EAS/Colgan on CBS evening news

H46Bubba · May 5th, 2008, 11:36

Saw this last night on the evening news.

http://video.cgi.cbsnews.com/vplayer...75&id=4068455n

OldTownPilot · May 5th, 2008, 11:58

The link doesnt seem to be working for me.

....And I cant find it on their website.

OldTownPilot · May 5th, 2008, 12:03

Found it.

EAS is certainly an interesting program.

wantfrieswiththat · May 5th, 2008, 12:21

I couldn't find it either, but here's a link that worked for me:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/...e=search_story

Qgar · May 5th, 2008, 17:41

I saw it as well.

surreal1221 · May 5th, 2008, 23:05

I only support EAS in Alaska.

Sorry you New Englanders. . .

SmitteyB · May 6th, 2008, 11:28

I agree. Lebanon, NH doesn't need a 5 slots a day at New York-LGA.

surreal1221 · May 6th, 2008, 15:05

Damn. . .really? 5 slots?

That is overkill correct?

juxtapilot · May 6th, 2008, 19:30

The video is filed under "Politics" in the CNN video application.

JimmyDean · May 7th, 2008, 13:56

I can't badmouth EAS too much... it provided my first airline gig. But I agree that LEB-LGA 5x daily is at least 4x too many.

With Colgan phasing out the 1900s, does that mean they're getting out of the EAS business?

surreal1221 · May 7th, 2008, 14:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyDean

I can't badmouth EAS too much... it provided my first airline gig. But I agree that LEB-LGA 5x daily is at least 4x too many.

With Colgan phasing out the 1900s, does that mean they're getting out of the EAS business?

Why not just reduce the frequency? Bring it down to 2x a day, or yeah - just one.

What office sets the requirements for the frequency?

JimmyDean · May 7th, 2008, 15:40

The frequency is set in the EAS contracts. Each carrier submits a proposal to the appropriate federal agency (I think it's the FAA), and outlines the frequency of service and type of aircraft. There's input from locals, usually the airport authority. The winner receives an annual subsidy for flying the route and gets to keep the passenger fares, too.

Subsidies are usually reported as annual amounts, but it's really a per-flight amount. Carriers are paid a portion of their annual subsidy each time a flight is operated. That's why EAS carriers will operate flights that are empty or nearly empty (and they do), because they don't get the money if they don't operate the flight.

The big problem here, in terms of waste, is that communities like frequency. A proposal from Carrier A with 2 Saab 340s a day is less appealing than a proposal from Carrier B with 4 Beech 1900s a day. The number of seats is about the same, but the locals like the idea of more flights operating to their podunk airports. And so we have 5 flights from LEB to LGA, eating landing slots and gate space and giving EAS a bad name.

surreal1221 · May 7th, 2008, 15:45

Someone needs to tell these locals that if they don't actually fill these flights with a sufficient load factor, then they are going away.

End of story.

Fly or don't. If you don't, we are reducing our frequency. Unfortunately then for the companies, that means less subsidies.

Firebird2XC · May 7th, 2008, 15:48

Seems like EAS needs to be amended to support actual number of passenger loads, not "what the community wants".

Being able to just vote in something for your slice of the pie when we're all paying for it seems a bit slanted, at the least.