§ 9097 — Minimum Air Service Guarantees

(a) The Secretary of Transportation is authorized to require, to the extent reasonable and practicable, an air carrier provided financial assistance under this part to maintain scheduled air transportation, as the Secretary of Transportation determines necessary, to ensure services to any point served by that air carrier before March 1, 2020. (b) When considering whether to exercise the authority provided by this section, the Secretary of Transportation shall take into consideration the air transportation needs of small and remote communities, the need to maintain well-functioning health care supply chains, including medical devices and supplies, and pharmaceutical supply chains. (c) The authority provided under this section shall terminate on March 1, 2022, and any requirements issued by the Secretary of Transportation under this section shall cease to apply after that date. (d) It is the sense of Congress that, when implementing this section, the Secretary of Transportation should take into consideration the following: (1) A number of airports and communities have lost air service as a result of consolidated operations by covered air carriers, as permitted by the Department of Transportation, including smaller airports that are located near larger airports. (2) Airports covering common points, as determined by the Department of Transportation, do not align with the grouping commonly used by many air carriers, other Federal agencies, and distribution channels used by consumers to purchase air travel. (3) The demographic, geographic, economic, and other characteristics of an area and affected communities when determining whether consolidated operations at a single airport effectively serve the needs of the point. (4) Maintaining a robust air transportation system, including maintaining air service to airports throughout the United States, plays an important role in the effective distribution of a coronavirus vaccine. (5) The objections from community respondents on whether a specific airport should or should not be included in a consolidated point, including those objections noting the importance of the required considerations set forth in subsection (b).