Marine Air Terminal

Marine Air Terminal
Company type	Airport terminal
Industry	Aviation
Founded	1940
Headquarters	Queens, New York City, United States
Products	Airport terminal services for airlines (historically Pan Am, currently Spirit Airlines)

Marine Air Terminal

The Marine Air Terminal (also known as Terminal A) at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York City, commenced operations in 1940. Crafted in the Art Deco aesthetic by William Delano of the firm Delano & Aldrich, it initially accommodated Pan Am's fleet of Boeing 314 Clipper flying boats that landed on nearby Bowery Bay. After World War II, technological progress made the Clippers outdated, prompting a 1946 refurbishment to support standard aircraft. As of April 2024, this terminal serves Spirit Airlines for domestic routes.

Originally the focal point for LaGuardia’s transatlantic flights, the terminal held significance in the 1940s when LaGuardia was the sole major U.S. airport with scheduled European service. Passenger volumes dropped sharply following the 1948 inauguration of Idlewild Airport, and Clippers stopped operating here by 1952. Subsequently, for more than thirty years, it operated as LaGuardia’s general aviation hub, except during a brief period in the 1950s when Northeast Airlines utilized it. The Pan Am Shuttle began service from this location in 1986; after Delta Air Lines acquired the shuttle in 1991, it continued as Delta Shuttle until 2017 before various airlines took over. The terminal has undergone several renovations throughout its history.

Architecturally, the building consists of a two-level circular core with a protruding entrance pavilion flanked by two-story wings. Its facade features buff-colored brick with black accents and a frieze illustrating flying fish. The three-story entrance pavilion includes a canopy and doors opening into a central rotunda adorned with marble flooring and walls, as well as James Brooks' mural titled Flight. Both interior and exterior elements were designated New York City landmarks in 1980 and were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Nearby seaplane hangars have been converted into garages for snow-removal equipment.

History

Following Charles Lindbergh’s pioneering 1927 transatlantic flight, commercial aviation expanded steadily across the United States throughout the 1930s. By 1934, under Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia, New York City faced an urgent need for a new airport. Annoyed that his flight had landed at Newark despite having a ticket to "New York," La Guardia pushed for an airport located within city limits. Although Floyd Bennett Field existed in Brooklyn, it was farther from Midtown Manhattan than Newark Airport. After conducting feasibility studies, the administration decided to redevelop North Beach Airport in Queens, securing a lease in 1934.

Development

In August 1937, plans were announced by La Guardia’s administration to renovate North Beach Airport (now known as LaGuardia Airport), including distinct terminals for seaplanes on Bowery Bay and land planes on Flushing Bay. The Marine Air Terminal was designed to incorporate four hangars, an administrative building, and maintenance facilities. This circular brick-and-steel administrative structure would accommodate baggage handling, customs and immigration services, an air traffic control tower, and offices arranged around a principal waiting area featuring seaplane passenger ramps. Both terminals were designed by Delano & Aldrich to function independently. Federal funding was provided through the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved these plans on September 3, 1937; Mayor La Guardia initiated construction six days later. Initially budgeted at $15 million and scheduled to open for the 1939 New York World's Fair, the project rapidly expanded. By July 1938, approximately 7,800 WPA workers were engaged in land reclamation to enlarge the site; by November, this workforce had increased to 11,500 and costs had surged to $29 million. Prior to the seaplane terminal’s opening in early 1939, it was anticipated that international flying boats from England, France, Germany, and the United States would operate there. Although two hangars were planned initially, only one was constructed at first.

The enlarged North Beach Airport officially opened on October 15, 1939, and later that year was renamed New York Municipal Airport–LaGuardia Field. Spanning , with nearly of runway space, it represented the world’s largest and most costly airport at $40 million. The seaplane terminal accounted for $7.5 million of this total expenditure; its hangar alone cost $2 million. Commercial flights from the land-plane section began on December 2, 1939; however, completion of the marine terminal was delayed until March 1940 due to construction complications in Bowery Bay that prevented seaplane landings—seaplanes temporarily operated out of bases in Port Washington, New York and Baltimore during this period.

Pan Am operations

In April 1939, Pan American Airways selected North Beach Airport as its primary U.S. terminal for transatlantic Boeing 314 Clipper services, designating Baltimore as an alternate during adverse weather conditions in New York City. The following month, Pan Am leased the Marine Air Terminal from New York City and permitted foreign airlines such as Imperial Airways, Air France, and KLM to operate from the facility.

Inauguration and initial period

The Marine Air Terminal officially commenced operations on March 31, 1940, with a Clipper flight departing for Lisbon, Portugal, carrying crew, passengers, and mail while setting an eastbound transatlantic record of 18 hours and 35 minutes. Initially, it supported three weekly transatlantic flights and was marketed as a vital link connecting air routes between the Old and New Worlds. Its observation deck gained popularity for watching seaplane arrivals but was closed during World War II due to security concerns.

In July 1940, American Export Airlines proposed constructing a second seaplane hangar adjacent to the terminal to support its transatlantic services because Pan Am's hangar space was limited. The New York City Planning Commission approved funding of $389,000 for this project in April 1941. Construction began in December 1941 following a groundbreaking event attended by Mayor LaGuardia in August. Artist James Brooks completed the Flight mural inside the terminal in September 1942. By April 1943, Pan Am had expanded its hangar to support more frequent flights—exceeding one daily transatlantic trip—and American Export's hangar was completed by July 1943. The observation deck was reopened in June 1945.

During World War II, the terminal served as a departure location for military personnel and prominent individuals such as U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Despite its significance, the Marine Air Terminal’s function as a seaplane hub lasted under ten years. Early long-range four-engine aircraft like the Clippers were seaplanes but encountered difficulties operating during winter months and unfavorable tidal conditions. Technological advances in land-based aircraft and new four-engine land planes developed during the war quickly made seaplanes obsolete. Pan Am discontinued Boeing 314 operations at the terminal by June 1945 but maintained other service routes there.

Role as international terminal

By the mid-1940s, LaGuardia Airport’s limited infrastructure could not accommodate increasing international flight demands. Although seaplanes were becoming outdated, LaGuardia remained the only major U.S. airport with regular European connections. To reduce congestion at the Marine Air Terminal, city officials and airlines agreed in 1946 to invest $50,000 to upgrade customs facilities. However, since the terminal could handle only one aircraft at a time, passengers often faced lengthy waits for customs processing. Serving fourteen airlines simultaneously, the terminal was so crowded that one airline owner acquired an old ferryboat to use as an office moored nearby.

Enhancements included a covered walkway extending 1000 feet and three gates designated for arrivals alongside two gates for departures. Reopening on November 7, 1946, it was renamed the International Air Terminal and became responsible for all LaGuardia transatlantic flights. Meanwhile, construction of Idlewild Airport (later JFK) progressed to serve international and cross-country routes. In June 1947, the Port of New York Authority assumed control of both airports and proposed extending LaGuardia’s runway adjacent to the International Air Terminal. By 1948, the terminal managed approximately 314,000 passengers annually—surpassing its intended capacity.

Following Idlewild’s opening in 1948, traffic through the terminal diminished. To avoid confusion with Idlewild (New York International Airport), it was renamed the Overseas Terminal in August 1949 as most transatlantic flights shifted there. By early 1951, only Pan Am, American Overseas Airlines, and Trans World Airlines continued international operations at LaGuardia. Pan Am transferred most services to Idlewild by April 1951; the final transatlantic departure occurred on April 28 of that year. Subsequent international flights were limited to Bermuda until February 1952 when all overseas operations ceased.

Around this period, the terminal’s Flight mural was painted over for reasons unknown—even artist James Brooks was unaware until after the fact.

1950s to 1970s

Following the conclusion of Clipper operations, the terminal largely fell into obscurity, primarily servicing private aircraft, unscheduled flights, and military transports for senior officials. U.S. presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy occasionally utilized this terminal at LaGuardia Airport. The facility also accommodated the offices of FlightSafety, an organization established in 1951 by Albert Lee Ueltschi. Although the Port Authority announced comprehensive modernization plans for LaGuardia in 1957, these did not include the Marine Air Terminal.

On June 27, 1957, the terminal resumed commercial activity when Northeast Airlines leased it to operate shuttle services between New York and Boston. Later that year, Northeast redirected its Boston flights to LaGuardia’s domestic terminal and repurposed the Marine Air Terminal for routes to Florida, due to gate size constraints for their Douglas DC-6B aircraft. Pan Am began relocating much of its equipment from the terminal in 1958. By 1959, a mere five percent of LaGuardia’s 5.4 million travelers passed through this terminal, which was characterized as neglected and underutilized by 1960.

In 1964, American Hydrofoils introduced a shuttle route from the terminal to various Manhattan destinations. However, with the Federal Aviation Administration imposing restrictions on non-scheduled airlines during the 1960s, the terminal remained mostly unused. Butler Aviation Company leased and refurbished part of the space, reopening it in October 1966 as Butler Marine Air Terminal, a general aviation hub that managed around half of LaGuardia’s daily flights at that time. Throughout the 1960s, the rotunda received a fresh coat of paint, accompanied by plans for more extensive restoration in the following decade.

Aviation historian Geoffrey Arend spearheaded efforts to restore the Flight mural beginning in 1976. By 1979, several original Art Deco features still existed, predominantly on the exterior. Philanthropists Laurance Rockefeller and DeWitt Wallace contributed partially to a $75,000 restoration of the mural, which was completed by Alan M. Farancz and officially rededicated in September 1980.

During this era, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) evaluated the terminal for landmark status. Despite opposition from the Port Authority due to concerns about operational limitations, the LPC designated both the facade and portions of the interior as landmarks in late 1980, acknowledging it as "the only active terminal in the United States dating from the first generation of passenger air travel." Subsequently, on July 9, 1982, the main building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Pan Am Shuttle

In 1986, Pan Am initiated its Pan Am Shuttle service connecting New York with Boston and Washington after acquiring shuttle rights from New York Air. Initially intending to operate from two gates within LaGuardia’s main terminal, Pan Am found these insufficiently sized for its Boeing 727 and Airbus A300 aircraft fleets. This led to constructing new gates at the Marine Air Terminal. To fulfill contractual deadlines requiring shuttle flight commencement by October 1986, Pan Am invested $23 million in a prefabricated facility completed within just 41 days. This expansion faced resistance from local politicians and preservation advocates worried about preserving landmark status.

The Pan Am Shuttle officially began operating at the Marine Air Terminal on October 1, 1986. The terminal’s remote position—approximately distant from other LaGuardia terminals—and limited taxi access initially compromised passenger convenience and competitiveness against Eastern Air Lines, which dominated shuttle traffic between New York and Boston. To increase ridership, Pan Am launched a ferry connection linking Wall Street with the terminal in August 1987 and added a stop at East 34th Street in July 1988. These initiatives contributed to making the Pan Am Shuttle one of Pan Am’s few profitable routes. Additionally, Pan Am established a business flyer club within this terminal. Despite these successes, by 1990 Pan Am was seeking to divest its shuttle operations.

Delta Shuttle

In 1991, Delta Air Lines took over the Pan Am Shuttle and began operating the Delta Shuttle service from the Marine Air Terminal, utilizing Boeing 727-200 aircraft. Delta inherited a ferry route to Manhattan that was unprofitable and heavily subsidized. By 1995, the Port Authority initiated plans to restore the terminal’s exterior and interior, commissioning Beyer Blinder Belle for a $600,000 renovation project. A bust of Fiorello La Guardia was relocated to the terminal in 1997. Harbor Shuttle, which provided ferry service to Manhattan, was sold to NY Waterway in 1998; this ferry service ceased operations in 2000. Subsequent efforts by the Port Authority to revive ferry operations were unsuccessful.

Beginning in 1998, Delta invested $7.5 million in renovating the terminal, reopening it in November 1999 with updated business facilities and retail concessions. At that time, business travelers accounted for approximately 80% of passengers, with around 6,000 individuals using the shuttle daily from the airport’s total of 65,000 passengers. After the renovation, most travelers bypassed the main terminal building altogether. Ahead of LaGuardia’s 65th anniversary in 2004, the Port Authority allocated roughly $6.5 million for another restoration phase, which included refurbishing the main building’s frieze tiles. The airport’s general manager described the terminal as the "crown jewel of the airport." In 2006, Delta introduced an additional business center within the facility. In response to heightened security concerns following September 11, bollards were installed in front of the terminal in 2007 to enhance vehicular protection.

As part of a slot-swap agreement in 2009, Delta intended to move its operations to LaGuardia’s Central Terminal while US Airways would take over the Marine Air Terminal for its US Airways Shuttle. This arrangement was designed to allow Delta to operate hourly flights between LaGuardia and O'Hare International Airport, but it never came to fruition. The Delta Shuttle continued operating from the Marine Air Terminal until December 8, 2017. In 2010, a pilot program offering taxi-sharing services for Delta Shuttle passengers between the terminal and Manhattan was launched but failed to gain popularity.

LaGuardia redevelopment

In 2015, New York governor Andrew Cuomo and vice president Joe Biden unveiled a $4 billion initiative aimed at reconstructing most of LaGuardia’s terminals into a single unified structure. The Marine Air Terminal was preserved as an official landmark during this redevelopment. On December 9, 2017, Delta Air Lines ended shuttle operations at the Marine Air Terminal and returned to Terminal C. Alaska Airlines and JetBlue shifted their operations from Terminal B to the Marine Air Terminal; however, Alaska Airlines discontinued all service at LaGuardia on October 27, 2018. JetBlue continued flying from this terminal with routes to Boston, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach and completed renovations there by early 2019.

On April 28, 2021, Spirit Airlines commenced flights from the Marine Air Terminal to Fort Lauderdale while maintaining other routes at Terminal C. By March 2022, Spirit consolidated all its LaGuardia flights at the Marine Air Terminal. JetBlue relocated all its operations back to Terminal B on July 9, 2022, having previously split services between Terminal B and the Marine Air Terminal. In mid-2023, JetBlue announced intentions to sell Spirit's six gates and 22 landing slots at the Marine Air Terminal to Frontier Group Holdings contingent on approval of its merger with Spirit; however, this merger did not proceed. Frontier Airlines moved its operations to Terminal B in April 2024, leaving Spirit as the sole carrier operating from the Marine Air Terminal.

Main building

Situated at the western tip of LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York City, along Bowery Bay, the Marine Air Terminal—also referred to as Terminal A—stands as the airport’s sole surviving structure from the 1940s. This Art Deco edifice was crafted by William Delano of the firm Delano & Aldrich. Access from the landside is provided via Marine Terminal Road, which culminates in a turnaround serviced by bus routes Q47, Q33, M60 SBS, and the airport shuttle. Adjacent to the terminal lies parking lot P10.

Exterior

The terminal’s primary structure is a circular two-level building flanked by single-story wings oriented northwest and northeast toward Bowery Bay. The main entrance is marked by a triple-height rectangular pavilion facing south. Initially featuring a buff brick facade accented with black details, the exterior was painted beige by the 1980s before being restored to its original palette. The horizontal alignment of windows reflects the terminal’s later Art Deco influences.

Measuring 144 feet in diameter, the circular core exhibits a setback above the ground floor that creates a tiered, wedding-cake-like form. Tripartite windows framed in dark brick are separated by faceted brick panels. Above the ground level runs a stainless steel cornice, parapet, and rooftop balcony—the latter originally housing two observation decks. The second floor is crowned by a terracotta frieze depicting yellow flying fish swimming on blue waves, composed of approximately 2,200 tiles; this motif also appears in other works by Delano & Aldrich. Stainless steel panels and a control tower are featured on the attic facade at the rear.

The entrance pavilion rises three stories and includes four stainless steel doors topped with transom panels featuring winged globes beneath a curved stainless steel canopy. A double-height window above spans the width of the doors and is divided into a grid pattern by steel mullions. The terracotta frieze continues along the shorter wings flanking this pavilion.

The rear wings measure 54 by 45 feet and reflect design elements from the circular core. Seaplane passengers embarked from the northwest wing and disembarked through the northeast wing via a copper-canopied walkway extending to Bowery Bay. A corridor containing waiting rooms connected to a landing float where flying boats moored for passenger boarding and alighting. Marine aircraft accessed this terminal through six operational channels in Bowery Bay, each measuring 9,000 by 1,000 feet. Today’s Terminal A comprises gates A1 through A6.

Interior

Entering through four stainless steel doors at the main pavilion leads into a foyer featuring similarly styled doors topped with transom panels adorned with winged globes. Beyond this area are staircases with stainless steel railings and another set of five stainless steel doors opening into a two-story rotunda illuminated by a skylight on its third level. The rotunda’s staircase remains visible from outside.

Inside, light-gray marble flooring showcases a central circular geometric design complemented by wooden benches with stainless steel armrests shaped like propeller blades. Dark green marble wainscoting lines the lower walls, divided into fourteen bays that accommodate ticket counters, retail spaces, and other functions; these bays are grouped and separated by doors located on the west, east, and south walls. Above the ground floor wall runs a stainless steel band that separates it from an upper mural titled Flight. The ceiling rises gradually from the edges toward the central skylight.

The second floor encircling the rotunda originally housed offices for terminal personnel including radio technicians, communications staff, and meteorologists. Turnstiles on both the second and third floors provided public viewing areas for observing Clippers. The control tower within the main building contained radio equipment used to monitor seaplane activity in Bowery Bay.

Mural

Suspended within the rotunda is Flight, an expansive mural measuring 12 feet in height and stretching 237 feet in length, created by James Brooks in 1942. This artwork, commissioned through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), stood as the largest mural produced during that period. The composition illustrates the evolution of aviation: one segment portrays ancient legends such as Icarus alongside Leonardo da Vinci’s early flying machine concepts, while another highlights key advancements from the Wright brothers to pioneering transatlantic flights. It is installed on the upper wall just beneath the ceiling.

In 1952, Flight was obscured by paint for reasons that remain uncertain; theories include concerns over anti-communist sentiments or aesthetic judgments, as noted by LaGuardia’s operations director Anthony Cycovek. The mural was uncovered in 1973 through the National Fine Arts Inventory Project, after which aviation expert Geoffrey Arend spearheaded its restoration during the late 1970s. The artwork was officially rededicated on September 18, 1980. By 2022, it underwent another restoration as part of LaGuardia Airport’s modernization efforts, reaffirming its importance within the airport’s cultural and corporate setting.

Seaplane hangar

During the construction of LaGuardia Airport in the 1930s, plans included two seaplane hangars situated next to the main terminal; however, only one was initially erected. This hangar featured a unique five-sided half-octagonal shape with side lengths of 169 ft 7 in on the north and south, 204 ft 4 in on the northwest and southwest, and a west side extending 354 ft. It contained four large openings each standing 45 feet tall to accommodate seaplanes and flying boats, with a roof height reaching 75 feet supported by trusses anchored to a central column. A tunnel provided direct access from the hangar to the terminal building.

The adjacent ramps were outfitted with floodlighting, while taxiways were illuminated by lamps for operational visibility. Nearby stood eighteen fuel tanks, each with a capacity of 20,000 gallons. Seaplanes requiring servicing could be hauled from the water onto concrete tracks engineered to bear aircraft weighing up to 250 short tons—approximately five times heavier than an empty Boeing 314—and then moved into the hangar.

Following the end of Clipper operations at the Marine Air Terminal, this hangar was converted into storage for maintenance vehicles and housed LaGuardia’s executive offices. As of 2021, it remains designated as Hangar 7 and serves as a garage for snow-removal equipment operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The roof is adorned with Spirit of Flight, a bird sculpture featuring a wingspan of 17 feet, which was originally displayed atop LaGuardia’s Domestic Terminal prior to its demolition in 1963.

External links

Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary

Marine Air Terminal