The U.S. Department of Transportation has made its final decision on granting service exemptions to U.S. airlines, allowing 15 domestic carriers to suspend service to 75 airports for the summer season.
The airline industry has been crushed financially for the past three months due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and only now is beginning to show signs of a comeback.
Virtually every U.S. carrier needed to utilize the monies made available for the CARES Act stimulus package, passed in late March, providing help to the beleaguered group. But the CARES Act included a provision that carriers had to continue to provide service to all the airports they had flown to before the pandemic.
Most airlines asked to be relieved of some of those cities.
"The Department recognizes the challenges faced by communities resulting from the loss of certain air services. However, the Department believes that the process we are finalizing here strikes an appropriate balance between the needs of communities to maintain at least minimal access to the national air transportation system during the public health emergency, and the needs of carriers to conserve financial resources to weather this time of unprecedented loss of demand," the DOT stated in its ruling. "We also note that nothing in this Order prevents any carrier from serving any point that it wishes to serve as the economy recovers and market conditions improve. The Department expects that Covered Carriers will provide the option of refunds or credits to any passenger already booked on the flights that do not operate as a result of the exemptions. The Department will continue to rely, to the extent practicable in the given conditions, on market forces to determine carrier service decisions."
Here is the full list as issued by the DOT. Southwest Airlines did not request any service exemptions.
ALASKA AIRLINES
Charleston, SC
Columbus, OH
El Paso, TX
New Orleans, LA
San Antonio, TX
ALLEGIANT AIR
New Orleans, LA
Ogdensburg, NY
Palm Springs, CA
San Antonio, TX
Springfield, IL
Tucson, AZ
AMERICAN AIRLINES
Aspen, CO
Eagle, CO
Montrose/Delta, CO
Worcester, MA
CAPE AIR
Portland, ME
CORVUS AIRLINES
Goodnews Bay, AK
Kodiak, AK
Napakiak, AK
Napaskiak, AK
Platinum, AK
DELTA AIR LINES
Aspen, CO
Bangor, ME
Erie, PA
Flint, MI
Fort Smith, AR
Lincoln, NE
New Bern/Morehead/Beaufort, NC
Peoria, IL
Santa Barbara, CA
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA
Williston, ND
ELITE AIRWAYS
Sarasota/Bradenton, FL
FRONTIER AIRLINES
Greenville/Spartanburg, SC
Mobile, AL
Palm Springs, CA
Portland, ME
Tyler, TX
JETBLUE AIRWAYS
Albuquerque, NM
Palm Springs, CA
Sacramento, CA
Sarasota/Bradenton, FL
Worcester, MA
SEABORNE VIRGIN ISLANDS
Charlotte Amalie, VI
Christiansted, VI
Culebra, PR
San Juan, PR
Vieques, PR
SILVER AIRWAYS
Charlotte Amalie, VI
Huntsville, AL
Key West, FL
Tallahassee, FL
Tampa, FL
SPIRIT AIRLINES
Asheville, NC
Charlotte Amalie, VI
Christiansted, VI
Greensboro/High Point, NC
Plattsburgh, NY
SUN AIR EXPRESS
Nashville, TN
SUN COUNTRY AIRLINES
Madison, WI
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, OR
Sacramento, CA
St. Louis, MO
UNITED AIRLINES
Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton, PA
Charlotte Amalie, VI
Chattanooga, TN
Fairbanks, AK
Hilton Head, SC
Ithaca/Cortland, NY
Kalamazoo, MI
Key West, FL
Lansing, MI
Myrtle Beach, SC
Rochester, MN
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