Flight cuts: Dozens of cities at risk of losing airline service

Airline schedule cutbacks are proving to be an especially difficult challenge to small-city airports, some of which now face the prospect of losing commercial passenger service altogether. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes "the Air Transport Association, an airline industry group, said 97 U.S. airports have lost or will lose all commercial airline service by the end of this year. … For some airports, the end of scheduled commercial flights left them with general aviation such as corporate jets and charter flights — and an airline counter that stands empty."

Among the cities that have lost all scheduled passenger service in the past year: Salem, Ore.; Trenton, N.J.; Wilmington, Del.; Belleville, Ill.; and Jackson, Tenn. Other cities that have lost service have been able to lure new -– but less conventional -– service on other airlines. Athens, Ga., for example, lost all of its service on traditional airlines, but now is served by a GeorgiaSkies. While that carrier offers frequent service between Athens and Atlanta, its flights are on Cessna 208-B Grand Caravan propeller planes and are not affiliated with any larger airline partners. Another city -– Owensboro, Ky. –- lost its DeltaConnection service but was able to lure Allegiant Air. Allegiant, however, flies only to Orlando out of Owensboro.

The reasons some of these airports struggle to hold service varies. Some markets are simply too small. Others are too close to nearby hubs, which siphon off customers with lower fares and more nonstop options. And while many of these smaller airports have made it a top priority to secure passenger service, it may not always be realistic, airline consultant Mike Boyd tells the Journal-Constitution. "They think if you keep studying it, it's like medical science — We'll find a cure," Boyd says. "But in many cases, you have to tell them it’s not going to happen." And even for some the cities that lost service, Boyd suggests it may not be that big of a deal. "You get congressmen who go nuts" over dropped service, Boyd tells the Journal-Constitution. "Well guess what? No one got on it anyway."