By GREGORY ZELLER //
New options welcome Long Island MacArthur Airport passengers taking the train, bus, taxi, Uber or hotel shuttle to the plane.
The Town of Islip has officially christened a new $8.4 million Ground Transportation Center designed to centralize all automotive traffic visiting the town-owned Ronkonkoma airport. The 12,000-square-foot GTC was unveiled in a March 24 ceremony featuring Islip and LIMA dignitaries.
Featuring blue hues – highlighted by copper and sand finishes, to “reflect the feel of Long Island,” according to a town statement – the GTC was funded in part by an $800,000 New York State Aviation Grant and a $650,000 Empire State Development Corp. stipend. The rest was covered by “airport customer facility charges” and taxpayer-free bonds to be repaid “solely from airport revenues,” the town said.
With modern amenities for passengers arriving by all manners of motor vehicle – personal auto, rental car, public and private buses and more – the GTC was constructed in response to a “rapidly changing” aviation industry, according to Long Island MacArthur Airport Commissioner Shelley LaRose-Arken.
LaRose-Arken: Centralized asset.
“Technology is shifting and improving the way we travel through airports” LaRose-Arken said. “The efficient location and layout of the new GTC enables customers who already have a boarding pass to save time by entering the [Transportation Security Administration] checkpoint within minutes.”
The ESD funding came courtesy of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, which lobbied Albany for the support. Empire State Development Chairman Designee Kevin Law, who co-chairs the LIREDC, said the GTC “reflects the vital need for state-of-the-art facilities that improve access for business travelers and visitors who are drawn to Long Island for its incredible industry strengths and tourism destinations.”
“Investment in infrastructure is an investment in economic development, and an ongoing priority for New York State,” Law added.
The new center also marks another progressive step for LIMA, which in recent months has added Breeze Airways – a startup airline launched by JetBlue cofounder David Neeleman – to an airline lineup already featuring primary commercial carriers Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and Frontier Airlines.
In 2021, Ronkonkoma-based law firm Campolo, Middleton & McCormick and the regional industry booster HIA-LI conducted the Fly Islip Survey, in which regional executives expressed a clear desire for additional flights into and out of the Islip airport.
Roll with it: In addition to mass-transit options, the GTC accommodates rental and private drivers.
The Breeze Airways arrival, the addition of new direct LIMA flights and the opening of the ultra-convenient GTC show airport officials are taking the business community’s needs seriously, according to Town of Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter.
“We are consistently improving the customer experience at MacArthur Airport to modernize and make travel easier and more comfortable,” the supervisor said in a statement. “We are so grateful to all who helped us secure funding for this project, and at no expense to local taxpayers.”
With the Long Island Rail Road’s Ronkonkoma station close by and public-transportation options multiplying, the GTC will benefit business and pleasure travelers alike, according to LaRose-Arken.
“Centralizing transportation services is an asset for both visitors to Long Island and residents who choose mass-transportation options instead of driving, now and in the future,” the commissioner added. “Further enhancing customer convenience is important to us.”
