Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma has been named the Best Small Airport in America in the 2026 USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. The results were published Oct. 14.

Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan, finished second, and Northwest Arkansas National Airport in Bentonville was third. Voting ran from Sept. 8 to Oct. 5 among 20 small airports.

MacArthur, which is owned and operated by the Town of Islip, has climbed the rankings in recent years. It finished sixth in 2020, fourth in 2021, fifth in 2023, third in 2024 and second in 2025.

The awards write-up calls the airport an alternative to the big New York City airports, about 50 miles from Manhattan. It points to close-in parking, on-airport car rentals, a modern ground transportation center, a new baggage claim area and local craft beer at Point/Blue Pub & Provisions.

The airport is served by Avelo, Breeze, Cape Air, Frontier, JetBlue and Southwest. A direct train to New York City leaves from the nearby LIRR Ronkonkoma station.

The awards define a small airport as one serving fewer than 10 million passengers a year, and MacArthur serves about 1.5 million.

Before the voting began, Airport Commissioner Rob Schneider said last year's second-place finish made this year a chance to win and draw attention to the airport's interest in adding air service. The Washington Post named the airport one of the 50 best airports in America in 2025.

See the results at USA TODAY 10Best