zxrst

Centurion lounge is nice, but not enough to jump all the hoops to get some drinks/bites. It is not your fault that s/he doesn't access to skyclub. If you really feel bad, buy a pass for him/her.

grunze

All right folks. Looks like the answer is unanimous. Thanks for all the advice

joe_miami

I have a 2.5-hour layover at LGA tomorrow from 7:00 am to 9:30 am. I'll be flying in and out of C and/or D but plan to hit the Centurion, since, even with construction, 2.5 hours should allow plenty of time. How long should I expect for the shuttle rides and then the TSA PRE line at C or D around 8:30 am on a Friday? Thanks.

bgriff

nonononononononononononononononono please don't

It can take 30 minutes to get between terminals C and D at a good time. At a bad time it could take 2 hours. It's nowhere close to worth it.

joe_miami

Are masses of people missing Delta connections at LGA? It can't possibly be this bad, can it?

bgriff

Sorry, I meant to get between terminals C/D and terminal B where the Centurion Lounge is. There aren't people missing connections within the C/D complex (any more than usual at an NYC airport) but there are people who are originating in New York who are missing their flights because of traffic getting into the airport, never mind people arriving at LGA who are getting home an hour later than planned due to the difficulties of getting a taxi or Uber out of LGA.

Honestly even a pre-construction timeframe I'd still have tried to dissuade you from changing terminals at LGA during a not-that-long layover just to use the Centurion Lounge, especially considering you already have Sky Club access (unless you're worried about guests, but even still).

joe_miami

Pre-construction, moving between terminals at LGA generally took about 10 minutes. There's no way that 2.5 hours, pre-construction, for a TSA PRE holder, was insufficient for this.

For people who've been through LGA recently, how long is it taking to get from B to C or the reverse?

mia

You have probably already seen THIS post which estimates 30 minutes by shuttle.

joe_miami

Thanks. Yes, I saw that. I haven't been at LGA since Mets Opening Day, which made traffic particularly brutal. Curious if 30 minutes is the average right now from B to C or D.

krazykanuck

The last 2 times I've done this, both in the last month: Saturday morning around 8am, no traffic took about 5 minutes. TSA Pre took about 10 mins, there was only 1 ID checker for both lanes. Tuesday morning around 11am, granted this was the day after Labor Day, the drive took about 15 mins, much of that is just trying to get out of Terminal B where 4-5 lanes merge into 1.

With a 2.5 hr layover, assuming that's touch down to take off - not boarding, I really wouldn't bother. Between the traffic and TSA unpredictability, I'd be more worried about getting stuck and missing my outbound flight to be able to enjoy the lounge.

I have a flight out of LGA this Saturday, I'll go to the CL with my checked bag, and then head to C/D to check in. That way I only have to do the shuttle once, and again, it's Saturday I know it's not busy at that time of day.

pallhedge

I'm curious what your ultimate decision was. Did you try this?

joe_miami

I did. Landed at D, shuttle took 9 minutes to B, had a quick breakfast, and then the shuttle back to D took 6 minutes. I was back at D a good hour before boarding began.

Obviously, LGA is a mess and this was a best-case outcome. I appreciate the warning from the person above. Had traffic looked bad when I arrived, I wouldn’t have done it.

AjFlyer

Yes, "the person above" has god-like powers.

pallhedge

Worst case, if the traffic was sketchy, you could have stayed on the shuttle and ended up right back where you started. Glad it worked out for you. Safe travels.

krazykanuck

This place is so peaceful on Saturday mornings. There are 10-20 people in the whole lounge, the scrambled eggs with parmesan cheese are good, and the bartender is pouring mimosas that are heavy on the sparkling and light on the OJ.