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Essential Air Service (EAS) is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which, prior to deregulation, were served by certificated airlines, maintained commercial service. Its aim is to maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service to these communities that otherwise would not be profitable. This came in response to the Airline Deregulation Act, passed in 1978, which gave U.S. airlines almost total freedom to determine which markets to serve domestically and what fares to charge for that service.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 Essential Air Service )〕 The program is codified at . The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) subsidizes airlines to serve rural communities across the country that otherwise would not receive any scheduled air service.〔 As of November 1, 2013, the Essential Air Service subsidized 160 communities, of which 43 were in Alaska,〔〔 whose guidelines for service are separate and distinct from the rest of the country. The decision as to what degree of subsidized service a community requires is made based on identifying a specific hub for the community and from there determining the number of trips, seats, and type of aircraft that are necessary to reach that hub.〔 The budget for EASs increased from $131.5 million in 2011 to $214 million in 2012 to $234 million in 2013 and to $241 million in 2014. ==Controversy== Critics question the economic efficiency of the service.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 Federal Subsidies Keep Small-Town Airports Flying )〕 According to a 2006 ''New York Times'' article on the program, the subsidy per passenger, averaged across the entire program excluding Alaska, is approximately $74, and much higher on some particularly poorly-patronized flights where subsidies are as high as $801 per passenger. Patronage on many flights is very low. The majority of EAS planes have fewer than 20 seats, and flights typically are less than half full.〔("EAS Program a Complete Taxpayer Waste" ), Eli Lehrer, Heartlander Magazine. Retrieved January 31, 2015.〕 However, the program is politically popular in the cities receiving the subsidized flights, many of which use an airport with scheduled service as a selling point to attract industry to their regions. Several subsidized airports are within an hour's drive from an unsubsidized airport.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 Federal Subsidies Keep Small-Town Airports Flying )〕 For example: * The subsidized Lancaster Airport (Pennsylvania) is a 36-minute drive to Harrisburg International Airport.〔(Lancaster Airport to Harrisburg International Airport )〕 * The subsidized Visalia Municipal Airport is a 42-minute drive to Fresno Yosemite International Airport.〔(Visalia Municipal Airport to Fresno Yosemite International Airport ), Google Maps.〕 * The subsidized Pueblo Memorial Airport is a 45-minute drive to Colorado Springs Airport.〔(Pueblo Memorial Airport to Colorado Springs Airport ), Google Maps.〕 * The subsidized Muskegon County Airport is a 50-minute drive from Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan.〔(Muskegon County Airport to Gerald R. Ford International Airport )〕 * The subsidized Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport in Kentucky is a 51-minute drive to Evansville Regional Airport in Indiana. * The subsidized Memorial Field Airport is a 55-minute drive to Little Rock National Airport 〔(Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport to Evansville Regional Airport ), Google Maps.〕 Some subsidized airports are within driving distance of multiple unsubsidized airports. For example: * The subsidized Decatur Airport is a 53-minute drive to University of Illinois Willard Airport in Champaign, Illinois,〔(Decatur Airport to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Willard Airport ), Google Maps.〕 and a 59-minute drive to Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Illinois.〔( Decatur Airport to Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, Google Maps )〕 Some of the subsidized airports also have a daily Amtrak service. * The subsidized Kingman Airport (Arizona) has a daily Amtrak Southwest Chief service from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California. * The subsidized Merced Municipal Airport has a daily Amtrak San Joaquin service from Bakersfield, California to Sacramento/Oakland, California. * The subsidized Southeast Iowa Regional Airport has a daily Amtrak California Zephyr service from Chicago, Illinois to Emeryville/San Francisco, California. Some of the subsidized airports have two daily Amtrak services. * The subsidized Quincy Regional Airport has two daily Amtrak services, the Illinois Zephyr and the Carl Sandburg. Congressional panels expected the funding for the program to increase slightly to $114 million in 2007. However, the George W. Bush Administration sought to reduce the cost of the program to $50 million by stricter eligibility criteria and requiring the local governments of the areas served to contribute to the cost. The Heritage Foundation argued in 2014 that rural airports should receive no federal subsidies through the Essential Air Service program; rather, state and local governments that value the air services should support them.〔("Ten places to cut waste as Congress considers a budget" ), Romina Boccia, January 15, 2014, also published in the ''Washington Times''.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「essential air service」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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