As a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) advocated for efforts to strengthen and support Michigan airports during a confirmation hearing for Michael Whitaker, the nominee to become Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Peters underscored the need to protect rural air service and hold airlines accountable to their commitments under the FAA’s Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which is essential to rural airports, communities, and businesses in Michigan and across the country.
Below is a transcript of Peters’ questions and Whitaker’s answers at the hearing:
PROTECTING ESSENTIAL AIR SERVICE IN MICHIGAN
Peters: As Michigan’s senator, I have the privilege of representing 9 rural airports that are served by Essential Air Service program. That is the most of any state in the lower 48, and many of those airports are in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula and host only a couple of round trips per day. In fact, I’m going to take one of those aircraft on Friday up to one of those northern Michigan cities that is serviced through EAS.
The proposed Senate FAA reauthorization bill this year includes a provision that I championed that would hold airlines accountable when they break their contracts with these small communities who rely on them for service. It’s absolutely essential that they continue to get this service. And under the proposed new EAS rules, it would be harder for airlines to terminate contracts early, and the Department of Transportation would be empowered to penalize airlines that abandon these EAS communities. I believe this is essential to preventing uncertainty and lapses in services and communities like Houghton, Michigan, which experienced this very issue last year.
So my question for you, sir, is, if confirmed, will you work with Congress to protect the Essential Air Service Program and hold airlines accountable to the communities that they serve in rural areas, not just in my state but all across the country?
Whitaker: Yes, sir. I believe that the EAS program and our network of smaller airports is really key to our system, and I will do work with you to support the appropriate safety mechanisms and infrastructure in those airports and then work with DOT on administrating that program.
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