I got to the bottom of why some smaller airports got bonanzas from the CARES Act.

It& #39;s partly because the formula was designed to favor them (after a rushed process in which Senate GOP formula won out)

And it& #39;s partly because Congress told the FAA to divide by zero

Because of the way FAA handled that impossible mathematical calculation, 56 airports got $17.56 million each for the sole reason that they had zero debt, and some level of cash reserves (in one case, literally $200). That calculation did not include size or any other factor.

FAA is now saying that airports will only get, at first, initial grants of 4 years operating expenses at most. Still a lot, but not what was touted in press releases by the agency and members of Congress.

More for @POLITICOPro subscribers:

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