Newark Airport got something right?! It just won a coveted award

How many times have we lived with the joke of Newark Liberty International Airport being number one in bad things? Like flight delays.

When the new Terminal A finally opened on Jan. 12 of last year many of us were skeptics. They spent $2.7 billion on this thing and yet on opening day there were power outages. There were problems.

I suppose the glass was half full after all, because look what’s happened now.

Newark’s Terminal A was just given an extremely prestigious five-star rating by Skytrax. They are the preeminent aviation industry ratings firm. You could say they are the gold standard.

To put in perspective how big a deal this is, only one other airport terminal and one airport in all of North America have received the five-star rating. For an airport, it was Hobby in Houston, and for a terminal it was Terminal B at LaGuardia. This means the only two terminals in North America with that rating are both under Port Authority of NY/NJ control.

Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole couldn’t be prouder.

Five stars are reserved for the best of the best, but we expected nothing less for Newark’s Terminal A,” boasted O’Toole. “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 terminal is pretty extraordinary. As father to two boys with autism, I’m impressed that they included a sensory room for kids like mine and others with disabilities who could benefit from a calm space.

They have a children’s play space, state-of-the-art passenger amenities, dozens of local retail and dining options, digital technology, a children’s lending library curated by a fifth grader and local artwork.

Even if you fall prey to those worst in the nation flight delays at least you have somewhere amazing to spend the time now.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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