When Congress adjourned for summer recess last month without extending FAA funding for the 21st time, leaving thousands of furloughed workers in a state of limbo, only a promise to Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to “protect” small communities from a loss of scheduled air service would finally convince the Senate to pass a House bill described by Democrats as another exercise in hostage taking. But even though Congress managed to agree to a temporary extension until September 16, it left unanswered some vital questions about the future of the Essential Air Service (EAS) program.
Early in the year both bodies had introduced plans to curtail EAS spending by raising the qualifying driving distance from the nearest medium-size or large hub from 70 to 90 miles, effectively removing 10 communities from the subsidy rolls. However, the bill passed by the Republican-controlled House would eliminate the program in the lower 48 states by October 2013, threatening airline service to the 106 airports that rely exclusively on EAS flights. Only rural airports in Alaska and Hawaii would continue to get EAS subsidies under the House measure.
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