Six years ago, Long Island MacArthur Airport finished sixth in USA Today's national readers' vote for the best small airport in the country. This month it finished first. The 2026 USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice results, published October 14, put the Ronkonkoma airport at No. 1 among small airports in the United States, ahead of Gerald R. Ford International in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the airport that beat it a year ago.

Six years of climbing

The Town of Islip, which owns and operates MacArthur, has tracked the airport's place in the contest every year it has been held. It placed sixth in 2020, fourth in 2021, fifth in 2023, third in 2024 and second in 2025. There was no competition in 2022. The 2026 result is the first time the airport has finished on top.

The format works in two stages. A panel of travel writers and editors nominates a field of small airports, and readers then vote on the final order. Voting for 2026 closed in early October.

The rest of the top ten

Behind MacArthur, the 2026 list runs: Gerald R. Ford International in Grand Rapids second, Northwest Arkansas National in Bentonville third, Rhode Island T.F. Green International in Warwick fourth, Huntsville International in Alabama fifth, Fresno Yosemite International sixth, El Paso International seventh, Colorado Springs eighth, Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International in upstate New York ninth, and Piedmont Triad International in Greensboro, North Carolina tenth.

What the write-up says about Islip's airport

USA Today's entry describes MacArthur as an alternative for travelers who want to skip the large New York City airports. It notes the airport sits about 50 miles from Manhattan and close to the Hamptons, Fire Island, the North Fork wineries and the Gold Coast mansions, and it lists the airlines that fly there: Avelo, Breeze, Cape Air, Frontier, JetBlue and Southwest.

The entry also points to the airport's close-in parking, on-site rental cars, its Ground Transportation Center, a new baggage claim area, the Point/Blue Pub & Provisions bar with local craft beer, art installations in the terminal, and the train link to New York City through the Ronkonkoma LIRR station next door.

The airport by the numbers

According to the Town of Islip, MacArthur is the closest airport to 2.8 million Long Island residents. It directly and indirectly employs about 6,000 people, runs on an $18.6 million annual operating budget and generates an estimated $600 million in economic impact for the region. In 2025, besides finishing second in the USA Today vote, it was named one of the 50 best airports in America by The Washington Post.

In its announcement, the town credited airport employees, airline partners and residents who voted. Supervisor Angie Carpenter called the airport one of the community's most important assets, and Airport Commissioner Rob Schneider said the climb from sixth place to first reflected work to improve the passenger experience. Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine also congratulated the town. Town officials said the focus now is on adding air service and continuing to improve the terminal.

Flying from MacArthur

The airport is in Ronkonkoma, in the Town of Islip. Flight schedules, parking rates and ground transportation details are on the airport's website, flymacarthur.com, and the Ronkonkoma/MacArthur Airport LIRR station offers frequent train service to New York City.

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