Lebanon council recommends Cape Air to continue essential air service, waives aircraft-size requirements

Lebanon City Council voted 7–1 on July 1 to recommend Cape Air as the city’s preferred Essential Air Service (EAS) provider and to waive local requirements that would have mandated larger or multi‑engine aircraft. Councilor Jay Appleton moved the recommendation and a motion that the council "hereby waives its right to receive essential air service with 15 seat or larger aircraft" and related selection criteria; the motion was seconded and passed with Councilor Cole recorded as the lone dissenter.

The recommendation follows presentations by three bidders — Boutique Air, Cape Air and Contour Airlines — and more than an hour of public comment in which frequent users and Cape Air employees urged the council to preserve the airline that has served Lebanon for 18 years. "Cape Air has played an outsized role in my survival," said Alice Robeorge, a passenger who described using Cape Air flights and the White Plains shuttle for lifesaving cancer treatment in New York. Other speakers described Cape Air’s local workforce, on‑site mechanics and the private White Plains shuttle that delivers passengers into Manhattan.

Cape Air’s presentation emphasized frequency and local presence. Mike McGlory, Cape Air president and CEO, said the carrier operates a mix of equipment in the region, employs 19 people locally and has a high completion rate. Contour Airlines proposed a 30‑seat Embraer regional jet service with cabin‑class seating and multiple hub options (including Boston, JFK and Washington/Dulles) and projected lower average fares and seat growth. Boutique Air pitched PC‑12 turboprops with no baggage fees and flexible voucher programs.

Council discussion focused on tradeoffs between frequency and aircraft size: smaller 9‑seat or single‑engine operations can offer more daily departures under current DOT rules, while larger regional jets offer cabin comfort and different hub destinations but are limited to fewer subsidized weekly flights. City staff explained that the FAA will make the final carrier selection; the council’s vote is a recommendation to the U.S. Department of Transportation and includes the local waiver that removes aircraft‑type as a required criterion.

The council set the recommendatory term at four years beginning Dec. 1, 2026. The vote record in the meeting minutes shows seven in favor and one opposed. The FAA will consider the council’s recommendation alongside other criteria and make the final EAS award.

What happens next: the council’s recommendation and the record of public comment will be sent to the U.S. DOT as part of the EAS selection process. The FAA is the ultimate decisionmaker and may accept the council’s recommendation, choose a different provider, or request additional information.