National airlines have been rapidly pulled out of rural airports since the onset of the pandemic. It’s fostering a sense of isolation that’s frustrated small-town Americans fed up with big business and Washington.
People pick up their luggage after their arrival on an American Airlines plane at Del Rio International Airport in Texas. | Billy Calzada/San Antonio Express-NewsDel Rio, a crucial Texas border town stop for U.S.-bound Central and South American migrants — and the Americans assisting them — is home to the largest pilot training base in the U.S. Air Force.
Since January 2020, at least 324 airports have seen service cuts, losing an average of 30 percent of their flights, according to the Regional Airline Association. More than 14 airports have lost commercial service completely, including places such as Mobile, Ala.; Ogden, Utah; Stowe, Vt., and Williamsport, Penn. — a pace whose breadth and speed are almost unheard of.
American alone said its lack of pilots has been the equivalent of taking more than 150 regional planes out of service. American Airlines also dropped its flights between Dubuque, Iowa, and Chicago last fall, at the time ending all commercial air service for 60,000 people. Toledo, Ohio, and Islip and Ithaca, N.Y., also lost service from American simultaneously.
“To say that it’s challenging would be an understatement,” said Molly Grover, president of the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce. The city is hoping to begin to close that gaping financial hole by welcoming budget airline Avelo, which in March launched seasonal, twice-weekly flights to Orlando, the result of an incentive package offered by the city that includes a revenue guarantee.
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