U.S. DOT Grant Could Restore Commercial Service at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport After Spirit Airlines Closure

Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, may regain commercial airline service after receiving a new grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Commercial service at the airport ceased in May when Spirit Airlines folded, leaving the facility without any commercial flights.

Spirit had operated out of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport since February 2011 and was the only airline flying from the airport at the time of its shutdown. According to the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, the new grant will be used to provide revenue guarantees and marketing support aimed at attracting low-cost service to destinations including Myrtle Beach and Florida.

Airport officials had been working to attract a replacement carrier even before Spirit announced it was ceasing operations. "We've got the bait; now it's time to go fishing," said Gabe Monzo, longtime executive of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, who has since retired.

This case belongs to a broader category of small commercial airports losing their sole carrier when that carrier exits the market entirely rather than simply dropping a route, leaving the facility with zero scheduled service until a new operator can be recruited. Revenue guarantees and marketing subsidies, funded through federal grants, are the standard tool airport authorities use to offset the risk a low-cost carrier takes on when starting thin leisure routes like those to Myrtle Beach and Florida.

Whether the grant succeeds will depend on whether a carrier actually commits to a route and schedule, since funding alone does not guarantee an airline will fly. The next milestone to watch is whether the Westmoreland County Airport Authority announces a specific airline and destination pairing, and whether the incentive package is enough to outweigh the risk Spirit's own exit demonstrated.