Newark's new Terminal A got a 5-star rating, but a NJ senator says it needs some pork roll

Colleen Wilson, NorthJersey.com
Updated ·2 min read
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The talk of the week for officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was that Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport received a five-star rating — and best new terminal in the world designation — from this year's Skytrax World Airport Awards.

The 16-month-old terminal, built at a cost of $2.7 billion, opened to the public in January 2023 with 33 gates, world-class facilities, local vendors and art — a big upgrade from the dingy, outdated original Terminal A.

La Guardia Airport, one of the other major airports owned by the Port Authority that also recently emerged from a $8 billion glow-up, received the same two accolades in 2023 from Skytrax, the global benchmark for airline service.

"For years we have been derided and folks have made fun of some of our facilities," said Kevin O'Toole, chairman of the Port Authority board. "There is now an expectation of excellence. We have raised the bar."
"For years we have been derided and folks have made fun of some of our facilities," said Kevin O'Toole, chairman of the Port Authority board. "There is now an expectation of excellence. We have raised the bar."

"For years we have been derided and folks have made fun of some of our facilities," said Kevin O'Toole, chairman of the Port Authority board. "There is now an expectation of excellence. We have raised the bar."

But for New Jersey state Sen. Declan O'Scanlon, one crucial cultural touchstone is missing from the Terminal A experience: pork roll.

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Last week, O'Scanlon was in search of a pork roll, egg and cheese bagel while he waited for a flight, but came up empty. He was astonished that the Garden State delicacy, a cured meat, could not be found in any of the far corners of the award-winning, five-star, multibillion-dollar airport terminal.

"This place has an $18 bagel," O'Scanlon lamented. "The cheapest one is $13. They ain't cheap, and there's no pork roll — I'd pay $30 if they just add pork roll."

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Asked to clarify if they had Taylor ham, the disputed other name for pork roll that is preferred by North Jersey natives — Terminal A is firmly planted in North Jersey, in Elizabeth and Newark in Essex County — O'Scanlon, a Little Silver native, said no, but if they did, he would have considered some destruction or arson to a sign advertising "Taylor Ham."

"That would be a worse infraction," he said before calling on O'Toole — O'Scanlon's friend from Cedar Grove and former peer in the state Legislature — to rectify the problem.

Said O'Toole: “We don’t recognize this pork roll thing. I will be at Terminal A tomorrow and see if Taylor Ham really doesn’t exist.

"I will look into it,” he promised.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Newark Airport Terminal A got 5 stars. But where's the Taylor ham?