The decision by the Department of Transportation to take grant money from the Small Community Air Service Development to pay for its own administrative costs is just the latest attack on small community air service, which according to many in Congress has become more important than ever with the capacity cuts announced by mainline carriers. The move was widely condemned with the set aside of $3.2 million of the $10 million appropriated by Congress with the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) criticizing the department.
"Designating 32 percent of funds appropriated for the Small Community Air Service Development Program for administrative purposes seems unreasonably high,” said President Chip Barclay. “By contrast, the Federal Aviation Administration received only $75 million in Fiscal Year 2007 to distribute more than 2,000 Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants-or approximately two percent of the $3.5 billion that Congress appropriated for the AIP program that year."