Annual Report - Emerald Media

US Airports and Regional Service,
including Essential Air Service
The following section includes both industry and regional airline specific departure statistics at the nation’s Top 50 US airports (both in chart and map form), as well as a map
showing those US airports served exclusively by regional airlines.
On page 33, an additional section begins with a state-by-state analysis, including Alaska and Hawaii, of a number of key statistics. These include: 1) total number of
passengers enplaned in that particular state; 2) total number of monthly airline departures and 3) percentage of regional flights for each scheduled service
airport in the state, 4) percentage of enplanementsfor each airport. This year’s Annual Report also includes 5) Essential Air Service compensation numbers listed by
carrier and community for those states included in this government funded program. The data has been compiled by DOT.
1 2
US Airports & Regional Service
3 4
5
History of the Essential Air Service Program
The EAS program was initially authorized for 10 years with funding provided by the General Fund of the US Treasury. It was modified and extended by the Airport and
Airway Safety and Capacity Expansion Act of 1987 and was later made permanent as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 1996, with a standing annual appropriation of
$50 million, funded by foreign airline overflight fees. Subsequent legislation has supplemented this funding with additional appropriations from other FAA revenue sources,
including the Airport and Airways Trust Fund. The program has undergone numerous criteria adjustments since its inception, mainly limiting eligibility. Until the most recent
eligibility changes, communities were considered ineligible for subsidized air service if they were located within 70 driving miles of an FAA-designated Large or Medium Hub
airport or if their per-passenger subsidies exceeded $200, with communities located 210 or more highway miles from the nearest Medium or Large Hub airport exempt from
the subsidy cap. The 21st temporary FAA Reauthorization, passed on August 5, 2011 in an unusual recess-time procedure, included further tweaks to the program: the
mileage criteria was adjusted from 70 to 90 miles and subsidies above $1000 per passenger were prohibited. At press time, details of these changes were still emerging. In the
meantime, DOT Secretary Ray LaHood told Congress he retains authority to grant waivers to communities facing cuts.
RAA 2011 Annual Report 27