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Candidates back essential air service for rural Montana but differ on federal subsidies
Summary
Both candidates supported restoring or preserving essential air service for small Montana communities; Leo Yudetz called for action to restore cuts and Alan Mickelson framed it as critical to quality of life.
Essential air service (EAS) for rural Montana communities was raised during the Missoula forum. Leo Yudetz said he would work in Washington to restore services that the U.S. Department of Transportation had cut, calling EAS important "not only just for travel, but for medical reasons to get people to hospitals." He emphasized the link between air service and the quality of life in eastern and northeastern Montana.
Alan Mickelson also urged maintenance of EAS, describing it as "the only link, the only practical link that they might have to the rest of the world" for some small communities and said those residents "deserve a quality of life" comparable to other Americans. Neither candidate proposed a detailed funding mechanism on-air; both expressed a willingness to support federal measures to preserve or restore essential links for remote communities.
The conversation did not record any binding commitments or legislative proposals; both candidates presented EAS as a priority for rural constituents and as a matter they would take to Congress if elected.
