July 28, 2026 • 6 min read Jump to section Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Copy URL Email The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. Terminal B at New York City's LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is less than a decade old. It's state-of-the-art, airy and home to three premium credit card lounges.
So why would JetBlue want to trade those digs for the airport's 80-year-old terminal building?
"While people love fountains and artwork, at the end of the day, we need to make sure that these airports are really providing what matters most to people," CEO Joanna Geraghty said of LaGuardia Tuesday.
And what matters most, she argued, is paying less money to fly.
JetBlue is hoping to exit LaGuardia's Terminal B , with its signature water feature and natural-lit concourses, in favor of the 1940s-era Marine Air Terminal.
The older facility (also known as Terminal A) doesn't currently house any airlines; Spirit Airlines had been the only commercial carrier in the building prior to the airline's collapse in May.
But after JetBlue won Spirit's coveted " slots " (or takeoff and landing rights) this month, executives confirmed the airline also hoped to take over its old gates.
For passengers, a move to Terminal A would certainly mean a different airport experience. They'd be flying out of a terminal that's a lot less modern and lacks the frills of JetBlue's current LGA digs, which were instrumental in helping the airport shed its forgettable pre-2020s reputation.
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But JetBlue executives say the economics of the Marine Air Terminal would make the move worthwhile for the company and, perhaps, its passengers.
"Significantly cheaper ... versus what we see in Terminal B," JetBlue president Marty St. George said, speaking on a call with analysts Tuesday. "Definitely lower-cost, which means, hopefully, better fares for our customers."
LaGuardia is one of the nation's most expensive airports for airlines to operate in.
Those high costs were a big reason JetBlue had pulled back at the airport in recent years, focusing more of its New York operation on its home base at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
But with clearance now to fly roughly 12 additional daily round-trip flights from the airport, industry watchers believe a takeover of the Marine Air Terminal could suddenly make LaGuardia more appealing to the hometown carrier.
"I would say it's a unique opportunity," industry analyst Bob Mann told TPG last week.
"It's a good insular facility," he added. "No waterfalls. No shopping malls. There's a great old diner, though."
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates LGA, will ultimately have a big say in whether JetBlue…