Essential Air Service

Essential Air Service (EAS) is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which, prior to deregulation, were served by certificated airlines, maintained commercial service. Its aim is to maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service to these communities that otherwise would not be profitable. This came in response to the Airline Deregulation Act, passed in 1978, which gave U.S. airlines almost total freedom to determine which markets to serve domestically and what fares to charge for that service.^[1] The program is codified at 49 U.S.C. §§ 41731–41748.

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) subsidizes airlines to serve rural communities across the country that otherwise would not receive any scheduled air service.^[1] As of June 1, 2009, 152 communities were being served with a subsidy, of which 45 were in Alaska, whose guidelines for service are separate and distinct from the rest of the country. 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 reach that hub.^[1]

The efficiency of the program has come under criticism, for both the high costs incurred, and the greater fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions relative to more economic options like bus services.^[2]

Controversy

Critics point out that some subsidized airports are less than an hour's drive from an unsubsidized airport, and question the economic efficiency of the service.^[3] 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.^[4] Subsidies are as high as $801 per passenger.^[2] Patronage on many flights is very low. However, the program is politically popular in the cities receiving the subsidized flights, and Congressional panels expect the funding for the program to increase slightly to $114 million in 2007. However, the George W. Bush White House 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. Note: See also Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act of 2011.

Subsidized routes

The following tables list all subsidized routes under Essential Air Service as of June 4, 2010. They are based on the June 1, 2009 Subsidized EAS Reports from the DOT Office of Aviation & International Affairs for all areas excluding Alaska^[5] and for Alaska itself.^[6] They have been updated to reflect changes which occurred since then, based on DOT orders found at the Federal Docket Management System.^[7] 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.

Areas excluding Alaska

Alaska

See also

• Category:Essential Air Service for airports subsidized by the EAS program.

References