march2023 - 30

Airports
As Airlines Cut Flights, Scheduled
Charter Operations Are Filling the Void
Important questions must be addressed as charter industry operators and brokers bring the advantages
of private air travel within the reach of more communities.
BY CURT CASTAGNA
B
oth commercial service and
general aviation airports play
a vital role in the nation's air
transportation system - providing
freedom of mobility, attracting
investment and generating employment
in local communities.
The Airline Deregulation Act, passed
in 1978, gave air carriers great discretion
to determine which markets to serve
domestically and what fares to charge
for that service. Soon after, Congress
established the Essential Air Service Program
to help support a minimum level of
scheduled air service in small communities
and connect them to the nation's
transportation network.
However, as documented by the U.S.
Government Accountability Office,
air service to small communities has
declined since 2007 and airports of all
sizes have lost capacity in the number of
available seats and flights offered to the
traveling public.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, 68
airports across the nation lost commercial
air service, negatively impacting the
essential movement of people and goods.
Private jet operators reacted quickly to
meet the need for essential air services
independent of federal funding, with aircraft
operations rebounding more rapidly
at general aviation airports than at commercial
airports.
In some rural or remote areas where
there is limited commercial service,
business travelers have chosen to fly
privately rather than spend an extended
number of hours waiting for a connection
to a larger hub.
In light of these facts, it is hard to
overlook the importance of general aviation
airports as commercial airlines
continue to cut back on service, flights
and personnel.
There are approximately 5,100 public
use airports in the nation accessed by
general aviation aircraft, compared to
approximately 500 that offer commercial
airline service. This means that business
aviation reaches 10 times the number of
U.S. airports than do the airlines, while
contributing $150 billion to U.S. economic
output and employing more than 1.2
million people.
Today, there is a growing national
trend for on-demand aircraft charter
brokers to market and sell flights on a
per-seat basis as a more affordable alternative
to chartering an entire aircraft.
In many cases, these third-party brokers
post schedules (including the departure
time, departure location and arrival
location) on websites and smart phone
applications that match passengers with
available aircraft.
This business model for public charter
flights, known as " charter by the seat, "
brings private aviation to a broader, more
diverse segment of the traveling public
and provides essential air services to
local communities. The operations are
regulated by the Department of Transportation
(14 CFR 380) and are considered
permissible under federal rules by the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
However, at many of our nation's general
aviation airports, these scheduled
commercial charter operations have
caused some community members and
public officials to question whether
selling single seats on charter aircraft
- particularly those with published and
planned flight departure times - should
be prohibited. The public controversy
seems to stem from what distinguishes
a scheduled Part 121 commercial airline
operation from a scheduled Part 135
charter operation. Per the FAA, Part 135
on-demand aircraft charter operators,
who own or manage the aircraft, may
offer up to four scheduled round-trip
flights per week in an aircraft with up to
nine seats. If the aircraft is configured for
more than nine seats, it can only be operated
at a Part 139 certificated airport.
Therefore, scheduled commercial
air carrier service - including airline,
regional air carrier and cargo flights - are
prohibited at general airports that do
not hold a Part 139 operations certificate.
However, scheduled flights operated
under Part 380 are permissible at those
airports regardless of the aircraft type or
number of seats since they are not considered
scheduled by the FAA.
The DOT permits Part 380 public
charter companies, who do not own or
30 || Ground Support Worldwide || March 2023
NATA
march2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of march2023
