Abigail Disney, whose grandfather co-created The Walt Disney Company, said she was arrested in New York's ultra-rich Hamptons enclave as she protested against the use of private jets.
“The last thing this planet needs is billionaires spewing greenhouse gases to get to their palatial beach homes. Just so wrong,” Ms Disney said on Twittert.
She did not provide details of her arrest but video showed a police officer leading her away in handcuffs as other protesters appeared to block the entry road to the private East Hampton airport.
Ms Disney said police took her photographs and fingerprints.
She was arrested with 12 other climate activists at the airport on Friday, New York Communities for Change reported.
The Hamptons is a seaside area in eastern Long Island that is popular among the super-wealthy of New York looking for a summertime getaway.
Ms Disney, 63, is the granddaughter of Roy Disney who, along with brother Walt, co-founded the Disney company a century ago.
She is a philanthropist, activist and documentary filmmaker.
“The wealthiest one per cent uses as much greenhouse gas as the entire bottom 50 per cent," Ms Disney said in a statement quoted by Fox News.
"It is time for real change and this is the most obvious place to start.”
Her arrest comes as a deadly heatwave around much of the globe has seen temperatures rise to record highs.
Activists trying to push governments to more effectively address the climate crisis are staging high-profile protests around the world, including in art galleries and at landmark monuments.
