Customer Experience & Air Service

More than 1,600 people fly Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) on average each day, and it is one of the top 114 commercial airports in the U.S. servicing 1.2 million passengers annually. ISP has four commercial air carriers - Breeze Airways, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines - providing service to 10+ nonstop destinations from Florida to Maine, and with connections to hundreds of destinations worldwide.

Economic Impact, Budget, Capital Projects & Funding

Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) encompasses 1,311 acres and has three runways and two helipads. ISP has an annual budget of $20 million, generating more than 6000 jobs and an annual economic impact of $600M (2012 New York State Economic Study). The airport’s capital improvement program is a further economic and employment generator for the region.

Airport Capital Projects & Funding

Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) applies annually and receives grant funding through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and Regional Economic Development Council (ERDC) for airfield and infrastructure projects, and equipment purchases that meet agency requirements. No local tax dollars are used to support the airport.

In 2023, the airport began $26 million in federally and locally funded capital projects. The work includes terminal improvements to the ticketing and baggage area, as well as the replacement of all Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) within the Main Terminal Building. The airport has completed over $100 million in planning and capital projects since 2016, most recently completing a Ground Transportation Center and Walkway, a Fire Rescue Building, and rehabilitation of airfield taxiway and runway surfaces.

Accolades

The FAA designated Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) an official NYC Metro Airport in early 2011. Long Island MacArthur Airport does not share the congested airspace of New York City. For travelers, ISP also offers a high level of customer convenience and lower average fares than JFK and LGA (according to 2023 USDOT data). ISP has been voted one of the 10 Best Small Airports in the United States in each of the last three USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. In 2025, The Washington Post ranked Long Island MacArthur Airport as one of the 50 Best Airports in America.

A Premier Regional Transportation Hub

MacArthur Airport’s location near the center of Long Island has been instrumental in its development as a regional transportation center. ISP is accessible from three major east-west thoroughfares, and the main airport access road connects with Veteran’s Memorial Highway. ISP is less than two miles south of the Long Island Expressway and approximately one mile north of Sunrise Highway. 

The Long Island Rail Road’s MacArthur Airport / Ronkonkoma Station is less than two miles from ISP’s Main Terminal Building. Recent improvements to the LIRR offer travelers new service to Grand Central Station and a one-seat ride to NYC's Penn Station to and from MacArthur Airport / Ronkonkoma Station and ISP’s terminal.  

MacArthur Airport’s central location is one of the leading reasons businesses choose to locate in the Town of Islip. The Veterans Highway Corridor is one of the fastest-growing industrial areas. Many builders and developers have looked to capitalize on the location by building new office space on the corridor.  With easy access to major roadways and the Long Island Rail Road, ISP offers the ultimate in service and customer experience for the business and leisure traveler and is an excellent location for doing business.

Health & Safety of Travelers

Due to COVID-19's adverse impact on the aviation industry, Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) implemented innovative technological health and safety protocols to ensure the safety of our passengers, employees, and visitors, and to restore consumer confidence in flying.  In May 2020, ISP became the first airport in the world to install continuous pathogen reduction units throughout the terminal. Subsequently, ISP incorporated pathogen reduction equipment into the new Ground Transportation Center and as part of main terminal improvements. These systems and units effectively kill 99.9% of viruses, germs, and bacteria in the air and on surfaces.

Air Service Recruiting & Marketing

There are several key factors affecting an air carrier’s decision to serve an airport, such as:
- Market size
- Market viability
- Customer experience
- Airport operating costs
- Community support
- Financially self-sufficient
- Proximity to a large metro market

As airlines ultimately make the decision on where to fly, ISP approaches air service development collaboratively. Key components of ISP’s approach include:
- Keeping landing fees and rental rates lower than most other facilities to improve airline profitability and stimulate airline growth.
- Actively engaging with carriers to discuss and promote both new routes and existing destinations that need additional support.
- Identifying and marketing to passengers throughout Long Island to increase awareness, consideration and use of ISP versus alternatives.
-Using cutting-edge, real-time information to help with route identification, and to optimize marketing efforts and cost-efficiency.
- In 2023, the Town of Islip Economic Development Corporation (EDC) received a New York State EDA grant to increase visitation to Long Island in 2024 and 2025. EDC and ISP are partnering to use this grant to market Long Island and ISP to potential visitors in nonstop destinations served by ISP air carriers.

Since 2017, ISP’s air service and marketing campaign has increased the airport’s market share for its nonstop destinations by 40%. While the leisure market recovered faster than the business market, ISP regained its pre-pandemic levels by Q1 2022. Since then, the shortage of aircraft, crews, and higher fuel prices have adversely affected the entire aviation industry. This is particularly true with regional airports that compete with larger hubs. Carriers responded by increasing fares and reducing service offerings. The commitment of the Long Island community and Town of Islip residents to support and use the airport whenever possible will likely produce positive results and more travel choices in the upcoming years as the economy and industry recover.

The airport actively reaches out to carriers to discuss and promote both new routes and existing destinations. The airport keeps its landing fees and operational costs lower than most other facilities to stimulate airline growth.