Dear Member of Congress:
When Congress deregulated the airline industry in 1978, it made a commitment that communities with scheduled air service would not lose this vital economic engine because their unique characteristics and relatively lower passenger numbers made it difficult to support unassisted operations. Congress initiated the Essential Air Service (EAS) program to honor that commitment. The program remains just as critical today as it was when the promise was first made. With this in mind, we urge you to oppose amendment #26 filed by Rep. McClintock (R-CA) to H.R. 4, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. The amendment would strike section 451, which authorizes funding for the Essential Air Service (EAS) Program.
According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), 173 communities throughout the country participate in the EAS program, which is funded by Airport and Airway Trust Fund and fees from foreign airlines overflying the United States —not the General Fund. For these communities, access to commercial air service is not just about leisure and convenience; it is vital for their economic development. In turn, small community air service contributes significantly to our nation’s GDP and provides jobs. In fact, according to InterVISTAS for the Regional Air Service Alliance, the economic impact of air service to small and non-hub airports in the continuous 48 states was conservatively estimated at $121 billion and supported more than 1.1 million jobs in 2015. The smallest of these airports are supported by EAS.
In 2017, a Department of Transportation Working Group — established by Congress and comprised of 25 small community air service subject matter experts from across 15 states — declared EAS “the backbone of small community air service” and implored policymakers to protect it. The Working Group’s report framed the importance of EAS by detailing economic impact studies of two Essential Air Service Airports (Clarksburg, West Virginia and Kearney, Nebraska). On average, EAS service in those communities generated 23 local full time equivalent (FTE) direct jobs and a 31 indirect local FTE jobs. Local annual payroll averaged $1.1 million and total annual local economic output averaged $4.1 million.
Over the years, the Program has undergone significant evolution, including important eligibility adjustments aimed at directing resources where they are most needed. Throughout, the program has not become any less essential. In fact, hundreds of communities are currently experiencing severe air service reductions — some have lost air service entirely — because airlines are unable to hire and retain sufficient pilots to support air service amidst a growing pilot shortage. These air service losses took place despite growing demand for air travel and during a period of economic recovery in the United States, when communities would ordinarily gain service and destination options. With these and other pressures growing, communities rely more than ever on EAS to help them retain air service.
During a time when the economic disparity between urban and rural America is becoming increasingly stark, it is vital to ensure that the rural communities who participate in EAS can continue to connect with the global economy. Please protect this critical investment and oppose the McClintock amendment #26.
Sincerely,
NACo, AAAE, ACI North America, RAA, and NASAO