The airport's commercial commuter traffic is mostly between East Hampton and New York City, which is roughly 100 miles (160 km) away.

However, enforcement of the change to the private rules was delayed by a temporary injunction at the request of aviation users of the airport.

On October 19, 2022, Paul J. Baisley, Jr., Presiding Justice of the Supreme Court Civil Parts of the 10th Judicial District in Suffolk County, New York, made the order permanent because the town did not analyze the proposed restrictions under New York's State Environmental Quality Review Act or submit a study in compliance with the federal Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990.

The move to restrict general aviation use was blocked by a last-minute restraining order to sort out numerous legal suits.

[9] The WPA request was made by the town after being petitioned by the East Hampton Business Men's Club.

[14] During this time, celebrities spotted at the airport included Henry Ford II, W. Averell Harriman, Gary Cooper, and Clark Gable.

[11] In 1945, Charlotte Niles and Margaret Lowell Wallace (Women's Airforce Service Pilots WASPS) became the operators of the airport after a hangar belonging to Tripp.

In the 1980s, East Hampton Air, and Montauk-Caribbean Airways competed for scheduled service to New York.

During the times Marine One was parked at the airport.The advent of the BLADE Urban Air Mobility app by Hamptons resident Robert S. Wiesenthal in 2014 had a major effect on helicopter service.

[18] Management of the airport is experiencing considerable upheaval since 2014 when the app Blade made it much easier for travelers to book seats at set price and schedule on chartered helicopters.

[19] This in turn brought about a substantial number of noise complaints both in the immediate vicinity as well as along the length of routes from New York City to the airport.

Parallels have been made with Santa Monica Airport which experienced similar problems and is now slated to close in 2028.

[4] The plan to keep the airport open but restrict the helicopters but permit local aircraft was called by the New York Post "aerial class warfare Hamptons-style — pitting millionaires against billionaires."

Among the billionaires who use the airport are Steve Cohen, Eric Schmidt, Robert Kraft, and Ronald Perelman.

[19] East Hampton Airport covers an area of 570 acres (231 ha) at an elevation of 55 feet (17 m) above mean sea level.