Essential Air Service to rural Arkansas towns is threatened by high fuel prices (UALR Public Radio) - The cities of Hot Springs, Harrison, and El Dorado may keep their commercial air service -- barely. The federal governement has received emergency bids for their subsidized air service contracts.

The struggle to keep even subsidized service is attributable to skyrocketing fuel prices. But some say the time is long overdue for subsidized flights to small airports to be cut back to only isolated towns.

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