Like our nation's highway system, airlines play a vital role in knitting together the country, allowing for commerce as well as travel between the states.
That's why the federal government's airline bailout was contingent on the carriers promising to maintain service to American airports big and small.
But there was a loophole: Airlines were given the right to petition the government to drop service if a carrier could make an argument that it wasn't financially viable to continue flights to a particular gateway.
That petitioning process is happening now. All of the major (and many of the minor) U.S. carriers have put a long list of airports on the chopping block. The government has previously approved service cuts proposed by Delta and JetBlue.
Mayors and governors have been publicly pushing back, stating that the loss of service would damage the financial stability of their states and cities. In the cases of some smaller gateways, a loss of air service could isolate that location from the rest of the country.
The following is a compilation of requested cuts, airline by airline. Most are being requested as temporary service changes, though many in the communities affected are worried the cuts could become permanent. The Department of Transportation (DOT) will be reviewing requests in the coming days and weeks.
We wanted to alert you now, though, because the loss of airline service could drastically affect summer travel plans.
U.S. airlines' proposed service cuts:
Alaska Airlines
Charleston, South Carolina
Columbus, Ohio
El Paso, Texas
New Orleans
San Antonio
Allegiant Air
New Orleans
Ogdensburg, New York
Palm Springs, California
San Antonio
Springfield, Illinois
Tucson, Arizona
American Airlines
Aspen, Colorado
Eagle, Colorado
Montrose/Delta, Colorado
Worcester, Massachusetts
Cape Air
Portland, Maine
Corvus Airlines
Goodnews Bay, Alaska
Kodiak, Alaska
Napakiak, Alaska
Napaskiak, Alaska
Platinum, Alaska
Delta Air Lines
Aspen, Colorado
Bangor, Maine
Erie, Pennsylvania
Flint, Michigan
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Lincoln, Nebraska
New Bern/Morehead/Beaufort, North Carolina
Peoria, Illinois
Santa Barbara, California
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Williston, North Dakota
Elite Airways
Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida
Frontier Airlines
Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina
Mobile, Alabama
Palm Springs, California
Portland, Maine
Tyler, Texas
JetBlue Airways
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Palm Springs, California
Sacramento, California
Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida
Worcester, Massachusetts
Seaborne Airlines
Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islands
Christiansted, Virgin Islands
Culebra, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Vieques, Puerto Rico
Silver Airways
Huntsville, Alabama
Key West, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islands
Spirit Airlines
Asheville, North Carolina
Greensboro/High Point, North Carolina
Plattsburgh, New York
Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islands
Christiansted, Virgin Islands
Sun Air Express
Nashville
Sun Country Airlines
Madison, Wisconsin
Philadelphia
Portland, Oregon
Sacramento, California
St. Louis
United Air Lines
Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton, Pennsylvania
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Fairbanks, Alaska
Hilton Head, South Carolina
Ithaca/Cortland, New York
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Key West, Florida
Lansing, Michigan
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Rochester, Minnesota
Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islands
The DOT's public comment period is over. However, if you feel strongly that service should not be cut to or from a particular gateway, you can still contact your congressperson and senators to express your displeasure. They might be able to influence the DOT in this matter.
