The US Department of Transportation has allocated about $11.975 million under its Small Community Air Service Development Program to help 14 airports in 14 states launch, restore or promote commercial air service. Awards range from marketing support to revenue guarantees and route-development incentives, with local matching funds required. Among the largest grants is $1.5 million for Tallahassee, Florida, to support a possible United Airlines link to Houston, while other projects target routes such as Jackson–Chicago, Cedar Rapids–Newark and Traverse City–Los Angeles or San Francisco.
The programme is designed to lower the commercial risk for airlines considering smaller markets and to strengthen connections to major hubs. West Lafayette, Indiana, is also among the selected communities, with funding directed at marketing an existing service to Chicago. The awards were published on 17 September and have since been covered by aviation outlets, with the official total exceeding the figure of $11.35 million that appeared in some early coverage.