Photo: ED JONES / AFP / Getty Images
Newark Liberty Airport's Terminal A has been awarded a five-star rating by Skytrax, an aviation industry ratings firm. This makes it one of only two airport terminals in North America to receive the highest rating from Skytrax, the other being LaGuardia Airport's Terminal B.
The new terminal, which was completed in 2023, is the centerpiece of an airport-wide renaissance. It represents the Port Authority's largest-ever single investment in New Jersey and the state's largest design-build project. The terminal, which is a million square feet, served 15 million passengers in its first year, greatly outperforming yearly passenger totals from the previous Terminal A.
The terminal offers state-of-the-art passenger amenities, local artwork, a children’s play space, digital technology, and dozens of local dining and retail options. Other unique amenities include a sensory room that offers travelers with disabilities 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.
Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said, 'Five stars are reserved for the best of the best, but we expected nothing less for Newark’s Terminal A. We set out to raise the bar with Terminal A, from its soaring architecture to its streamlined design to its engaging local art. This stellar evaluation from the aviation industry’s preeminent rating organization proves we’ve accomplished exactly that, giving New Jersey a magnificent gateway that is taking its rightful place among the world’s best.'
The Skytrax ratings are considered a global benchmark of airport excellence. They are based on a detailed audit and an assessment of an airport’s product and front-line service standards. The five-star terminal rating recognizes airport terminals that provide exceptional standards of facilities and staff service to customers across all front-line areas of the airport environment.