Commercial Aviation: Trends in Air Service to Small Communities [Reissued with revisions on Jan. 9, 2026]

What GAO Found From 2018 to 2023, small communities in the contiguous U.S. generally experienced a decrease in departing flights, with a steep drop at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but an increase in the average number of seats per departure. About half of the 218 small communities saw modest change in the number of passengers on departures, while others saw more dramatic changes; 8 percent of small communities had a decline of more than 50 percent in passengers on departures, while 14 percent of small communities had an increase of 50 percent or more.

Small communities that received air service through the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which provides subsidies to airlines to serve eligible communities, lost less air service and gained more seats per departure, on average, tha