Essential Air Service
Essential Air Service (EAS) is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which had been served by certificated airlines prior to deregulation in 1978, maintained commercial service. Its aim is to maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service to these communities that otherwise would not be profitable.[1] The program is codified at 49 U.S.C. §§ 41731–41748.
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) subsidizes airlines to serve communities across the country that otherwise would not receive scheduled air service.[1] As of June 1, 2015, 159 communities in the US received EAS subsidies, of which 44 were in Alaska, two in Hawaii, and one in Puerto Rico.[2] The decision as to what degree of subsidized service a community requires is made based on identifying a specific hub for the community and from there determining the number of trips, seats, and type of aircraft that are necessary to serve that hub.[1]
In fiscal year 2015, the federal budget provided $263 million in funding for the EAS program. The USDOT proposed a further 7.6 percent increase for a proposed FY2016 funding of $283 million.[2] The budgeted funding for EAS increased from $193 million in FY2012 to $233 million in FY2013 to $268 million in FY2014, before decreasing slightly in FY2015 to $263 million. Between FY2012 and FY 2015, annual EAS expenditures rose 36%. Per passenger EAS subsidy in the 48 contiguous states plus Puerto Rico ranged from $10 to more than $977 per passenger in 2014.[2]
These increases occurred despite numerous Congressional measures to contain program spending.[2] The George W. Bush Administration sought to reduce the cost of the program to $50 million by stricter eligibility criteria and requiring the local governments of the areas served to contribute to the cost. The Heritage Foundation argued in 2014 that rural airports should receive no federal subsidies through the Essential Air Service program; rather, state and local governments that value the air services should support them.[3] The Congressional Research Service has reported that since the early 2000s federal subsidies for the EAS have nearly tripled to almost $300 million per year.[2]
Community eligibility criteria
Pursuant to the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2000, no community within the 48 contiguous states may receive a subsidy greater than $200 per passenger unless the community is more than 210 miles (340 km) from the nearest large or medium hub airport. Pursuant to the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, to be eligible for the program, a community in the contiguous 48 states must either maintain an average of 10 or more enplanements per service day or be located more than 175 miles (282 km) from the nearest large or medium hub airport. The criteria for 10 or more enplanements can be waived by the Secretary of Transportation, on an annual basis, if a community can demonstrate that it is due to a temporary decline.[4]
The Department of Transportation, pursuant to the Consolidated and Further Appropriations Act of 2015, is required to negotiate a local cost share with communities located less than 40 miles (64 km) from a small hub airport.[4]
Controversy
Critics question the economic efficiency of the service.[5] According to a 2006 New York Times article on the program, the subsidy per passenger, averaged across the entire program excluding Alaska, is approximately $74, and much higher on some particularly poorly patronized flights[6] where subsidies are as high as $801 per passenger.[7]
Patronage on many flights is very low. The majority of EAS airplanes have fewer than 20 seats, and flights typically are less than half full.[8] However, the program is politically popular in the cities receiving the subsidized flights, many of which use an airport with scheduled service as a selling point to attract industry to their regions. Several subsidized airports are within an hour's drive from an unsubsidized airport.[9]
Report tables
The following tables list all Essential Air Service communities under the various funding programs. This is based on the most recent reports issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT),[10][11][12] and updated to reflect changes based on DOT orders. Docket and order numbers link to their respective pages on the docket management site, which typically includes the original files in PDF and other formats. The hubs are designated using the three-letter IATA airport code assigned by the International Air Transport Association.[13]
Alternate Essential Air Service
The Alternate Essential Air Service program grants funds directly to the municipality or airport authority instead of the air carrier. This allows the community to recruit air service that would not otherwise meet EAS guidelines, such as more frequent service with smaller aircraft, less-than-daily service, flights to differing destinations at different times of the year or week, on-demand air taxi service, scheduled or on-demand ground surface transportation, regionalized air service, or even purchasing an aircraft. This alternative program has most often occurred as a public charter arrangement as prescribed by Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 380. The first airport to enter this program was Manistee County Blacker Airport in 2012.[14]
| State | Community | Airport | Destinations | Air carrier | Aircraft / maximum seats | Annual grant | Docket | Order | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AZ | Page | Page Municipal Airport | Phoenix (PHX) | Corporate Flight Management dba Contour Airlines |
Embraer ERJ-135 / 30 | $4,398,924 | 1997-2694 | 2018-6-22 | Sep 30, 2020 |
| CA | Crescent City | Del Norte County Airport | Oakland (OAK) | Corporate Flight Management dba Contour Airlines |
Embraer ERJ-135 / 30 | $3,310,503 | 1997-2649 | 2018-2-17 | Sep 30, 2020 |
| GA | Macon | Middle Georgia Regional Airport | Baltimore/Washington (BWI) | Corporate Flight Management dba Contour Airlines |
Embraer ERJ-135 / 30 | $4,687,979 | 2007-28671 | 2019-4-9 | Sep 30, 2023 |
| MI | Manistee / Ludington | Manistee County Blacker Airport | Chicago-Midway (MDW) | Ultimate Jetcharters dba North Country Sky |
Beechcraft 1900 / 19 or Fairchild Dornier 328JET / 30 |
$3,716,959 over two years |
1996-1711 | 2018-4-19 | Sep 30, 2020 |
| MS | Tupelo | Tupelo Regional Airport | Nashville (BNA) | Corporate Flight Management dba Contour Airlines |
Embraer ERJ-135 / 30 | $3,932,032 | 2009-0305 | 2018-3-17 | Sep 30, 2020 |
| MO | Ft. Leonard Wood | Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport | St. Louis (STL) | Corporate Flight Management dba Contour Airlines |
Embraer ERJ-135 / 30 | $3,111,628 | 1996-1167 | 2018-12-13 | Sep 30, 2021 |
| WV | Beckley | Raleigh County Memorial Airport | Charlotte (CLT) | Corporate Flight Management dba Contour Airlines |
Embraer ERJ-135 / 30 | $2,827,968 | 1997-2761 | 2018-10-8 | Sep 30, 2021 |
| WV | Parkersburg, WV / Marietta, OH | Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport | Charlotte (CLT) | Corporate Flight Management dba Contour Airlines |
Embraer ERJ-135 / 30 | $2,134,573 | 2005-20734 | 2018-10-8 | Sep 30, 2021 |
Community Flexibility Pilot Program
Under the Community Flexibility Pilot Program, established in 2003, up to ten communities can receive a grant equal to two years' worth of subsidy in exchange for forgoing their EAS service for ten years.[15][16] These grants must be used to fund projects that will improve the airport for general aviation. As of November 2017, only one community has ever taken advantage of the program:
| State | Community | Airport | Total grant | Docket | Order | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | Visalia | Visalia Municipal Airport | $3,703,368 | 2004-19916 | 2017-1-2 | Apr 30, 2026 |
Subsidized EAS communities
Areas excluding Alaska
Alaska
Communities formerly having subsidized EAS
The following tables list airports which formerly had Essential Air Service subsidized routes.[17]
Areas excluding Alaska
| State | Community | Airport | Service to hub(s) | Carrier | Aircraft/seats | Docket | Order | Ended | Reason/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HI | Hana | Hana Airport | Kahului (OGG) | Mokulele Airlines | Cessna 208 Caravan / 9 | 1999-6502 | 2019-11-18 | Jan 31, 2020 | Subsidy no longer required to continue air service |
| HI | Kalaupapa | Kalaupapa Airport | Honolulu (HNL)
Molokai (MKK) |
Schuman Aviation Company dba Makani Kai Air |
Cessna 208 Caravan / 9 | 2000-6773 | 2018-3-3 | May 31, 2018 | Subsidy no longer required to continue air service |
| MD | Hagerstown | Hagerstown Regional Airport | Baltimore (BWI)
Pittsburgh (PIT) |
Southern Airways Express | Cessna 208 Caravan / 9 | 2006-25228 | 2019-8-17 | Oct 18, 2019 | Below 10 passenger enplanement requirement and exceeded $200 subsidy cap. |
| MO | Joplin | Joplin Regional Airport | Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | American Eagle | Embraer ERJ 145 / 50 or Embraer ERJ 175 / 76 |
2006-23932 | 2017-1-20 | Feb 28, 2019 | Subsidy no longer required to continue air service |
| NY | Jamestown | Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport | Pittsburgh (PIT) | Southern Airways Express | Cessna 208 Caravan / 9 | 2003-14950 | 2016-8-26 | Jan 16, 2018 | Below 10 passenger enplanement requirement and exceeded $200 subsidy cap. |
| PA | Franklin / Oil City | Venango Regional Airport | Pittsburgh (PIT) | Southern Airways Express | Cessna 208 Caravan / 9 | 1997-2523 | 2019-8-17 | Oct 18, 2019 | Below 10 passenger enplanement requirement and exceeded $200 subsidy cap. |
| SD | Huron | Huron Regional Airport | Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) | Great Lakes Airlines | Beechcraft 1900D / 19 | 2000-7138 | 2014-7-10 | Sep 30, 2016 | Exceeded $1,000 subsidy cap |
Alaska
| Community | Airport | Service to hub(s) | Carrier | Aircraft | Docket | Order | Ended | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham | Chatham Seaplane Base | Juneau (JNU) | Ward Air | Cessna 185 / 3, or Cessna 206 / 4, or de Havilland Beaver / 6 |
1997-3134 | 2018-8-15 | Sep 30, 2018 | Low resident count, no objections to terminating service |
| Funter Bay | Funter Bay Seaplane Base | Juneau (JNU) | Ward Air | Cessna 185 / 3, orCessna 206 / 4, or de Havilland Beaver / 6 |
1997-3134 | 2018-8-15 | Sep 30, 2018 | Low resident count, no objections to terminating service |
| McGrath | McGrath Airport | Anchorage (ANC) | Corvus Airlines dba Ravn Alaska |
Bombardier Dash 8-100 / 37 | 2017-0108 | 2018-8-22 | Apr 5, 2020 | Bankruptcy of the airline providing the service |
| Rampart | Rampart Airport | Fairbanks (FAI) | Tatonduk Outfitters Limited dba Everts Air |
Pilatus PC-12 / 9 or Cessna 208 Caravan / 9 |
2008-0201 | 2016-8-2 | Oct 31, 2016 | Subsidy no longer required to continue air service |
See also
References
- "Essential Air Service". U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Retrieved 1 Oct 2014.
- Tang, Rachel Y. (3 September 2015). "Essential Air Service (EAS)" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- "Ten places to cut waste as Congress considers a budget", Romina Boccia, January 15, 2014, also published in the Washington Times.
- "Essential Air Service". Transportation.gov. US Department of Transportation. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- "Federal Subsidies Keep Small-Town Airports Flying". NPR. November 18, 2009.
- Bailey, Jeff (October 6, 2006). "Subsidies Keep Airlines Flying to Small Towns". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2006.
- "Comparison of Essential Air Service Program to Alternative Coach Bus Service" (PDF). American Bus Association. September 2011. Archived from the original on February 2, 2012.CS1 maint: unfit url (link) Archived as of February 2, 2012
- "EAS Program a Complete Taxpayer Waste", Eli Lehrer, Heartlander Magazine. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
- "Federal Subsidies Keep Small-Town Airports Flying". NPR. November 18, 2009.
- "Essential Air Service Reports". U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
- "US Non-Alaskan Subsidized EAS Report". U.S. Department of Transportation. October 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
- "US Alaskan Subsidized EAS Report". U.S. Department of Transportation. October 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
- "Airline and Airport Code Search". International Air Transport Association (IATA). Retrieved 29 Jun 2018.
- Kotler, Fred B. Passenger Air Service in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula: Overview and Analysis, UPWard Initiative, November 2012, Retrieved 2015-04-01
- Steinberg, Andrew B. (June 15, 2017). "Improving Air Service to Small and Rural Communities". US Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
- "Order 2016-5-8 - Community Flexibility Pilot Program - Order Requesting Applications" (PDF). US Department of Transportation. May 17, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
- https://cms.dot.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/mission/office-policy/aviation-policy/304896/eas-communities-terminated-1989feb2018.pdf
External links
- US Department of Transportation: Policy - Essential Air Service
- US Department of Transportation: Policy - Essential Air Service Reports
- Regulations.gov - Federal Docket Management System
Carriers