Article Summary –
Experts warn that ending the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, as proposed in Project 2025, could close small-town airports, raise flight prices, and isolate rural communities. The EAS supports around 175 rural U.S. communities by subsidizing flights, making air travel accessible. Eliminating EAS could lead to airlines abandoning less profitable routes, forcing residents to drive long distances and increasing travel costs. Such changes could significantly impact the quality of life in these areas. The Heritage Foundation and past Trump efforts also targeted EAS, raising concerns about future federal funding cuts if Trump is re-elected.
Experts warn that ending the Essential Air Service program, as Project 2025 proposes, could close small town airports and increase flight prices, isolating rural communities from the rest of the U.S.
Air travel costs and inconvenience for rural communities in Arizona could spike if Donald Trump is elected. Buried in Project 2025, the 900-page plan for a second Trump term, is a call to end the Essential Air Service (EAS), a federal program that subsidizes air travel in smaller towns.
The EAS program helps small towns attract businesses and jobs, connecting rural Americans to work, medical appointments, and family.
On page 631 of Project 2025, the authors argue to end the program, acknowledging the loss of many airports they admit “are not otherwise commercially viable.”
“The program, established in the 1970s, was a temporary measure. Ending it would free hundreds of pilots for larger markets with more passengers,” the plan states.
As of 2024, EAS supports air service to around 175 rural communities across the U.S., including Page Municipal Airport, Prescott Regional Airport, and Show Low Regional Airport in Arizona.
The EAS program serves areas where commercial airlines don’t operate due to low traffic, providing millions in grants to keep costs low and ensure service to key rural routes.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the Department of Transportation subsidizes two to four round trips daily from EAS communities to larger hub airports, costing $493 million per year, excluding Alaska.
Without EAS subsidies, small-town airports could lose air service altogether or close, forcing residents to drive long distances to larger airports or pay unaffordable ticket prices.
“In Arizona, EAS is critical for small communities like Prescott, Page, and Show Low,” said Tyler Stein of Rural Arizona Action. “Losing this service means residents would drive long distances to larger airports, increasing travel expenses and removing the convenience of connecting to major hubs.”
“Without EAS, rural Arizona’s quality of life would suffer, increasing isolation and economic burden,” he added.
Colin Seeberger from the Center for American Progress Action Fund agrees. “Project 2025’s plan to eliminate EAS will raise air travel costs and reduce flight options for rural Americans,” he said.
Seeberger noted the proposal is alarming since Trump has promised to assert constitutional power to cancel federal funds if reelected, despite constitutional constraints. “A second Trump administration could try to cut Essential Air Service funding without Congress’s consent,” he said.
Republicans have targeted EAS before. The Heritage Foundation also calls for ending the program in its 2023 Budget Blueprint. Trump repeatedly tried to cut the program during his first term and even called for its elimination. Republicans in Congress have also tried to end funding for EAS, potentially helping Trump enact cuts if they retain their majority.
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