Don't Miss Your Flight Act

Who is affected and how:

• State and local governments, Indian Tribes, and public airport agencies: Primary recipients who can apply for funds to build or upgrade roads, transit lines, and passenger rail that serve airports. They will need to prepare grant applications, meet any federal cost-share requirements, and manage federally funded project compliance (procurement, reporting, audits).
• Airport sponsors and nearby communities: Stand to gain improved surface access to airports, reduced congestion, and potentially increased passenger and freight throughput. Improved connections may boost local economic activity and development around airports.
• Transit and passenger rail operators: Could receive capital investments or right‑of‑way improvements that expand service to airports or increase capacity on existing routes.
• Road and transit contractors, construction workforce, and suppliers: Likely to see new contract opportunities from funded projects.
• Travelers and businesses using airports: Could experience faster, more reliable access to airports and reduced local traffic congestion, yielding time savings and potential emissions reductions if transit options expand.

Potential challenges and distributional effects:

• Matching funds and cost-share rules may disadvantage smaller or lower‑resourced jurisdictions and tribes if significant non‑federal contributions are required.
• Competition for limited annual funding may favor projects in larger metro areas or at major airports unless DOT guidance prioritizes equity or rural/tribal needs.
• Implementation will require DOT rulemaking or guidance to allocate funds, set project selection criteria, and ensure compliance with environmental and permitting processes, which can affect project timelines.

Overall, the program provides a targeted federal funding stream for improving multimodal surface connections to airports, with benefits for mobility and local economies, but outcomes will depend heavily on DOT’s implementation choices and recipients’ ability to meet cost‑sharing and compliance requirements.