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The U.S. Essential Air Service Program and SARS C0V-2, 2019–2020

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  • Fuellhart, Kurt
  • Dai, Liang
  • Grubesic, Tony
  • Derudder, Ben

Abstract

The Essential Air Service (EAS) Program in the United States has provided government-subsidized air service to many small and rural communities for several decades. A program expectation is that it should provide service in light of prevailing market conditions. This paper assesses EAS during the height of the SARS CoV-2 (CoV2) pandemic from three interrelated perspectives: the program in aggregate, individual communities, and EAS connecting hubs. Using a combination of methods, including complex network analysis, we find that, in aggregate, EAS airports performed better than non-EAS airports in preserving seat capacity. However, there was variation in performance between individual EAS communities in particular and some distinct regional geographic patterns in general. In addition, we found substantial variation in the hubs' performance, which connect EAS to the U.S. National Air System.

Suggested Citation

  • Fuellhart, Kurt & Dai, Liang & Grubesic, Tony & Derudder, Ben, 2021. "The U.S. Essential Air Service Program and SARS C0V-2, 2019–2020," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:96:y:2021:i:c:s0966692321002222
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.103169
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    References listed on IDEAS

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