# What the End EAS Act Actually Does

This bill would eliminate the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which is a federal subsidy that helps keep commercial airline routes operating in small towns and rural communities across America. Right now, the government pays airlines to maintain service to about 50 smaller airports that wouldn't otherwise be profitable for commercial carriers to serve. These are places where the population is too small or too spread out to generate enough ticket sales for airlines to operate routes on their own.

If this bill passes, those subsidies would go away entirely. For people living in rural areas and small towns, this could mean losing their only commercial airline connection to major cities. Instead of being able to fly directly from their local airport, residents might have to drive an hour or more to reach a larger airport, or they might lose air service altogether. This affects not just everyday travelers, but also businesses that rely on air cargo service, medical patients who need to travel for specialized treatment, and rural economies that depend on tourism and business travel.

The bill is straightforward—it simply repeals the law that created and maintains the EAS program. There are no replacement programs or transition plans included. Airlines would no longer be required or incentivized to serve these smaller communities, so service would likely disappear quickly in areas where it's not financially self-sustaining. For rural Americans, this represents a significant change in how accessible air travel would be, potentially isolating smaller communities from the rest of the country's transportation network.

End EAS Act

Rep. Perry, Scott [R-PA-10]

End EAS Act This bill repeals the Essential Air Service (EAS) Program of the Department of Transportation (The EAS program was established to ensure that small communities that were served by certificated air carriers before the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 would continue to receive scheduled passenger service.)