Directors of the airports at Fort Dodge and Mason City have returned from Washington D-C, where they met with agency heads and congressional representatives about the “Essential Air Service” program. Fort Dodge airport director Rhonda Chambers says E-A-S is the answer to Northwest Airline’s move to drop service to her city.
The airline files a notice to end service, the D-O-T has 90 days to find another carrier, and if it can’t, it’ll pay Northwest a subsidy to continue the service. Northwest had already cut service, and Chambers says the Essential Air Service program will expedite its return.
Beginning of November, where NWA had already cut back from four to two flights, it’ll bring back one so each town has three flights a day. Chambers says in addition to convenience, commercial airports have a huge economic impact on both Iowa cities.
Fort Dodge sees 20-point-7 million, Mason City 20-point-four, so all told the towns benefit to the tune of 40-million. Chambers says besides jobs at the airport, it benefits business and creates economic activity. She says the airport managers met with senators Harkin and Grassley during their Washington trip, and were told more money’s being put into the E-A-S program to help keep air service.