United Airlines spending $25 million for new and enhanced Terminal C restrooms; Port Authority is investing $19 million during 2020 in new Terminal B bathrooms
The Port Authority is investing billions in new facilities, as the agency also continues to prioritize customer service with world-class upgrades at all of its existing facilities. Real-time monitoring of Port Authority restrooms for cleanliness, customer satisfaction is a key element of the Project Clean initiative. The Port Authority is teaming with United Airlines to bring new and modernized restroom facilities to Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport, and is investing $19 million in restroom upgrades at the airport’s Terminal B.
The rollout of brand-new restrooms, redesign of existing restrooms and rigorous cleaning schedules at Port Authority terminals, including Newark Liberty, is part of a broad array of specific initiatives the agency has introduced to improve the facilities.
At the same time, the Port Authority is investing billions to build new world-class facilities, the agency continues to prioritize improved services that include free Wi-Fi at the airports, real-time information for air, rail and ground travelers, and other passenger-focused initiatives, in addition to the facility project which is estimated at costing $80 million dollars.
“Improving the customer experience for everyone using Port Authority facilities is one of our highest priorities,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “The restroom enhancements we are making at Newark Liberty, and across all of our facilities, are an important part of that effort.”
By the end of 2020, United will have increased the number of facilities in Terminal C by 57 percent since 2018. The work is being done in two phases. The first phase has meant the opening of four new bathrooms, while phase two will add one new restroom and the redesign of two additional locations. New features include a variety of amenities such as a private nursing room, a separate family restroom, and larger stalls with room for luggage.
“Achieving a higher standard of service and cleanliness for our customers is an integral part of the experience we’re creating in United’s Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport,” said Jill Kaplan, United’s President of New York and New Jersey. “This includes the completion of phase one of our $25 million restrooms project to upgrade existing restrooms and creating entirely new locations.
The Port Authority launched Project Clean in 2018, implementing the agency’s first-ever set of restroom standards for airport terminals. These new standards are based on industry research, best-in-class class practices and changing demographics designed to exceed customer expectations.
LaGuardia Airport and Other PA Locations Also Improving Facilities
The 36 restrooms in LaGuardia Airport’s new Terminal B eastern concourse, which opened in December 2018, feature modern technology, a series of new hands-free fixtures, and wider, ADA-compliant stalls. Nursing rooms complete with a comfortable lounge chair are also available, in addition to family-friendly facilities.
As part of a $110 million quality-of-commute program at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, renovations with additional lighting and mirrors were completed earlier this year in the terminals’ 14 bathrooms were completed earlier this year. Attendants were also added at most of the bus terminal’s restrooms.
In addition, the Port Authority opened new, thoroughly modern restrooms at the Jamaica AirTrain station in the fall of 2019, and restroom upgrades as part of Project Clean at JFK terminals have produced sharp increases in customer satisfaction rates. JFK Terminal 4 leads the agency’s overall airport restroom satisfaction response with a ranking of more than 90 percent, thanks to remodeled facilities, new aesthetic designs and other amenities.