Transportation To MacArthur Airport Improves With New Central Hub

RONKONKOMA, NY — Improvements and changes at Long Island MacArthur Airport continued this week, with the unveiling of a brand new Ground Transportation Center (GTC) Thursday. The GTC will consolidate all rental cars, taxis, buses, Uber and other ride services, hotel shuttles and Suffolk Bus service in one modernized location.

Town of Islip officials have been pushing to increase tourism to Long Island via the regional airport, and to attract more airlines and flights.

Town of Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter said in a news release that the new center will improve the airport's ease of use for visitors as well as residents.

“We are consistently improving the customer experience at MacArthur Airport to modernize and make travel easier and more comfortable. We are so grateful to all who helped us secure funding for this project, and at no expense to local taxpayers,” she said.

The work was partly funded by grants from New York State Aviation Grant and the Empire State Development Corp.

"The efficient location and layout of the new GTC enables customers who already have a boarding pass to save time by entering the TSA checkpoint within minutes,” Airport Commissioner Shelley LaRose-Arken explained in the statement.

The new space also received a cosmetic upgrade, with what LaRose-Arken said was a more welcoming aesthetic for visitors to Long Island.

“MacArthur Airport is a major economic generator that helps create good paying jobs for the entire region. Businesses are more likely to locate on Long Island because of this airport. There is so much potential here for Long Island and we expect to see positive growth materialize in many ways here in the months and years ahead,” Joe Campolo, a previous HIA-LI board chairperson, said.