Long Island, we told you so.
Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma just won first place for Best Small Airport in the 2026 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Number one in the whole country.
It’s been a long climb. Sixth in 2020, fourth in 2021, fifth in 2023, third in 2024, second in 2025. This year, nobody’s ahead of us.
- What
- No. 1 Best Small Airport, USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice 2026
- Where
- Long Island MacArthur Airport, Ronkonkoma (owned by the Town of Islip)
- Who votes
- The public, from nominees picked by an expert panel
- Category
- Airports with fewer than 10 million passengers a year
A Long Island story
We all know the MacArthur move. Shorter security lines, easy parking, fewer delays and no Van Wyck.
There are more places to go, too. JetBlue now flies to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Boston, Tampa and Fort Myers, Breeze keeps adding routes, and Cape Air runs daily nonstops to Boston. The airport has seen more than $100 million in upgrades since 2016.
“Moving from sixth place to first over the course of this competition is a remarkable accomplishment,” said Islip Airport Commissioner Rob Schneider. He thanked everyone who voted, because this one was won by Long Islanders.
Next trip, fly local. Keep it locked to WLIT.FM.
Source: Greater Long Island. Photo: GLI file photo.
