Aviation in the New York metropolitan area

The New York metropolitan area has the busiest airport system in the United States. It is also the most frequently used port of entry and departure for international flights. In 2011 more than 104 million passengers used the airports under the auspices of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).

The metro area is served by three major airports, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and La Guardia Airport (LGA), which have been operated by PANYNJ since 1947. The International Air Transport Association airport code (IATA code) "NYC" is reserved to refer to these three airports. JFK and Newark are connected to regional rail systems by AirTrain JFK and AirTrain Newark respectively.

The class B airspace used by the three airports is extremely congested. Despite caps placed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) limiting the number of flights per hour, they rank among the top five in the USA for delays. In 2012 travel guide Frommer's rated three terminals in the region as the worst in the world: JFK Terminal 3, Newark Terminal B, and LGA's US Airways terminal. It rated Terminal 5 at JFK the best in the US.

In addition to JFK, EWR, and LGA, there are satellite or reliever airports in the metro area which provide additional commercial air carrier service, albeit on a much smaller scale, as well as numerous general aviation airports, heliports, and seaplane bases.

...
Wikipedia