Essential Air Service is a federal government program that provides subsidies to airlines that provide commercial service between certain remote communities and larger hubs, which proponents argue are justified because driving to larger airports would be prohibitively expensive for residents of these communities. I estimate the value of Essential Air Service to local communities using a revealed-preferences approach by formulating and estimating a discrete-choice model of domestic air travel… Read More

Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) have long been required to consider the equity implications of their regional transportation plans and processes. Funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities, this research aims to provide additional guidance to MPOs on how to evaluate distributional equity in regional plans and projects. The report begins with an overview of federal requirements related to equity in transportation planning. We then synthesize contemporary… Read More