The Essential Air Service (EAS) program was launched as a temporary program in the late 1970s and codified in 1994 to ease the transition to airline deregulation by subsidizing commercial flights to the nation’s rural airports. However, many of the cities this program served can be found within reasonable driving distance from airports with unsubsidized flights. For example, the 50-minute flight from Lebanon, New Hampshire to Boston, Massachusetts receives a subsidy of $187 per passenger even though it is little more than an hour drive to the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. This cut does not include eliminating the program for Alaska.
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Program
Committees of Jurisdiction
Essential Air Service Program
Category
Transportation
Subsidy Type
Mandatory
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
$300
FY 23 Budget Score (in mil.)
$3,900
FY 23-32 Budget Score (in mil.)