NYC airport trades fast food for sit-down service

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City air travelers can skip the greasy french fries, soggy pizza and old sandwiches. Now they can choose filet mignon, crispy duck confit or crab cakes.

Delta Air Lines is putting 13 new restaurants, bars and cafes in its LaGuardia Airport terminal. The first four open Saturday. The rest open by next summer.

Top chefs were hired to help create the restaurants and their menus.

Delta Air Lines Inc. senior vice president Gail Grimmett says the Atlanta-based airline is trying to improve the experiences of its passengers before they board flights.

Airports around the country are swapping out fast-food joints for sit-down restaurants, including in Tucson, Ariz., Minneapolis and San Francisco.

JetBlue Airways Corp. redid its terminal at New York’s Kennedy International Airport in 2008 to include more dining options.