Snowe Reiterates the Importance of Rural Air Services in Maine

Following an announcement today from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that it is prohibiting Colgan Air, Inc. from terminating its subsidized service in Presque Isle and Bar Harbor, U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) reiterated her support of the Essential Air Service (EAS) program and for Maine's rural airports. Colgan Air, which operates as US Airways Express (Colgan) was re-selected in 2010 to provide EAS in Presque Isle for another two-year-contract, and it replaced Cape Air in 2010 at Bar Harbor. Colgan filed a notice of intent to terminate its service at both airports in September 2011. The DOT is also requesting proposals from airlines interested in providing a replacement EAS at the two airports.
Senator Snowe said:

"Reliable air service to Maine's rural areas is not simply a luxury or a convenience, it's a necessity. In Presque Isle, Bar Harbor, and airports around our state, rural air service provides a critical link between local small businesses and people to global economies and cultures. We cannot afford to ignore rural America, which contains nearly a quarter of the United States population, as we move forward in improving aviation policy and infrastructure."

BACKGROUND: To enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the EAS program, Senator Snowe introduced the Rural Aviation Improvement Act in 2009, which would create an Office of Rural Aviation to standardize the Essential Air Service contracting process and develop a uniform contract to eliminate duplication and provide a mechanism for evaluating applications. This provision is included in the Senate-passed Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization currently stalled in Conference Committee where differences between the House and the Senate are being reviewed.

After the implementation of the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978, EAS was founded to ensure small communities served by commercial air carriers before deregulation maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service. Increasingly, EAS has been plagued with a decline in the number of airlines willing to provide this critical link to the national transportation network.

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