Washington, DC, March 10, 2021. Media contact: media@raa.org
Following Congressional passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Regional Airline Association (RAA) President and CEO Faye Malarkey Black offered the following statement:
“RAA applauds the passage of this critical legislation helping American businesses, workers and families cope with harm from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and providing additional resources to speed up vaccine distribution across the country. We are grateful the package includes $15 billion to airline employees and contractors to extend the Payroll Support Program (PSP) for an additional six months. We thank President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), House Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Rick Larsen (D-WA), Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Chairwomen Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Senate Aviation Subcommittee Chairwoman Kristen Sinema (D-AZ) and House Financial Service Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) for their leadership in authoring the extension and passing this legislation. Every dollar of the PSP3 program will help support non-executive payroll, avoiding dramatic furloughs upon the expiration of the current program. By keeping workers on payroll, where they will be trained and at the ready, regional airlines will be better positioned to support our country’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
RAA urges the Department of Treasury to quickly apportion the remaining PSP2 awards for small carriers and operators and to process all PSP3 applications without delay. RAA has sent a letter to US Treasury reiterating concerns about grant status to smaller carriers, who have yet to receive payment and in some cases, have received no information at all about the status of their applications.
RAA encourages the Department of Transportation (DOT) to help protect communities that are vulnerable to air service loss, balancing carrier health and communities’ critical need for minimum air service levels until market conditions stabilize. Small communities should remain supported in their efforts to protect their air service, which they will need to take part in our nation’s economic recovery.
RAA thanks President Biden for his leadership and the Congress for passing this critical workforce aid to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. We stand ready to work with the Department of Treasury to complete PSP2 awards for waiting small carriers and toward rapid allocation of PSP3 awards for all regional airlines. This key source of support will help the regional airline workforce continue to connect communities large and small.”
About RAA
The Regional Airline Association (RAA) provides a unified voice of advocacy for North American regional airlines aimed at promoting a safe, reliable and strong regional airline industry. RAA serves as an important support network connecting regional airlines and industry business partners. In the United States, regional airlines operate 40% of scheduled passenger flights and provide the only source of scheduled air service to 66% of the nation’s airports. Regional airlines provide 75% or more of the air service in Alabama (76%), Alaska (88%), Arkansas (83%), Idaho (75%), Iowa (76%), Kansas (78%), Maine (77%), Mississippi (77%), Montana (78%), Nebraska (90%), North Dakota (87%), South Dakota (85%), Vermont (77%), West Virginia (92%), and Wyoming (78%). Regional airlines provide half or more of the air service in Indiana (61%), Kentucky (67%), Michigan (57%), New Hampshire (61%), New Mexico (53%), North Carolina (54%), Ohio (58%), Oklahoma (51%), Oregon (50%), Pennsylvania (53%), Rhode Island (54%), South Carolina (54%), Tennessee (47%), Virginia (58%) and Wisconsin (61%).