April 29th, 2022 –Long Islanders traveling to Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina can now conveniently fly there onboard Frontier Airlines’ new non-stop service from Long Island MacArthur Airport starting today.
Supervisor Angie Carpenter was joined by members of the Islip Town Board; local elected officials; Frontier Airlines Senior Analyst, Network Planning, Michael Corcoran; Airport Commissioner Shelley LaRose-Arken and business and community leaders from across Long Island, to celebrate the service between Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) and Raleigh-Durham (RDU).WATCH NOW: Long Island MacArthur Airport Celebrates New Raleigh-Durham Service
Frontier Airlines is offering three weekly non-stop flights (Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday) departing ISP at 11:56 am and arriving at RDU at 1:33 pm. Frontier Airlines announced the service March 9 and is currently offering introductory fares starting at $49. For additional information on the introductory fare offer, visit flyfrontier.com.
The inaugural service was celebrated with LIVE programming from JVC Broadcasting, games and customer giveaways, and an appearance by Long Island Ducks mascot, QuackerJack, who received a special gift from Durham Bulls’ minor league baseball mascot, Wool E. Bull.
“These flights are important to Long Island as they make business travel easy and efficient between two technology and business hubs,” said Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter. “We are thrilled to see business travel coming back stronger, as it helps with the recovery of our local and regional economy, and brings opportunity and job creation,” she added.
Raleigh-Durham is also becoming a popular and highly recognized tourist destination. The March 2022 Travel & Leisure magazine points to the area’s growing hospitality industry breathing new life into the Raleigh’s downtown and a “sizzling” food scene. Like Long Island, Raleigh-Durham is enjoying the craft brew travel trend, and provides a welcoming environment for all travelers. Outdoor festivals, arts & crafts fairs, LIVE music, and historic revitalized lodging and boutique hotels add to the area’s creative and energetic vibe.
The Research Triangle of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, with its prestigious universities also mirrors Long Island’s innovative research & education focus. Energy, pharmaceutical, tech, banking and bio-tech are just a few of the industries that are expected to frequent this new route.
The low-fares & flexible pricing options on Frontier Airlines also play well for this market. “We are excited to launch this new service from Islip to Raleigh-Durham and bring our affordable fares and friendly service to both of these outstanding destinations,” said Michael Corcoran, Frontier Airlines. “Our unbundled approach to pricing enables consumers to only pay for those things that are important to them and underlies our ‘Low Fares Done Right’ philosophy.”
Matt Cohen, President and CEO of the Long Island Association, said “Long Island MacArthur Airport is critical to our region's future economic success. We welcome Frontier Airlines new service to Raleigh-Durham International Airport with open arms, and wish them smooth skies ahead.”
Long Island MacArthur Airport’s recent upgrades, including the new Ground Transportation Center and new on-airport local dining and beverage hot spot, Blue / Point Brewpub, will make the customer experience at ISP more enticing, comfortable and convenient both for Long Island residents and visitors.
“We expect to see a lot of leisure and business travelers coming from the Raleigh-Durham area to Long Island, as well as visitors going to Raleigh-Durham, which is great for our local tourism and business communities. In fact, all 13 of our destinations really highlight both outbound and inbound travel,” explained LaRose-Arken.
“Nearly 3 million people living in Nassau and Suffolk counties consider MacArthur Airport their hometown airport. They love to travel without the hassle of crowds or traffic at larger airports. Frontier has grown from one non-stop flight to Orlando in August 2017 to eight non-stop destinations today, and we are delighted to call them a key airline partner,” added Supervisor Carpenter.
“MacArthur Airport is uniquely situated in the largest metro market in the country, and just 50 miles from New York City with a Long Island Rail Road station adjacent to the airfield,” said LaRose-Arken. “We serve Nassau and Suffolk counties and offer some of Long Island’s most compelling tourist attractions just miles from the airport including the Fire Island National Seashore, Jones Beach, the Hamptons, Montauk Lighthouse, the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Westbury Gardens and more,” she added.
Frontier is America’s Greenest Airline and operates a highly-efficient all Airbus fleet. “The use of these aircraft and other measures make our fleet the most fuel-efficient in the U.S. which helps reduce our environmental footprint,” said Corcoran. “Green isn’t just the color of our logo, it’s the way we do business.”
While the airport has surpassed it pre COVID passenger levels, airport customers and businesses consistently indicate they want and are eager to support more flights. “HIA-LI and other Long Island business and travel partners are working closely with us to promote additional air service and increase awareness of the airport as a vital business resource,” Carpenter said.
“We see tremendous enthusiasm and support in the Long Island business community for MacArthur Airport and we are harnessing and building on that energy. People want more flights. They want more destinations and they know that the airport is a major economic generator for our region,” said Joe Campolo, HIA-LI Past Board Chairperson and Managing Partner at Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP.
For convenience, Frontier Airlines customers can check the best fares and book flights at a Long Island-specific website: CLICK HERE.
