The March 1961 Official Airline Guide lists five weekday Convair 440 departures: a nonstop to Washington National, one to Baltimore, and three flights direct to Boston via several stops.

By 1974 Allegheny had started BAC One-Elevens and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s nonstop to Albany and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and direct jets to Burlington, Vermont, Cincinnati, and Detroit.

[22] Southwest Airlines also arrived at Islip in 1999, with nonstop Boeing 737-700s to Baltimore, Chicago Midway Airport, Nashville, and Tampa.

The construction of the 2004 expansion caused a scandal when it was discovered that the new concourse was built without the needed approvals from New York State and with numerous violations.

[34][38][39] Town officials eventually pled guilty to corruption charges in connection to the scandal, and work was done to rectify the violations and bring the terminal up to all safety and fire codes.

[51][52][53][54] Soon thereafter, the roadway in front of the terminal was reconfigured; another taxiway was also constructed along with other projects using FAA airport improvement program funds.

While the airport continues to expand it has added numerous amenities, including free courtesy cell phone parking.

[55] In addition, the airport launched several tools designed to provide up-to-date information to travelers, including its first official website, flyLIMA.com.

[65] As of December 2022, Southwest operated year-round, non-stop service to Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, Nashville, and West Palm Beach.

Allegiant Air previously operated two weekly flights on a seasonal basis to Fort Myers/Punta Gorda, Florida using McDonnell Douglas MD-80s but no longer serves the airport.

[28][66][67] PenAir began operating two daily nonstop flights to Boston in July 2013, but stopped flying to MacArthur a year later.

[68] In January 2017, the airport was used as the landing location for the aircraft carrying Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to New York with law enforcement agents for his persecution, following his arrest and extradition to the United States from Mexico.

[69][70][71] On July 17, 2017, Frontier Airlines announced service to 10 new cities using aircraft as large as the Airbus A321, which approaches the Boeing 757 in range and passenger capacity – a first for the airport in that past decade.

[76] In September 2022, American Airlines ended service to Islip citing a regional pilot shortage as the main reason behind the cut.

[84] In February 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration approved the Town of Islip's plan to erect a new terminal on the north side of the airport, to be built as part of the Midway Crossing project.

[85] In June 2024, JetBlue Airways announced that it would commence service at MacArthur Airport, with flights set to begin that October.

[90] On January 15, 2025, JetBlue announced in that it would begin operating seasonal daily non-stop service between Islip and Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, starting that April.

[47][48][49][50] The airport is also equipped with an Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) for weather forecasting, in addition to having an Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS).

[92] Furthermore, the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZNY) – known as an ARTCC for short – is located on the grounds of the airport.

The base is staffed 24 hours a day by police pilots, as well as flight paramedics employed by the Stony Brook University Medical Center.

In 2006, the 3rd Battalion (Assault), 142nd Aviation Regiment moved its headquarters from Latham, New York to Long Island MacArthur Airport, bringing its Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters.

In May 2007, following yet another reorganization in which the battalion was re-configured, the unit received its mobilization alert order to participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

[101] The airport is also home to Civil Air Patrol's Long Island Group's Suffolk Cadet Squadron 10.

[107][57] The department is led by the Commissioner of Aviation and Transportation, which works closely with the Islip Town Council to manage & operate the airport.

The Department of Aviation's divisions include Airport Operations, Custodial, Fire Rescue, Law Enforcement, Maintenance, Construction, and Administration.

[110] The Hampton Jitney's Westhampton, Montauk, and North Fork lines stop along the Long Island Expressway (I-495) at Exit 60.

[113] MacArthur Airport is connected with the Long Island Rail Road's adjacent Ronkonkoma station by shuttles and taxi service.

[85] In January 2025, it was announced that Amtrak will establish a new Northeast Regional route on Long Island, terminating at the Ronkonkoma LIRR station, thus providing MacArthur Airport with inter-city rail service.

[116] Carrier shares (November 2023 - October 2024)[6] Over the years, Long Island MacArthur Airport has been used several times as a filming location.

[142] In 2008, several scenes for the independent film Every Day, starring Helen Hunt, Liev Schreiber, and Brian Dennehy were shot at the airport.