A handful of airports throughout northern New York are eligible for federal help in securing a certified airline and access to a major hub.

However, because the government is providing a subsidy to a carrier, it means airports like Ogdensburg only have so much say in which carrier it is — and the schedule.

What You Need To Know

  • EAS is a program connecting rural airports with certified air carries and access to a major hub

  • Ogdensburg International Airport is currently waiting to see which carrier will be selected by the Department of Transportation as part of its new EAS contract

  • Ogdensburg hopes the DOT will take community input — a desire for a carrier that will embrace and grow with the airport and community — into significant consideration when selecting

“Pretty much what EAS is [is] connecting from a small city to a bigger city so you can get to your destination,” Ogdensburg International Airport Manager Charlie Garrelts said.

Essential Air Service is a federal program in which the Department of Transportation gives an air carrier a subsidy to serve a small community airport. It guarantees flights to major hubs while charging passengers a lower fare.

“Trying to save tax dollars, you know; we're trying to help the local residents to to get to a bigger city,” Garrelts said.

The program, which Ogdensburg is using right now, can be helpful. The airport currently uses Contour Airlines, which — self-admittedly — has struggled with the remote location and getting parts, along with staffing schedules. It's led to many flights being delayed or canceled.

“Reliability, that's number one, especially in this rural community. Reliability, it's a key,” Garrelts said.

However, a new partnership with SkyWest could help Contour to fix those issues and is why Contour is one of three air carriers hoping to win the EAS contract. The other two are Boutique Air and Breeze Air.

“My mindset ever since I got here is to grow this community and to grow the surrounding area. We need a carrier that can do that for us,” Garrelts said.

That's why many in the city, including the city council and the Bridge and Port Authority, which oversees the airport, are supporting a change to Breeze and its 138-passenger jet, which it says would make roundtrip flights daily to Washington, D.C., with the possibility of non-EAS flights to Florida.

It's a large jet and a company with big plans, and it could help an airport looking to grow.

“I like the carrier that's going to bring us more local community impact,” Garrelts added, "and local economic impacts to this region.”

However, in the end, it is just support. As part of EAS, the DOT has the final say on everything. Giving up that control is not easy.

"I really believe that DOT should sometimes look into those comments and really consider those those comments of what people in this area think, because they are the frequent flier of this community,” Garrelts added.

While local officials understand that this is the tradeoff, the DOT says it takes community input and places it high on its scale of consideration.

There is no date set for a decision, but Ogdensburg airport’s contract with Contour ends September 30. The airport is in the beginning stages of a $20 million expansion.