Essential Air Service subsidy cuts threaten United Airlines service at Chippewa Valley Regional Airport; program currently supports 12 weekly Chicago flights

May 9, 2025 (Winona Daily News) –

The director of the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport says a federal program that subsidizes smaller airports is critical.

Charity Zich said ending the Essential Air Service program would jeopardize passenger air service to the airport, located in Eau Claire. United Airlines , through SkyWest Airlines , provides 12 roundtrip flights per week from the airport to Chicago .

“We would not likely retain the services of United Airlines without the Essential Air Service program,” Zich said. “The goal of the program is to maintain a minimal amount of air service to these communities.”

Zich responded to a report that President Donald Trump was looking to sharply reduce funding for the program. It dates back to 1978, when Congress deregulated air travel but created a program to maintain passenger service at smaller airports. The program reimburses airlines for unprofitable flights and seeks to guarantee two round trips per day.

The report from airlinegeeks.com says Trump is looking to cut more than three-fourths of the program’s $400 million budget. Eligibility is based on an airport’s distance from a hub airport and the average number of passengers per flight.

Chippewa Valley and the Rhinelander-Oneida Airport are the only two Wisconsin airports that qualify for funding. Five airports in Minnesota — Bemidji , Brainerd , Chisholm / Hibbing , International Falls and Thief River Falls — qualify. EAS subsidizes flights to more than a third of the nation’s passenger airports.

Critics of EAS say it’s wasteful and encourages flights with empty seats, but small regional airports are committed to maintaining funding. In a Jan. 17 press release, Regional Airline Association president/CEO Faye Malarkey Black said cutting the program would result in “air service loss and economic hardship for many rural and remote communities.”

“The Essential Air Service Program is a lifeline for small communities, ensuring connectivity and economic stability,” Malarkey Black said.

The La Crosse Regional Airport doesn’t qualify for EAS. Airport director Jeffrey Tripp said the airport’s commercial passenger count, roughly 40,000 per year, far exceeds the criteria.

“Essential Air Service is for airports that have half of that,” Tripp said. “We don’t need subsidies, and we don’t want to be in that program.”

Zich said the annual passenger count at Chippewa Valley is 22,000. Chippewa Valley also has seasonal flights to Fort Myers, Florida . Those flights aren’t covered by EAS.

Flights to and from Chippewa Valley operate at roughly 70% capacity, which Zich said isn’t enough for a commercial carrier to turn a profit. She emphasized that EAS is funded through overflight fees paid by foreign air carriers. The rest of the program is funded through the Airport and Airway Trust Fund .

Tripp doubts the La Crosse airport would gain any passengers if commercial service to Chippewa Valley ended. He said those passengers would more likely drive to Minneapolis . He expressed support for smaller airports that access the program and said substantial cuts “would be devastating to smaller communities that rely on the program.”

Zich said passenger flights represent only part of Chippewa Valley’s activity. She said the airport has a healthy traffic of personal aircraft and cargo flights.

“We have a very diversified operation here at the airport,” Zich said. “We will always be a very active and vital airport for our region.”

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