Potential Impact on Rural Air Travel if Essential Air Service Program Ends
Rural communities in Arizona may face increased air travel costs and inconveniences if Donald Trump wins the upcoming presidential election, according to experts. Project 2025, a comprehensive plan for a potential second Trump term, includes a proposal to eliminate the Essential Air Service (EAS) program.
The EAS program subsidizes air travel costs in smaller towns and communities, ensuring that rural Americans have access to air travel. This program has been crucial in helping small towns attract businesses, create jobs, and provide residents with essential travel options for work, medical appointments, and family visits.
On page 631 of Project 2025, the authors advocate for ending the EAS program, despite acknowledging that many airports it supports are “not otherwise commercially viable.” The plan states, “The program was established in the 1970s as a temporary measure to cushion deregulation. It has since been made permanent. Finally ending the program would free hundreds of pilots to serve larger markets with more passengers. A new administration could reform regulations to encourage airports in lower-served areas of the nation.”
As of 2024, the EAS program supports air service to around 175 rural communities across the United States, including Arizona’s Page Municipal Airport, Prescott Regional Airport, and Show Low Regional Airport. The program specifically targets areas where commercial airlines typically do not operate due to low traffic, providing millions of dollars in grants to keep air travel affordable for residents.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the US Department of Transportation subsidizes two to four round trips per day from EAS communities to medium or large hub airports, sometimes even to multiple hubs. This costs approximately $493 million annually, excluding Alaska.
Without EAS subsidies, small-town airports could lose air service or shut down entirely, as airlines might abandon markets with lower profit margins. This would force residents to travel long distances to larger airports or face higher ticket prices.
Tyler Stein, a research analyst for Rural Arizona Action, emphasized the program’s importance: “In Arizona, EAS is critical for small communities like Prescott, Page, and Show Low, ensuring that they maintain commercial airline service when they meet certain criteria. Losing this service would mean residents near these communities would have to drive long distances to larger airports, increasing travel expenses for gas, parking, and lodging, and removing the convenience of connecting to major hub airports for both leisure and business.”
“Without EAS, the quality of life in rural Arizona would be deeply affected, increasing isolation and economic burden,” he added.
Colin Seeberger, senior adviser for communications at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, echoed these concerns: “Project 2025’s plan to eliminate the Essential Air Service program will raise the cost of air travel and reduce flight options for Americans living in rural communities.”
Seeberger also highlighted the risk of Trump using executive power to cut EAS funding without congressional approval, referencing Trump’s promise to “assert sweeping constitutional power” to cancel federal funds if reelected.
Both Republicans and conservatives have previously targeted the EAS program. The Heritage Foundation’s 2023 Budget Blueprint also calls for its termination. During his first term, Trump repeatedly attempted to cut EAS funding and even proposed eliminating the program entirely, despite the negative impact on communities that largely supported him. Republican efforts to restrict EAS funding could see renewed momentum if they retain their House majority.
