If you’ve been reading The Messenger for the past few years, you’ll notice a lot of action going on in the heart of Suffolk, particularly at Islip MacArthur Airport (ISP). The Town of Islip has been steadfast partner to Long Island’s own regional airport, growing the number of carriers to six and nonstop destinations to seventeen.
The airport is also heralded among locals for its convenience, including, but not limited to, parking facilities; proximity to home, the Ronkonkoma LIRR Station, and the Long Island Expressway; and the general airport routine. It’s one of those airports where you could show up a half-hour before your flight and get right through to your gate – although we still recommend the customary arrival two hours before departure just to play it safe.
It’s not just the locals who feel this way. ISP notched fifth place in the USA Today 10Best Survey in 2023, in which small airports around the country were ranked by voters. Last year, ISP took third place, making it the third-best small airport in the country according to voting travelers.
This year, The Messenger strongly endorses your vote for ISP as the nation’s best small airport. We hope others around the country agree and we would be ecstatic to see Long Island’s very own airport top the chart.
There’s plenty more to be done at ISP, with millions already secured for added security, talks of infrastructure upgrades, and the long-term goal of turning Ronkonkoma into a transit hub, with a possible shuttle connection to the LIRR Station.
The best is yet to come for ISP and while we can’t wait for what the future brings there, we can certainly say that the airport is deserving of the top spot.
Your vote isn’t just limited to one day. You can actually vote once per day and see where ISP stands. As of press time, ISP is ranked second out of twenty contending airports – just one slot away from the coveted first-place distinction.
Voting is also easy: just simply click the “vote” button. No emails, accounts, or provisos attached. You can vote by visiting https://10best.usatoday.com/qr/53087/.
