×

‘They’ve destroyed our air service’, cause of airport subsidy loss angers commissioners

File photo-Williamsport Regional Airport Feb., 28, 2023. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

The Lycoming County commissioners were visibly upset when it was revealed by Richard Howell, executive director of the Williamsport Regional Airport, that the airport may have been cut out of participating in a program funding service to smaller rural communities because of a bureaucratic decision at the Federal Aviation Administration.

Howell, who was speaking at the commissioners’ meeting this week, had been giving an update on the airport, when he stated that the local airport lost their funding through the Essential Air Service (EAS) program when the airline which had been providing service here withdrew their bid to participate in EAS when it became apparent that they had not offered the lowest bid.

The EAS program was created in 1978 when Congress deregulated the airline industry, Howell explained.

“The concern was okay, we’re going to deregulate the airline industry, everything’s going to be great. We’re going to make it market based. But what’s going to happen is the carriers are going to go for the big dollars. They’re going to leave the small and rural communities behind and there’s not going to be any service in small rural communities,” Howell said.

At that point, the EAS was created to subsidize service into a market to a certain level.

“Williamsport was one of the original communities that was in the EAS program in 1978. And actually, we almost took advantage of being in the EAS program I believe it was in 2008, when the incumbent carrier US Airways indicated they were going to pull out the market,” Howell said.

At that point the local airport made an application to the Department of Transportation which put out a request for proposal (RFP) for air service here.

“There were bids and once the bids came in, and I’ll say this quietly, and U.S. Airways realized they weren’t the low bidder,” Howell stated.

U.S. Airways then came back and said that they weren’t leaving and would continue to provide service to Williamsport at their risk, which meant that they were not going to utilize the EAS program subsidies.

“So the bid package went out the window. U.S. Airways continued in the market, Howell said. “So because we were successful, we were removed from the program.”

In 2012, Congress attached a rider to the FAA Reauthorization Act that said any EAS community, like Williamsport, that was in the program but did not draw funds in fiscal year 2011, would be removed from the program.

“Who gave them (U.S. Airways) the authority to not take the EAS and who awarded the bid to them,” Commissioner Rick Mirabito asked Howell.

“Was it a decision made by a bureaucrat at the FAA,” Mirabito said.

“Essentially them coming back and saying we will service the market at risk right, negated the RFP. DOT made the determination it’s okay if you’re gonna service at risk, then we don’t need to use EAS funds to subsidize them,” Howell told the commissioners. “They essentially told the DOT you don’t need to do EAS in this market. You don’t need to use any federal funds we will do at risk.”

Mirabito argued that U.S. Air had sought EAS funds when they submitted the bid and that by withdrawing from the bidding process after they learned that they were not the lowest bid, they “materially changed the bid.”

“I’m actually getting pissed off now because now I understand that it isn’t a problem of the legislative — someone in the bureaucracy allowed them to materially change their bid to the detriment of this community, Mirabito said.

“I think what we have to do now is get our elected officials on the congressional side, march down there and say, listen, you had no authority once that bid was submitted, to unilaterally do that. They have destroyed our air service. That’s the bottom line. They’ve destroyed our air service. And you know what, I think I’m tired of playing nice about trying, because we are not going to convince them to change the national law, in the EAS. We need to make them be accountable for the fact that they made this decision,” Mirabito continued.

“I didn’t realize that until this minute. When you told us I thought it was a legislative opinion or I thought that it was an airline dropped it before they submitted the bid,” he added.

The commissioners were under the misapprehension that the airline had done this without the approval of anyone, said Commissioner Scott Metzger.

“And this is the main thing when I went down to Washington and spoke to Congressman Meuser, he wanted to know what the main things were and I said the levy in our airport,” Metzger said. to save time to save Stafford came out of “We talked about the EAS-it’s killing us. And to hear this news today…a bureaucrat made this decision and needs to be held accountable for it,” Metzger said.

The next step, the commissioners said, is getting and verifying all the information, such as the bid and any correspondence related to the bid being dropped by U.S. Airways and contacting local legislators.

“We’re going to get hold of Senator Casey’s office, Senator Fetterman, Congressman Mueser and we’re going to raise some hell because it’s the only way we are going to get this EAS back,” Mirabito said.

“I’m becoming thoroughly convinced to that because it would require legislative change nationally, and from what I understand that ain’t gonna happen,” he said.

Howell noted that it could go on an FAA reauthorization, but added that it would be an “uphill push.”

“But now this is something that helps us with the uphill push because it shows that this is not something that the community did. This was something that was done by somebody in Washington DC, and it was basically giving a deal to the carrier to U.S. Airways. They had no right to get that bid. They were not the low bidder. So they came in after they submitted the bid and changed it,” Mirabito said.

Although Howell pointed out that the air service didn’t draw any DOT funds, Mirabito argued that by submitted a bid that signaled their intent to use the funds.

“I know they didn’t draw down funds, so I didn’t say they stole money. But what I’m saying is they changed the bid in a way to get the service that they probably were not entitled to do once the bid was in. I mean, I’m not a procurement law expert, but we can’t do it at our level, at the county level,” Mirabito said.

When asked by Commissioner Tony Mussare if there were other airports in the EAS that have lost their air service, Howell indicated that there were not.

“That’s brilliant,” Mirabito said.

“Let’s go for it, Mussare quickly added.

“Otherwise we were sitting here spinning our wheels. There’s a legitimate basis for saying to them you need to put us back in because you made a bureaucratic change that you weren’t entitled to make,” Mirabito said.

By not being a part of the EAS program, rural airports, like Williamsport Regional, are less attractive to potential air services, Metzger noted.

there were several. I had to talk mom and pops in mind. There were one or a couple of others, right?

“They gave a special deal to U.S. Air is what they did. They cut a deal with US air behind our backs. So they didn’t have to pay the subsidy and that cost us our ability to get the EAS,” Mirabito contended

“Honestly I guess at the time we didn’t realize what was going on because we shouldn’t raised hell in 2012. But you know what, better late than never…I’m very upset,” Mirabito added.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today