia like 'third-world' airport

PHILADELPHIA -- Vice President Joe Biden says LaGuardia Airport could use some major improvements -- and that's putting it mildly.

Biden says if he blindfolded someone and took him to LaGuardia, he'd think he was in "some third-world country."

Biden made the comment as part of a comparison with the Hong Kong airport. He says Hong Kong has the type of modern facilities travelers would expect to see in the United States.

His remarks came during an event Thursday in Philadelphia in which he stressed the need for infrastructure improvement.

Biden focused mainly on Amtrak, which just unveiled its new Cities Sprinter electric locomotive. But he says the nation's ports and airports also need to be upgraded.

The Port Authority operates LaGuardia. It says it's investing $3.6 billion to help "provide passengers with a world-class terminal" at the Queens airport.

-- AP