To amend title 49, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Transportation to consider the cost of providing basic essential air service when selecting applicants for the essential air service program, and for other purposes.
Essential Air Service Reform Act
This bill modifies the Essential Air Service (EAS) program's applicant selection process for air service providers. (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.)
Specifically, the Department of Transportation (DOT) must consider the overall cost of a submitted bid when selecting an EAS applicant to provide basic essential air service to a community.
The bill also removes a current requirement that, in selecting an EAS applicant, DOT give substantial weight to the views of elected officials who represent air transportation users.
Finally, DOT must notify Congress when it enters into an EAS contract with an air service provider and include an explanation for awarding the contract with the notification.
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