Newark Liberty International Airport’s new Terminal A was named as the world’s best new airport terminal by the global airport evaluation firm Skytrax. The industry honor comes a month after Skytrax gave Terminal A its highest rating, five stars, following a detailed audit of the terminal’s facilities, operations and customer service in 2023.
The Skytrax honor is considered a global benchmark of airport facility excellence, according to an announcement, following the results of comprehensive surveys taken between August 2023 and March 2024 from passengers worldwide that evaluated traveler experiences regarding airport facilities, staff service and customer experience ranging from check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration through departure at the gate.
Newark Liberty is the second Port Authority airport in just two years to receive Skytrax’s highest honor for airport terminals: LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B was named the world’s best airport terminal in 2023 and was also rated five stars by Skytrax.
Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority, said “From Newark to LaGuardia, and from worst to best, our $30 billion redevelopment of the New York-New Jersey area’s major airports has truly transformed air travel for the millions of people who use our airports.”
The $2.7 billion Terminal A represented both the Port Authority’s largest single investment in New Jersey and the state’s largest design-build project. The terminal opened in phases throughout 2023 as operations migrated from the 50-year-old former Terminal A. Within its first year of service, the terminal served 15 million passengers, greatly outperforming yearly passenger totals from the previous Terminal A.
The new 1 million-square-foot Terminal A features local artwork, a children’s play space, digital technology and dozens of local and national dining and retail options. Other passenger amenities include a sensory room that offers neurodivergent travelers and their families a calm space away from the bustle of the airport, and a children’s lending library curated by a local fifth grader.
