Rural air travel subsidies gain big budget boost

Mon Jul 13,

A much-criticized subsidy for rural air travel would get a budget increase of more than 40 percent under a spending bill unveiled in the House on Monday.

The legislation approved by a House Appropriations subcommittee would give $173 million in the upcoming budget year to the Essential Air Service, which provides subsidies to small airlines to fly unprofitable routes. That's a $53 million increase.

In many cases the flights are nearly empty. In other instances, such as flights between Buffalo Niagara International Airport and Jamestown, N.Y., just 76 miles away, it's quicker to drive than fly.

The Obama administration says the program needs a huge budget increase simply to serve existing communities. That's hardly likely to assuage critics who view it as a boondoggle.

The legislation approved Monday by the House panel also provides a $4 billion appropriation to support construction of high-speed railroads, quadrupling Obama's request and coming in the wake of $8 billion provided in the economic stimulus bill.

http://fe15.story.media.ac4.yahoo.com/n ... s_spending

These ESA flights don't seem to fit the administration's "Green" ambitions. It'd be cheaper to pay Greyhound to run a bus a few times a week.