Yellow taxi (curbside) · 25–40 min off-peak, 60–90+ min rush or rain
Where they are
One map, pinned from each airport’s published coordinates.
Category scores
Overall is the published weighted sum. A highlighted score is ahead; a tie stays plain.
Ease of use
25% · Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.
HPN8.5+2.7
LGA5.8
Comfort & amenities
20% · Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
HPN6.6
LGA7.4+0.8
Food & retail
15% · Food and retail quality and variety.
HPN6.2
LGA7.3+1.1
Ground access
15% · Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
HPN7.4+2.4
LGA5.0
Reliability
15% · Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
HPN6.8+1.3
LGA5.5
Lounges
10% · Worth-it density and access quality.
HPN2.0
LGA7.4+5.4
Best for
HPN
Hudson Valley / Fairfield County trips that can skip LGA and JFKjetBlue Florida and San Juan nonstops from a one-building fieldDomestic departures that can follow the official 2-hour clock
LGA
Domestic and Canada/Caribbean short-haul from New YorkDelta flyers using the rebuilt Terminal C hubTravelers with Amex Platinum who can hit the Centurion in BQuick turnarounds when you pad hard for road traffic
Watch out for
HPN
No passenger lounge — do not buy a third-party Escape HPN passAirside food is limited; official copy says eat before TSAGarage is $36.47/day; long-term $20.88 only after 72 hours if booked onlineCLEAR+ lanes were stamped closed; enrollment by bags is not a skip-the-line product
LGA
Grand Central Parkway and East River crossings — 25 minutes off-peak becomes 70+ in rush hourWrong-terminal drop-off: A, B, and C are separate buildings with no sterile connectorPeak security crushes 0600–0900 and 1500–1900, especially multi-airline banks in BCurb and rideshare-lot meltdown after weather delays when everyone lands at once
Amenities and tips
HPN
One building, four live gates, unpublished TSA hoursNo passenger loungeLandside coffee shop, bar, and airfield-view restaurantFree Wi-Fi; fillers unpublishedPreCheck enrollment by bags; CLEAR+ lanes closedBee-Line 12 at $3; Metro-North is downtown
Arrive 2 hours early — TSA hours are unpublished
Official homepage and airlines page ask for at least two hours. Official screening pages do not print checkpoint clock hours or a wait tile.
One building, four live gates, 240-pax half-hour cap
Ticketing, TSA, and the holdroom share one 96,000 sq ft terminal. Wikipedia reprint six gates / four at a time matches the Terminal Use Regulations.
Eat before TSA — airside kitchens are limited
Official terminal-services card names a coffee shop, a bar, and a full-service restaurant overlooking the airfield, and warns that not all of that is past security.
LGA
American Express Centurion LoungeDelta Sky Club (Terminal C)Terminal B & C dining hallsEscape LoungeCLEAR + TSA PreCheckTerminal A grab-and-go
Pad hard for the Grand Central Parkway
Leave Manhattan 2+ hours before domestic departure in rush hours; the airport is near, the traffic is not.
Confirm A vs B vs C before you drop off
Terminals are separate buildings with no sterile airside walk; wrong curb = full exit and re-screen.
Eat in B or C; treat A as grab-and-go
Terminal B and the new Terminal C have real restaurants; Terminal A options are thin once you're past security.
HPN · White Plains put 2,303,474 people through a 96,000 sq ft, four-gate field in 2025: easy when you use the two-hour clock, eat before TSA, tap OMNY on Bee-Line 12, and accept there is still no lounge.
LGA · Rebuilt Terminals B and C finally feel modern inside, but LGA still punishes travelers with curb chaos, no AirTrain, separate non-connected terminals, and Manhattan traffic that turns a short hop into a 90-minute ordeal.
