Entries in Essential Air Service (EAS) (6)
New EAS Airline for Columbia
Columbia is getting a new EAS airline. EAS in a federal program that subsidizes air service in small communities. In Missouri it includes Joplin, Columbia, Kirksville and Cape Girardeau. In Arkansas it includes Harrison and several other towns. Without EAS, these places would probably not have any commerical air service.
Several months ago Air Midwest said it was leaving many of these markets. Now, we're finding out who will replace them in Columbia. The Columbia Tribune reports that Mesaba Airlines will provide service between Columbia and Memphis—three flight a day.
Mesaba is a subsidiary of Northwest Airlines. It's interesting to note that Mesaba is pursuing EAS markets—even in the shadow of the pending merger between Northwest and Delta.
Kent
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Columbia Gets Three EAS Offers
Given industry chatter about the death of Essential Air Service (EAS), I was surprised this morning to read that the Columbia, MO airport has three airline offers for new EAS. The current EAS airline in Columbia, Air Midwest, is leaving the market due to reported financial problems.
Read more about it in the Columbia Tribune.
Kent
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Essential Air Service - "Essentially Defunct"
Kent
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Air Midwest Leaving Joplin
This morning's Joplin Globe brings bad news for the Joplin airport: the airline providing Essential Air Service (EAS) wants to pull out. Air Midwest also wants to leave its other EAS markets including the Missouri cities of Columbia and Kirksville. In Arkansas: Harrison, El Dorado, Hot Springs, and Jonesboro. In Kansas: Salina and Manhattan.
The federal government began the EAS program after it deregulated the airline industry in the late 1970s. The program provides subsides to airlines to provide service to small communities that otherwise would not have service.
The Globe reports that the feds won't let Air Midwest leave the market until a replacement airline is found. What the paper doesn't report is how hard it's going to be to find a replacement. As the airline economy has worsened, fewer and fewer airlines are interested in providing EAS. Read more about EAS woes in Missouri from the Southeast Missourian.
Kent
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