Many of the nation's smaller cities in danger of losing air service

[Shortline Bus]

Many small cities in danger of losing air service

By Charisse Jones, USA TODAY

August 15, 2011

 

 

With its three flights that take off each day, Delta Air Lines has given the 26,000 residents of Aberdeen, S.D., a fast connection to the rest of the nation and world.

 

 

"We are about 75 miles from an interstate," says Mike Wilson, the city's transportation director, "so we're fairly secluded here."

 

But starting today, Delta is offering only two daily flights from Aberdeen. And the world's second-biggest airline, which is the lone carrier flying in and out of the city, says it needs a subsidy from the federal government to keep flying there at all.

 

The prospect of Aberdeen being without air service — and the economic lifeblood it carries — is hard for Wilson to fathom. "It could definitely have some far-reaching effects for our community," he says.

 

In a time of mergers, fluctuating fuel prices and economic turbulence, airlines are pulling out of many small cities such as Aberdeen because they say it no longer makes financial sense. And the federal program that has subsidized air service to many of them is in jeopardy as Congress must cut $1.5 trillion from the nation's debt in the next decade.

 

Delta seeks to exit 15 small cities such as Thief River Falls, Minn., and get federal subsidies or increased government assistance to continue flying to nine others such as Aberdeen, Sioux City, Iowa, and Butte, Mont. Of the 24 cities, Delta is the sole carrier for all but one, the South Dakota capital of Pierre.

 

AirTran, which is merging with Southwest, earlier this month announced it would stop flying to four small-city airports next year: Asheville (N.C.) Regional; Atlantic City International; Quad City International in Moline, Ill; and Newport News/Williamsburg International in Virginia.

 

"This is a trend in the last couple of years … and that trend may continue," Bijan Vasigh, a professor of air transport finance at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, says of the withdrawals.

 

 

Lower profits for an industry hard hit during the recession and higher fuel costs are among the reasons for service cuts to small cities, he says.

 

http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/story/2011/08/Many-small-cities-in-danger-of-losing-air-service/49981540/1

[BZGuy]

Fuel costs are just one of the problems.

 

A big problem is finding suitable aircraft for the mission. The Dash 8-200/300, Saab 340, and Beech 1900C/D are no longer being produced and those still in service are aging quickly. Right now there is no manufacturer that is in the 19 to 30 seat turboprop market and to make these EAS services work, that is the equipment you need. ExpressJet and American Eagle bought Embrear 135s and can't make the economics of those jets work on EAS runs. The turboprop manufactures, ATR and Bombardier have focused on the 70 seat market because the ATR-72 and Dash 400 have proven to been cheaper to operate on sub-250 mile routes.

 

This puts alot of regional carries who do EAS work in a bind. Piedmont (USAirways Express) flies some of the oldest Dash 8s in the world and for now they have to soldier along with with aircraft that are very close to the end of their lives. If USAirways cannot find a suitable replacement, you will see more smaller cities lose airservice if they can't profitable fill a CRJ-200.

 

Great Lakes (also known as Great Mistakes) is also being pushed close to cliff of either Chap.11 or as my friend who is a captain there has heard.....maybe even Chap.7! Fuel costs plus high lease payments on virtually their entire fleet has put Lakes in a very bad spot.

 

In the last year we've seen Big Sky disappear and other EAS regionals like Gulfstream,RegionsAir and even Mesa and Horizon have serious problems or even shut down because of some fundamental shifts in the regional airline enviroment. Some like CommutAir and Colgan are thriving, but for how long that last...I guess we'll see

[Amtrak7]

Essential Air Service outside of Alaska is a pretty big waste of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds each year. This NY Times graphic show that many planes fly near-empty.

 

 

Even though there are some busier locations, 40-50 passengers a day is still pretty paltry.

[BZGuy]

I think the EAS system should be more efficient in the Lower 48. Just by the chart you provided I see a couple routes that should be changed. EAS routes in the Lower 48 should go to the closest major airline hub. Brookings-Sioux Falls is a joke....that should be Brookings-Minneapolis. Lewiston-Billings is deceiving because the same aircraft continues through to Denver. The EAS route outta Great Bend was to Kansas City until Air Midwest was shut down, Wichita makes no sense.....they have problems attracting their own air service, Denver would have made a better endpoint for that route.

 

But as I write this I realize that alot of intercity bus service has been cut back,especially in the Midwest. Greyhound did that big pullback a couple of years ago and nobody has really backfilled that loss, so I understand some of the routes.

 

However I think a rationalization of the EAS routes given to healthy regional airlines would lower costs and save the program. But like I said earlier, finding the right aircraft for the mission remains a big problem and that more than anything else will doom alot of these smaller cities.

[East New York]

Yeah, there are a lot of areas that don't really need the service. I agree it should be cut in some places.

[BZGuy]

Yeah, there are a lot of areas that don't really need the service. I agree it should be cut in some places.

 

I agree to a point. I think if some service could be combined, sorta like what Great Lakes does then you might be able to save some of this service. But we all know how people are....they want nonstop on a jet. Well if you live in East Bumf**k,ND then you really should take what you can get.

 

But at the same time some of the EAS providers have turned people off from air travel. Great Lakes,Mesa,Air Midwest,RegionsAir and Big Sky charged some outrageous fares and provided atrocious service. I would love to see Skywest,ASA,and Horizon jump into more EAS markets, but they don't have the right equipment and again that is what will kill EAS if Congress doesn't do it first.