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Summary

On May 13, we issued our report on the Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP). The objective of our audit was to determine the effectiveness of the SCASDP in helping small–hub and non–hub communities in achieving sustainable and reliable air service. To achieve this objective, we reviewed SCASDP grants to determine: 1) which grants succeeded and which ones failed; and, 2) whether certain project characteristics or project types lead to a greater likelihood of grant success. Furthermore, we sought to identify “lessons learned” that could improve the probability of small–hub and non–hub communities achieving sustainable and reliable air service as a result of their SCASDP grants.

We found that while most SCASDP grants failed to fully achieve their objectives, certain grant types were more successful than others. Additionally, we found that substantive community participation, whether financial or non–financial, increases the likelihood of grant success. Finally, we found that the process communities follow in implementing their grants can increase the likelihood that their grants will ultimately succeed.