One of the weirdest direct flights in the country is just $29
Audio By Carbonatix
As I flipped through reels the other day, I came across a content creator who posted a really interesting flight experience. Beck Hassen found one of the strangest direct flights available and booked it. But why does a 45-minute route from Beckley to Parkersburg, West Virginia, even exist? And how does Contour Airlines stay profitable with $29 tickets? It’s all because of the Essential Air Service.
The Essential Air Service (EAS) keeps small-town America connected
When the government deregulated airlines in 1978, it let carriers pick the most profitable routes. That made sense for business, but not for people living far from big cities. Many small communities faced losing their only flights. So Congress created EAS to keep those air links alive.
The Department of Transportation runs the program. It pays airlines to serve towns that commercial carriers might otherwise skip. These subsidies help cover the cost of flying where demand is low but need is high. Without EAS, some places would have no scheduled air service at all.
Airlines usually fly two round-trip flights a day under the program
They use smaller planes that connect to major airports. It’s not exactly first class to Paris, but it gets you to Chicago, Denver, or Dallas…and from there, anywhere else.
Communities have to meet certain criteria to stay in the program. They need a minimum number of passengers. They must be far enough from big airports. And they can’t cost the government a fortune per traveler. But the rules make room for exceptions when demand dips temporarily. That gives struggling towns a chance to bounce back.
So, when Hassen showed up at the pretty much totally empty Raleigh County Memorial Airport, they had to wait a while for their incoming flight from Charlotte to arrive.
The airline, Contour, typically flies passengers in the Embraer ERJ-135, a 30-seat regional jet. Even though they seat 30 people, the airline usually configures seating for fewer passengers. That way, its flights offer more legroom and general comfort.
Contour flights run anywhere from $29 one-way to more than $100. For example, you can book Manistee, Michigan, to Chicago for $69. If I drove up to Akron, Ohio, I could catch a direct flight to Moab, Utah, which would be pretty cool. Looks like I’d have to call a rep to book it, though, like Hassen did. He said he felt sort of bad for the TSA agents who had to wait at the silent airport so he could go through security when his airplane finally arrived to pick him up in Beckley. But a job’s a job.
