As the site of a major hub, CLT is very vulnerable to whatever air transportation policy changes Washington decides to implement. And when it comes to confused governmental policies, the federal Essential Air Service program ranks right up there.
EAS dates back to deregulation and is designed to assure that communities don’t lose all air service. The problem is that the bar for communities to retain air service is going up. Smaller aircraft — like 19-seat turboprops, the backbone of EAS flying — are simply no longer economically viable in the lower 48. So more cities are becoming EAS dependent while the number of airlines bidding to provide service keeps going down, down, down.
Congress will have to address the issue eventually. And where that could lead is anybody’s guess. So even though there currently aren’t any EAS routes from CLT, be scared.
