Set Up to Fail: Charter Passenger Airlines and the Civil Reserve Air Fleet

The charter passenger airlines which participate in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet CRAF supply ninety percent of all Department of Defense DOD passenger airlift because the DOD has not invested in its own organic passenger aircraft. In the past decade, the charter passenger airlines have experienced an erosion of their commercial business base due to competition from low-cost carriers as well as larger airlines seeking to bolster flagging revenues by expanding into the vacation markets once dominated by the charter passenger airlines. As DOD requirements diminish with the conclusion of Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn, the future solvency of these airlines and their ability to support DOD CRAF commitments is in doubt.