WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) today said the change in the Essential Air Service subsidy contained in the reauthorization of the FAA bill will give Hagerstown Regional Airport a “good chance to keep the subsidy” for Cape Air’s commuter flights to Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport. The Senator added that the continuation of the subsidy will help “overall economic development” in the region.

“I strongly supported the change in the subsidy program because it makes sense for it to better reflect actual usage and passenger need instead of calculations based on mileage,” said Senator Cardin. “I have been in touch with officials at Hagerstown Airport and they feel confident that they will be able to meet the passenger threshold by 2013 and that the airport will continue to qualify for the EAS subsidy.”

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