New Airline Coming To MacArthur Airport; 2 New Cities Added

RONKONKOMA, NY—The wishes of many Long Islanders for more flights and more destinations from Islip's MacArthur Airport are coming true. Airport officials announced at a Monday morning press conference that Breeze Airways will be coming to Long Island's regional airport, which local officials are planning to majorly overhaul with terminal upgrades, a campaign to attract more airlines and a rail connection to the Long Island Rail Road.

Breeze Airways is a new airline, founded by Jet Blue cofounder David Neeleman, launched in May of this year. Breeze was created to fill a gap in connections between secondary, regional airports. So far the carrier flies to 16 destination, mostly on the East Coast but also as far west as Texas.

Neeleman announced the two cities that Breeze will fly to from Long Island.

Norfolk, VA and Charleston, SC are the first two cities that will get direct service, beginning on Feb. 17.

He said the destinations are under-visited because of a lack of direct connections but they "have a lot to offer."

"If the fare's $39, people will say let's go," he said at the conference.

Neeleman said the two destinations should be the first of many more, but it depends on the demand the company will see from the airport.

The airline also made headlines for launching with no middle seats. Routes run several times a week, but not daily.

Breeze fares are low. A December flight from Hartford, CT to Charleston, S.C. was available for as low as $54 round trip.

Long Island's airport (ISP) is currently served by American Airlines, Frontier and Southwest. The lack of lines and ease of travel has garnered the small airport good reviews—USA Today’s named it as one of the Top 10 Small Airports in the country for 2021—but many clamoring for more travel options.