Regional airlines are
airlinesAn airline provides air transport services for passengers or freight, generally with a recognized operating certificate or license. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit.Airlines vary...
that operate
regional aircraftA Regional Airliner is a small airliner designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers hubs from small markets. This class of airliners are typically flown by the regional airlines that are either contracted by or subsidiaries of the larger airlines...
to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract
mainlineA mainline flight is a flight operated by an airline's main operating unit, rather than by regional alliances, regional code-shares or regional subsidiaries...
service. There are two ways for a regional airline to do business:
- As a feeder airline, contracting with a major airline
Major carrier or major airline carrier is a designation given by the United States Department of Transportation to U.S.-based airlines that post more than $1 billion in revenue during a fiscal year.As of 2008, the major carriers are the following:...
, operating under their brand nameThe phrase "doing business as" is a legal term, meaning that the name under which the business or operation is conducted and presented to the world is not the legal name of legal person or persons who own it and are responsible for it.The distinction between an actual and a "fictitious" name is...
, filling two roles:
- Deliver passengers to the major airline’s hubs from surrounding communities (this is known as regional feed or regional traffic), and
- Increase frequency of service in mainline markets during times of day/days of week when demand does not warrant use of large aircraft.
- Operating under their own brand, providing service to small and isolated communities, for whom the airline is the only reasonable link to a larger town. An example of this is Peninsula Airways, which links the remote Aleutian Islands
The Aleutian Islands are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands forming part of the Aleutian Arc in the Northern Pacific Ocean, occupying an area of 6,821 sq mi and extending about westward from the Alaska Peninsula toward the Kamchatka Peninsula...
of AlaskaAlaska is the largest state of the United States of America by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to AnchorageAnchorage is a consolidated city-borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. With an estimated 279,243 municipal residents in 2008 , it is Alaska's largest city and constitutes more than 40 percent of the state's total population; only New York has a higher percentage...
. In this role, the term commuter airline is generally used.
- As an independent airline larger than an air taxi
An air taxi is a for-hire passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis. It can be used to mean air charter, or the use of very light jets ....
or commuter airline service, that operates scheduled point-to-point transitPoint-to-point transit refers to a transportation system where a plane, bus or train travels directly to a destination rather than going through a central hub as opposed to the spoke-hub distribution paradigm in which the transportation goes to a central location where passengers change to another...
service under its own brand, that does not meet the descripitions above or fly larger "mainlineA mainline flight is a flight operated by an airline's main operating unit, rather than by regional alliances, regional code-shares or regional subsidiaries...
sized" (over 100 seats) aircraft". Mokulele AirlinesGo! Mokulele, formerly Mokulele Airlines, is an American independent commuter airline headquartered in Kalaoa CDP, Hawaii County, Hawaii. The airline operates scheduled inter-island and tour flights primarily among Hawaii's smaller airports, with services among the state's primary airports operated...
and the independently branded Expressjet AirlinesExpressJet Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline based in the Greenspoint area of Houston, Texas.Although an autonomous business entity since its divestiture from Continental Airlines, Inc., it continues to operate as Continental Express for Continental Airlines from hubs at George Bush...
operations to larger and medium size cities, would be examples of this type of operation in the U.S.
History
Regional airlines began by operating propeller-driven aircraft over short routes, sometimes on flights of less than 100 miles. In the early days of commercial aviation few aircraft had ranges greater than this, and airlines were often formed to serve the area in which they formed. That is, there was no strong distinction between a regional airline and any other airline. This changed with the introduction of long-range aircraft, which led to the development of the flag carrier airlines, such as
British Overseas Airways CorporationThe British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
and Trans-Canada Airlines. As the flag carriers grew in importance with increasing long-range passenger traffic, the smaller airlines found a niche flying passengers over short hops to the flag carrier's airport. This arrangement was eventually formalized, forming the feeder airlines.
Through the 1960s and 1970s, war surplus designs, notably the DC-3, were replaced by much more capable
turbopropTurboprop engines are a type of aircraft powerplant that use a gas turbine to drive a propeller. The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
or
jetA jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes — as high as 10,000 to 15,000 meters . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances...
-powered designs like the Fokker F27 Friendship or
BAC One-ElevenThe British Aircraft Corporation One-Eleven, also known as the BAC 1-11, the BAC-111 or the BAC-1-11, was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s...
. This extended the range of the regionals dramatically, causing a wave of consolidations between the now overlapping airlines.
In the early 1990s, much more advanced turboprop-powered, fuel efficient, and passenger friendly DC-3 type replacement projects such as the 19 passenger
Embraer/FMA CBA 123 VectorThe Embraer/FMA CBA 123 Vector was a 1990 turboprop aircraft designed for regional flights, to carry up to 19 passengers. The program arose from a partnership between the Brazilian company Embraer and the Argentine company Fábrica Militar de Aviones ...
and the 34 seat
Dornier 328The Dornier 328 is a turboprop-powered commuter airliner. Initially produced by Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH, the firm was acquired in 1996 by Fairchild Aircraft. The resulting firm, named Fairchild-Dornier, manufactured the 328 family in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, conducted sales from San Antonio,...
were undertaken, but met little financial success, partly due to economic downturn in the airline industry resulting from the outbreak of hostilities when Iraq invaded Kuwait. Many of the regional airlines operating turboprop equipment such as
DeltaDelta Air Lines, Inc. is a United States airline based and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Delta operates an extensive domestic and international network, spanning North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Australia...
's regional sister
ComairComair is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines headquartered on the grounds of Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport in unincorporated Boone County, Kentucky, United States, west of Erlanger, and south of Cincinnati, Ohio....
airlines in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
set the course for bypassing entirely the regional turboprops as they became the first to transition to an all-jet regional jet fleet. To a lesser extent in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
and the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
this transition, to notably the
EmbraerEmbraer , is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate. The company produces commercial, military, and corporate aircraft, and provides related aerospace services...
or
CanadairCanadair was a civil and military aircraft manufacturer in Canada. It was the subsidiary of other aircraft manufacturers and a nationalized corporation until privatized in 1986, and became the core of Bombardier Aerospace....
designs, was well advanced by the late 1990s. This evolution towards jet equipment, brought the independent regional airlines into direct competition with the major airlines, forcing additional consolidation.
Although regional airlines in the United States are often viewed as small, not particularly lucrative "no name" subsidiaries of the mainline airlines, in terms of revenue, many would be designated
major airline carrierMajor carrier or major airline carrier is a designation given by the United States Department of Transportation to U.S.-based airlines that post more than $1 billion in revenue during a fiscal year.As of 2008, the major carriers are the following:...
status but they do not qualify for this status since the aircraft they operate generally seat less than 100 people.
Beginning around 1985, a number of trends has been apparent. Regional aircraft are getting larger, regional aircraft are getting faster, and regional aircraft are flying longer ranges. Most recently regional aircraft in the US have been getting slightly more comfortable with the addition of better
ergonomicallyErgonomics is the science of designing the job, equipment, and workplace to fit the worker. Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries, which can develop over time and can lead to long-term disability....
designed
aircraft cabinAn aircraft cabin is the section of an aircraft in which passengers travel, often just called the cabin. At cruising altitudes, the surrounding atmosphere is too thin to breathe without an oxygen mask, so cabin pressurization adapts the cabin to atmospheric pressures.In commercial air travel,...
s, and the addition of varying
travel classA travel class is a quality of accommodation on public transport. The accommodation could be a seat or a cabin for example. Higher travel classes are more comfortable and more expensive.-Airlines:...
es aboard these aircraft. From small, less than 50-seat "single-class cabin"
turbopropTurboprop engines are a type of aircraft powerplant that use a gas turbine to drive a propeller. The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
, to
turbofanA turbofan is a type of aircraft gas turbine engine that provides propulsion using a combination of a ducted fan and a jet exhaust nozzle. Part of the airstream from the ducted fan passes through the core, providing oxygen to burn fuel to create power. However, the rest of the air flow bypasses...
regional jet equipment, present day regional airlines provide
aircraftAn aircraft is a vehicle which is able to fly by being supported by the air, or in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to fly by being supported...
such as the higher capacity
CRJ700The Bombardier CRJ700, CRJ900, and CRJ1000 are regional airliners based on the Bombardier CRJ200. Final assembly of the aircraft is at Montréal-Mirabel International Airport in Mirabel, Québec, near Montreal.-Development:...
,
CRJ900The Bombardier CRJ700, CRJ900, and CRJ1000 are regional airliners based on the Bombardier CRJ200. Final assembly of the aircraft is at Montréal-Mirabel International Airport in Mirabel, Québec, near Montreal.-Development:...
,
CRJ1000The Bombardier CRJ700, CRJ900, and CRJ1000 are regional airliners based on the Bombardier CRJ200. Final assembly of the aircraft is at Montréal-Mirabel International Airport in Mirabel, Québec, near Montreal.-Development:...
series of aircraft and the somewhat larger fuselage
Embraer E-JetsThe Embraer E-Jets are a series of narrow body, twin-engined, medium range, jet airliners produced in Brazil. Announced at the Paris Air Show in 1999, and entering production in 2002, the aircraft have been a success – as of December 31, 2008, there are 876 firm orders for E-Jets and 810 options...
. Some of these newer aircraft are capable of flying longer distances with comfort levels that rival and surpass the regional airline equipment of the past.
Historically important United States regional airlines
In the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, regional airlines were an important building block of today's passenger air system. The U.S. Government encouraged the forming of regional airlines to provide services from smaller communities to larger towns, where air passengers could connect to a larger network.
The first United States regional airline (then called a commuter airline) was
Wright AirlinesWright Airlines, founded in Cleveland, OH in 1966 is regarded as the first United States Regional airline. The airline was based in Cleveland at Burke Lakefront Airport. The airline has since gone out of business.-Business:...
, founded by aviation legend Gerald Weller in
Cleveland, OhioCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately 60 miles west of the Pennsylvania border...
. The airline was based at Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport, becoming the airport's first commercial carrier. Though airlines had come and gone from Burke over the years,
Wright AirlinesWright Airlines, founded in Cleveland, OH in 1966 is regarded as the first United States Regional airline. The airline was based in Cleveland at Burke Lakefront Airport. The airline has since gone out of business.-Business:...
endured, and by the time the airline declared bankruptcy in the late 1980s, it was appropriately the last commercial airline to leave Burke Lakefront Airport. (
ClevelandCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately 60 miles west of the Pennsylvania border...
's commercial traffic has since been consolidated at the city's larger
Cleveland Hopkins International AirportCleveland Hopkins International Airport is a public airport located nine miles southwest of the central business district of Cleveland, a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States...
).
Some examples of the original regional airlines sanctioned by the Civil Aeronautics Board in the 1940s and 1950s include:
- Allegheny Airlines
Allegheny Airlines was an airline based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, from 1952 to 1979. It was a forerunner of today’s US Airways.- History :...
- Bonanza Air Lines
Bonanza Air Lines was a regional airline in operation from the 1945 to the 1960s, with routes in the Western United States.The airline began scheduled operations in 1945 with a single-engine Cessna, with service between the Nevada communities of Las Vegas, Reno, Tonopah and Hawthorne...
- Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines was formed by a merger of Arizona Airways, Challenger Airlines, and Monarch Airlines on June 1, 1950, with headquarters at Stapleton Airport in Denver, Colorado. However, it dated its origin to November 27, 1946 when Monarch began service over routes in Colorado, Utah, New...
- Mohawk Airlines
Mohawk Airlines was an airline that operated in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, primarily the states of New York and Pennsylvania from the mid-1940s until its acquisition by Allegheny Airlines in 1972...
- North Central Airlines
North Central Airlines was founded as Wisconsin Central Airlines in 1944 in Clintonville, Wisconsin. It was headquartered in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area.-Early history:...
- Piedmont Airlines
Piedmont Airlines was a major airline based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; the airline began operations in 1948. In 1989, the airline was purchased and integrated into US Air. At its beginning, its route system stretched from Wilmington, N.C., northwest to Cincinnati, Ohio, with numerous...
- Southern Airways
Southern Airways was a regional airline operating in the United States from its founding by Frank Hulse in 1949 until 1979 when it merged with North Central Airlines to become Republic Airlines, which on October 1, 1986 became part of Northwest Airlines, which in 2008 became a part of Delta Air...
- Southwest Airways (renamed Pacific Air Lines in 1958)
- West Coast Airlines
West Coast Airlines was a U.S. domestic and international regional airline linking smaller communities with larger cities in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Montana, California and northward to southern Canada ....
Of the airlines listed above, none survives today. Some airlines use these names today; however, they are not the direct successors to the original airlines.
Since the passing of the
Airline Deregulation ActThe Airline Deregulation Act is a United States federal law signed into law on October 24, 1978. The main purpose of the act was to remove government control over fares, routes and market entry from commercial aviation...
in 1978, the US federal government has maintained a desire to continue support of the regional airline sector and to ensure many of the smaller and more isolated
ruralRural areas are large and isolated areas of a country, often with low population density.About 91 percent of the rural population now earn salaried incomes, often in urban areas...
communities remain connected to air services and this is encouraged with the
Essential Air ServiceEssential Air Service is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which, prior to deregulation, were served by certificated airlines, maintained commercial service. Its aim is to maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service to these...
program and its goal of making air travel within the reach of every American.
This extremely limited program subsidizes the smallest of regional airline service to smaller U.S.
communitiesIn biological terms, a community is a group of interacting organisms sharing an environment.In human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks, and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of...
and suburban centers with the aim of maintaining outlying areas to the economically vital air transportation grid and guarantees that selected smaller communities are afforded year-round regional airline services.
An alternative to some regional airline service may be the new
Small Aircraft Transportation SystemThe Small Aircraft Transportation System is a joint research project between the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration , along with local airports and aviation authorities...
initiative in conjunction with
general aviationGeneral aviation is one of two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
and VLJs (very light jets). With the introduction of
air taxiAn air taxi is a for-hire passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis. It can be used to mean air charter, or the use of very light jets ....
VLJs, city pair links to smaller communities lacking regional connections could become more common.
North America
Many large airlines, especially in
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
, have established operational relationships with one or more regional airline companies. Their aircraft often use the
aircraft liveryAircraft livery is a paint scheme applied to an aircraft, generally to fuselage, wings, empennage , or jet engines. The term aircraft livery comes from the more general term livery.- Heritage or retrojet:...
for the company they are operating flights for. These airlines can be
subsidiariesA subsidiary, in business matters, is an entity that is controlled by a separate entity. The controlled entity is called a company, corporation, or limited liability company and in some cases can be a government or state-owned enterprise, and the controlling entity is called its parent...
of the major airline or fly under a
code sharingCode sharing or codeshare is an aviation business term first coined in 1989 by Qantas Airways and American Airlines . Air Malta started to share capacity with Alitalia on flights between Catania and Malta...
agreement. Examples would be the fully owned AMR Corporation's
American Eagles Holdings CorporationAmerican Eagle Airlines is a brand name used by American Eagle Airlines, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Executive Airlines based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the operation of passenger air service as regional affiliates of American Airlines. All three airlines are wholly-owned subsidiaries...
regional subsidiaries "American Eagle Airlines" and
Executive AirlinesExecutive Airlines, Inc. is an airline headquartered in Carolina, Puerto Rico .Executive Airlines operates an extensive inter-island network in the Caribbean and to the Bahamas and the USA in American Eagle colors...
which fly under the similar American Eagle brand, along with
ACE Aviation HoldingsACE Aviation Holdings Inc. is a Canadian holding company that provides commercial airline service and technical support and is the parent company of Air Canada. It is headquartered in Montreal.-History:...
subsidiary
Air Canada JazzAir Canada Jazz is a Canadian regional airline based at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Enfield, Nova Scotia, that is operated by Jazz Air Income Fund ....
.
Characteristics of Regional Airlines
- Regional commuter airline (carriers) fly and operate with their own ICAO or IATA codes, their own call sign, with a fleet of aircraft with 9-19 passenger seats, no flight attendant, non-stand up cabins, and function with or without an individual identity and brand, even though an individually operating certificated regional airline company. In many instances, the regional commuter airline may be owed by a conglomerate
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more companies engaged in entirely different businesses together into one overarching company . Conglomerates are often large...
airline holding companyA holding company is a company that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself, rather its only purpose is owning shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow the...
, or may be a completely independent and individually owned regional commuter airline company. Most usually aircraft are routed via the point-to-pointPoint-to-point transit refers to a transportation system where a plane, bus or train travels directly to a destination rather than going through a central hub as opposed to the spoke-hub distribution paradigm in which the transportation goes to a central location where passengers change to another...
transit models of aircraft routing.http://www.atwonline.com/channels/airlineFocus/article.html?articleID=1160
- Regional feeder-airline (carriers) fly and operate with their own ICAO or IATA codes, their own call sign, and fly and operate aircraft with 9-99 passenger seats, without an individual identity or brand, even though an individually operating certificated regional feeder airline company. In many instances, the regional feeder airline may be owed by a conglomerate airline holding company, or may be a completely independent and individually owned regional feeder airline company. Most usually aircraft are routed via the hub-and-spoke model
The hub-and-spoke distribution paradigm is a system of connections arranged like a chariot wheel, in which all traffic moves along spokes connected to the hub at the center...
of aircraft routing.http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/regional-turboprop.htm
- Regional airline carriers are federally operating certificated airlines which operate their own fleet of aircraft with their own brand, ICAO or IATA code, and their own call sign, upon a fleet of aircraft with 9-99 seats and always include at least one fleet of aircraft which requires a flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety but also the comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights as well as on select business jet aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant ultimately derives from that of similar...
. Typically aircraft are routed upon both the hub-and-spokeThe hub-and-spoke distribution paradigm is a system of connections arranged like a chariot wheel, in which all traffic moves along spokes connected to the hub at the center...
and the point-to-point transitPoint-to-point transit refers to a transportation system where a plane, bus or train travels directly to a destination rather than going through a central hub as opposed to the spoke-hub distribution paradigm in which the transportation goes to a central location where passengers change to another...
models of aircraft routing.http://ostpxweb.dot.gov/aviation/domav/regjets.pdf
- Major airline carriers
Major carrier or major airline carrier is a designation given by the United States Department of Transportation to U.S.-based airlines that post more than $1 billion in revenue during a fiscal year.As of 2008, the major carriers are the following:...
operate their own fleet of aircraft with their own brand and identity, ICAO or IATA code, their own call sign, and operate at least one fleet of aircraft with more than 99 passengers upon their federal operating certificate. Major airlines have revenues greater than $1 billionhttp://www.airlines.org/products/AirlineHandbookCh3.htm U.S. dollars in revenue during a fiscal year. Regional airlines are never considered major airlines although in many instances, the regional airline may be owed by a conglomerate airline holding company, and have revenues greater than $1 billion U.S. dollars in revenue during a fiscal year.http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/05/28/327092/us-pilot-scopttp://www.raa.org/airlines/directory?page=3&size=10&sortby=company_name&sortdir=ASC]
United States regional brands
Larger airline
holding companiesA holding company is a company that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself, rather its only purpose is owning shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow the...
, to improve their market penetration, rely on operators of smaller aircraft to provide service or added frequency service to some airports.
Such airlines, often operating in code-share arrangements with mainline airlines, often completely repaint
http://www.eturbonews.com/7932/commuter-airlines-bring-anxiety-business-travelers their aircraft fleet in the mainline airline's sub-brand livery. For example, Continental Connection regional airline partner
CommutAirChamplain Enterprises, Inc., operating name CommutAir, is an American regional airline with its headquarters in South Burlington, Vermont and its operations center in North Olmsted, Ohio. It operates under the name Continental Connection for Continental Airlines, with its main bases at Cleveland...
paints its entire fleet in
Continental ConnectionContinental Connection is a brand name under which several commuter airline carriers and their holding companies operate service marketed exclusively by Continental Airlines...
colors. On the other hand, regional airline
Gulfstream International AirlinesGulfstream International Airlines is a United States airline based in Dania Beach, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale. It operates scheduled and charter services to Florida and Bahamas and the Caribbean. It operates as a Continental Connection carrier for Continental Airlines...
paints none of its aircraft in Continental Connection colors. Pinnacle Airlines Corporation, owner of regional airline
Colgan AirColgan Air, Inc. is an American fully certificated regional airline subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. The headquarters of Colgan Air are located at the grounds of the Manassas Regional Airport in Manassas, Virginia....
, paints some aircraft in their own
Colgan AirColgan Air, Inc. is an American fully certificated regional airline subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. The headquarters of Colgan Air are located at the grounds of the Manassas Regional Airport in Manassas, Virginia....
colors, as well as some in the colors of
Continental ConnectionContinental Connection is a brand name under which several commuter airline carriers and their holding companies operate service marketed exclusively by Continental Airlines...
,
US Airways ExpressUS Airways Express is an airline brand name, rather than a fully certificated airline, and as such, the US Airways Express name is used by several individually owned airlines or airline holding companies which provide regional airline and commuter service for US Airways.Operations are conducted...
, and
United ExpressUnited Express is a brand name under which seven regional airlines operate feeder flights for United Airlines. They primarily connect smaller cities with United's domestic hub airports and “focus cities,” although they offer some point-to-point service such as Sacramento to Eureka.As of August 1,...
, with whom it has contractual agreements.
Hyannis Air Service, owners of regional airline
Cape AirHyannis Air Service, Inc., operating as Cape Air, is an airline headquartered at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. It operates scheduled passenger services in the Northeast, Florida, the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic States and Micronesia...
, is also a
Continental ConnectionContinental Connection is a brand name under which several commuter airline carriers and their holding companies operate service marketed exclusively by Continental Airlines...
code-share partner for
Continental MicronesiaContinental Micronesia, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary airline of Continental Airlines. It operates daily flights to Honolulu, Hawaii, as well as international services to Asia, Micronesia and Australia from its base of operations at Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport on Guam, a U.S....
, but at the same time runs a sub-branded fleet of aircraft for itself and Hyannis Air Service but under its own brand name of
Nantucket AirlinesNantucket Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cape Air based in Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States. The airline offers regularly scheduled passenger service between Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis and Nantucket Memorial Airport on the island of Nantucket...
. Many airline passengers find all this sub-branding very confusing, while many other airline passengers are content to think they are on a mainline or flagship airline's aircraft, while in actuality they are far from it. As described this sub-branding is pretty consistent throughout the airline industry of the United States, with all the regional airlines, mainline airlines, and the regional airline holding companies, as well as the mainline airlines holding companies participating.
Historically, one of the first independently owned and managed airlines in the entire world that was to rebrand its flying in another larger airlines image and colour scheme was Air Alpes of France. During 1974, Air Alpes painted its newly delivered short range feeder airliner regional jets into the colors of Air France. The success of the "rebranding" or "pseudo branding" of a much smaller airline into the name recognition of a much larger one soon became clear as passenger numbers soared at Air Alpes, and it was soon decided to paint other aircraft such as the Fokker F-27 into full Air France colours as well.
Among some of the more well-known
advertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to influence individuals to purchase products or services or support political candidates or ideas. Frequently it communicates a message that includes the name of the product or service and how that product or service could potentially benefit the consumer...
sub-brands used by the larger
mainlineA mainline flight is a flight operated by an airline's main operating unit, rather than by regional alliances, regional code-shares or regional subsidiaries...
airlines in North America are:
- Allegheny Commuter
Allegheny Commuter was one of the first marketing partnerships linking Allegheny Airlines with a series of regional airline affiliates in the North Eastern portion of the United States, well before such marketing agreements and codeshare type arrangements became common place.Allegheny Airlines and...
(defunct)
- America West Express
America West Express was the name for America West Airlines commuter and regional flights operated by Mesa Air Group's Mesa Airlines under a code share agreement. Today Mesa Airlines operates for US Airways Express...
(defunct, now operates as US Airways ExpressUS Airways Express is an airline brand name, rather than a fully certificated airline, and as such, the US Airways Express name is used by several individually owned airlines or airline holding companies which provide regional airline and commuter service for US Airways.Operations are conducted...
)
- American Eagle (extant, for detailed information about the brand refer to American Eagle, as discussed under Executive Airlines
Executive Airlines, Inc. is an airline headquartered in Carolina, Puerto Rico .Executive Airlines operates an extensive inter-island network in the Caribbean and to the Bahamas and the USA in American Eagle colors...
operations, and American Eagle AirlinesAmerican Eagle Airlines is a brand name used by American Eagle Airlines, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Executive Airlines based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the operation of passenger air service as regional affiliates of American Airlines. All three airlines are wholly-owned subsidiaries...
code-share operations inherited from TWA Connection)
- AmericanConnection
AmericanConnection is a brand name used by Chautauqua Airlines in the operation of passenger air service as a regional affiliate of American Airlines at its St Louis hub...
- ATA Connection
the ATA ConnectionFor the defunct certificated airline see Chicago Express.
For C8's mainline and now defunct partner, see ATA Airlines.
----...
(defunct)
- Continental Connection
Continental Connection is a brand name under which several commuter airline carriers and their holding companies operate service marketed exclusively by Continental Airlines...
- Continental Express
Continental Express is the operating name brand of a number of independently owned regional airlines providing regional jet feeder service in association with Continental Airlines. Currently, two carriers operate using the Continental Express brand name:...
- Delta Connection
Delta Connection is the name under which a number of individually owned regional airlines and three wholly owned regional carriers operate short and medium haul routes in association with Delta Air Lines Inc...
- Frontier JetExpress
- Midwest Connect
Midwest Connect is the brand name for the regional airline service of Midwest Airlines, rather than a certificated airline carrier. Skyway Airlines was the sole operator of Midwest Connect since its inception in 1989, until SkyWest Airlines began additional Midwest Connect service on April 1, 2007...
- Midway Connect (defunct)
- Northwest Airlink
- Pan Am Express
Initially a "banner carrier brand" operated by Ransome Airlines , it later entered a codeshare-like affiliated arrangement with Pan American World Airways....
(defunct)
- United Express
United Express is a brand name under which seven regional airlines operate feeder flights for United Airlines. They primarily connect smaller cities with United's domestic hub airports and “focus cities,” although they offer some point-to-point service such as Sacramento to Eureka.As of August 1,...
- US Airways Express
US Airways Express is an airline brand name, rather than a fully certificated airline, and as such, the US Airways Express name is used by several individually owned airlines or airline holding companies which provide regional airline and commuter service for US Airways.Operations are conducted...
Among some of the lesser known smaller advertising brand used by the regional airlines and their regional airlines parent company are listed below. Many of these airlines have had contentious histories as has often been discussed in detail within the context of the d/b/a sub-brand or brands individual sections dealing with their holding companies or certificated airlines.
- go!
go!, based in Honolulu, is a regional brand of Phoenix, Arizona based Mesa Airlines. Go! operates inter island services within Hawaii. Its main base is Honolulu International Airport...
- a regional airline brand of Mesa Airlines
Mesa Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline based in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is a FAA Part 121 certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number MASA036A issued on June 29, 1979. It is a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group. It was known briefly as Mountain West...
, itself a subsidiary of the regional airline holding company Mesa Air GroupMesa Air Group, Inc. is a Nevada Corporation commercial aviation holding company with headquarters in Suite 100 at 410 North 44th Street in the Camelback East area of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The company operates three regional airline subsidiaries: Mesa Airlines, Freedom Airlines, and Air...
.
- go!Express
- a regional airline brand, used in a codeshare arrangement by regional airline Mokulele Airlines
Go! Mokulele, formerly Mokulele Airlines, is an American independent commuter airline headquartered in Kalaoa CDP, Hawaii County, Hawaii. The airline operates scheduled inter-island and tour flights primarily among Hawaii's smaller airports, with services among the state's primary airports operated...
for Mesa Air Group's, Mesa AirlinesMesa Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline based in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is a FAA Part 121 certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number MASA036A issued on June 29, 1979. It is a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group. It was known briefly as Mountain West...
airline division known as go!
- PWExpress
- a regional airline brand of the regional airline named Pacific Wings
Pacific Wings Airlines is an American commuter airline headquartered in Dallas, Texas, United States. It operates over 90 daily scheduled departures, as well as VIP charter air services throughout Hawaii. Its main base is Kahului Airport.- History :...
, IATA code (LW) which is owned by Pacific Air Holdings company.
- New Mexico Airlines
- a regional airline brand of the regional airline named Pacific Wings, IATA code (LW) which is owned by Pacific Air Holdings company. New Mexico Airlines was set up to take over the Air Midwest flying dropped by Mesa Air Group
- Mesa
- a regional airline brand used by the regional airline Air Midwest
Air Midwest, Inc. was a Federal Aviation Administration Part 121 certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number AMWA510A issued on May 15, 1965. It was headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, United States and was a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group. It operated flights as US...
, a subsidiary for the regional airline holding company Mesa Air GroupMesa Air Group, Inc. is a Nevada Corporation commercial aviation holding company with headquarters in Suite 100 at 410 North 44th Street in the Camelback East area of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The company operates three regional airline subsidiaries: Mesa Airlines, Freedom Airlines, and Air...
- Nantucket Airlines
Nantucket Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cape Air based in Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States. The airline offers regularly scheduled passenger service between Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis and Nantucket Memorial Airport on the island of Nantucket...
- a feeder airline marketing brand operated by feeder and regional airline Cape Air
Hyannis Air Service, Inc., operating as Cape Air, is an airline headquartered at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. It operates scheduled passenger services in the Northeast, Florida, the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic States and Micronesia...
which is wholly owned by the regional airline holding company Hyaniss Air Services.
- Pan Am Clipper Connection (Defunct)http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/
- an airline brand operated by defunct regional airline Boston-Maine Airways
Boston-Maine Airways was an American airline headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. It operated scheduled commuter services under the Pan Am Clipper Connection banner. Its main base was Pease International Airport, Portsmouth...
for the airline holding company Pan Am System'sPan Am Systems is a privately held transportation and airline holding company that controls the following divisions: freight rail; manufacturing and energy; transportation related brands; and a now-defunct airline division.-History:Guilford Transportation Industries was formed in 1977...
.
United States regional airline holdings companies
Many small regional airlines have grown substantially, usually through the use of virtual mergers by use of the regional airline holding company as pioneered earlier by AMR Corporation in 1982. AMR created the
AMR Eagle Holding CorporationAMR Corporation is a commercial aviation business and airline holding company based in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. Formed in 1982, as part of American Airlines's reorganization, its name derives from American Airlines's ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange...
which unified its wholly owned
American Eagle AirlinesAmerican Eagle Airlines is a brand name used by American Eagle Airlines, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Executive Airlines based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the operation of passenger air service as regional affiliates of American Airlines. All three airlines are wholly-owned subsidiaries...
and
Executive AirlinesExecutive Airlines, Inc. is an airline headquartered in Carolina, Puerto Rico .Executive Airlines operates an extensive inter-island network in the Caribbean and to the Bahamas and the USA in American Eagle colors...
under one division, but still maintained the regionals
operating certificateOperating certificate is a category of license issued by a government agency allowing an individual or company to provide a controlled type of service. These certificates are generally issued for a limited time period. Certificates can have intrinsic value and in some cases can be sold Operating...
s and personnel separate from each other and
American Airlines
.
Among the more significant of these airline holding companies are.
- Pinnacle Airlines Corp.
Pinnacle Airlines Corp. is a parent company and airline holding company, which holds the airline operations and certificates of Colgan Air and Pinnacle Airlines...
"holders" of the airline air carrier operating certificates of
- Colgan Air
Colgan Air, Inc. is an American fully certificated regional airline subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. The headquarters of Colgan Air are located at the grounds of the Manassas Regional Airport in Manassas, Virginia....
- Pinnacle Airlines
Pinnacle Airlines is an American regional airline based in Memphis, Tennessee, operating Delta Connection for Delta Air Lines...
- Republic Airways Holdings
Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. is an aviation holding corporation based in Indianapolis, Indiana, which owns six airlines operating in the United States: Chautauqua Airlines, Midwest Airlines, Republic Airlines, Shuttle America, Frontier Airlines, and Lynx Aviation, the latter two as of August...
- Chautauqua Airlines
Chautauqua Airlines, Inc. is a regional airline and a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Based on April 2008 published flight schedules, it operates scheduled passenger services on more than 680 flights daily to 94 airports in 30 states,...
- Republic Airlines
Republic Airline, Inc., operates as Republic Airlines is a regional airline subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings that operates service as US Airways Express for US Airways and as Midwest Connect for Midwest Airlines, using a fleet of Embraer 170 and Embraer 175 aircraft...
- Shuttle America
Shuttle America Corporation is a regional airline based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It feeds United Airlines flights at Chicago, Denver, and Washington as United Express, and feeds Delta Air Lines flights at Atlanta and New York as Delta Connection and Delta Shuttle...
- SkyWest, Inc.
SkyWest, Inc. is the parent company of SkyWest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines. It is headquartered in St. George, Utah, United States.-History:...
- SkyWest Airlines
Skywest Airlines Pty Ltd is a regional airline company based in Perth, Western Australia, Australia; servicing key towns in the state of Western Australia and Darwin, Northern Territory; as well as charter flights to Bali, Indonesia.-History:...
- Atlantic Southeast Airlines
Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Inc. is an American airline based in the A-Tech Center in College Park, Georgia, flying to 144 destinations as a Delta Connection carrier. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of SkyWest, Inc. All flights are operated as Delta flights numbered 4915-5722...
- Trans States Holdings "holders" of the airline air carrier operating certificates of
- GoJet
GoJet Airlines LLC is a company headquartered in Bridgeton, Missouri, United States and is wholly owned by Trans States Holdings with 400 employees .. It operates commuter feeder services under the United Express name...
- Trans States Airlines
Trans States Airlines is the thirteenth largest American regional airline and is headquartered in Bridgeton, Missouri. It operates as United Express for United Airlines and US Airways Express for US Airways.- History :...
European regional airlines
European regional airlines serve the intra-continental sector in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
. They connect cities to major airports and to other cities, avoiding the need for passengers to make transfers.
In the
British IslesThe British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain, Ireland and numerous smaller islands. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland...
for example,
BA CityFlyerBA CityFlyer is a fully owned subsidiary airline of British Airways based in Manchester, England. It operates a network of domestic and European services from London City Airport...
a regional subsidiary of British Airways uses the basic
Chatham Dockyard Union Flag liveryIn 1997 British Airways adopted a new livery. One part of this was a newly stylised version of the British Airways "Speedbird" logo, but the major change was the introduction of tail-fin art. Also known as the Utopia or world art tailfins, they used art and designs from international artists and...
of its
parent companyA parent company is a company that owns enough voting stock in another firm to control management and operations by influencing or electing its board of directors; the second company being deemed as a subsidiary of the parent company...
. In a slightly different category
ExpressJet AirlinesExpressJet Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline based in the Greenspoint area of Houston, Texas.Although an autonomous business entity since its divestiture from Continental Airlines, Inc., it continues to operate as Continental Express for Continental Airlines from hubs at George Bush...
another regional carrier, but one which is independently owned and managed, although its 205 aircraft fleet operates in the marketing
brandA brand is a name or trademark connected with a product or producer. Brands have become increasingly important components of culture and the economy, now being described as "cultural accessories and personal philosophies".-Concepts:...
of
Continental Airlines, Inc.Continental Airlines is a United States certificated air carrier. Based in Downtown Houston, Texas, it is the fourth-largest airline in the US based on revenue passenger miles. Since 1998, Continental's marketing slogan has been "Work Hard, Fly Right."Continental operates flights to destinations...
,
Continental ExpressContinental Express is the operating name brand of a number of independently owned regional airlines providing regional jet feeder service in association with Continental Airlines. Currently, two carriers operate using the Continental Express brand name:...
. In these roles, all of the preceding airlines are operated primarily to bring passengers to the major hubs, where they will connect for longer distance flights on the national airlines also known as
flagship carriersA flag carrier refers to a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that is locally registered in a given country. They may be state-run, state-owned or state-designated companies or organisations with preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government...
's, larger aircraft. The smallest regional carriers have become known as feeder airlines. The separate corporate structure allows the company to operate under different pay schedules, typically paying much less than their
mainlineA mainline flight is a flight operated by an airline's main operating unit, rather than by regional alliances, regional code-shares or regional subsidiaries...
owners.
Some of Europe's regional airlines are subsidiaries of national air carriers, though there remains a strong
entrepreneurAn entrepreneur is a person who has possession of an enterprise, or venture, and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome. It is an ambitious leader who combines land, labor, and capital to often create and market new goods or services. ... The term is a loanword...
ial sector of independents. They are based on business models ranging from the traditional full service airline to low cost carriers. Innovations include one where the passenger is required to join a membership club before being allowed to fly.
Some examples of European regional airlines include:
- Air Nostrum
Air Nostrum, Líneas Aéreas del Mediterráneo, S.A., also known as Iberia Regional, is a regional airline based in Valencia, Spain. Air Nostrum is an independent carrier which operates as a franchisee of Iberia Airlines. Iberia Regional franchise is a regional partner of Iberia and an affiliate...
- Air Southwest
Air Southwest Limited is a British airline headquartered in Plymouth, Devon, England. It operates regional scheduled passenger services from the south west of England. Its main base is Plymouth City Airport, with hubs at Bristol International Airport and Newquay Cornwall Airport...
- Aer Arann
Aer Arann is a regional commuter airline based in Dublin, Ireland, with its main hub at Dublin Airport. Its operations include scheduled services to 18 locations across Ireland and the United Kingdom. The airline has a fleet of 14 aircraft, consisting of ATR 42, ATR 72 and Britten-Norman Islander...
- Aurigny Air Services
Aurigny Air Services Limited is an airline based in Guernsey, Channel Islands, and wholly owned by the States of Guernsey. It operates passenger and freight services between the Channel Islands, western France and England. The airline also carries overnight mail for the British Royal Mail...
- BA Connect
thumb|right|Embraer RJ145 in [[British Airways ethnic liveries|British Airways utopia livery]] PathaniaBA Connect was a fully owned subsidiary airline of British Airways. Headquartered in Manchester, England, it operated a network of domestic and European services from a number of airports in the...
- Blue Islands
Blue Islands Limited is an airline of the Channel Islands. Its head office is in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey, and its registered office is in Saint Anne, Alderney. It operates scheduled services from and within the Channel Islands and the UK and the Isle of Man. Its main base of operations is Jersey...
- Cimber Air
- CityJet
CityJet Limited is an Irish airline based in Swords, Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland. It is an Air France Irish subsidiary, operating franchise services in Europe & high Frequencie services from Dublin to London & Paris...
- Eastern Airways
Eastern Airways is an airline based at Humberside Airport, England. It operates scheduled domestic services and private charters . Around 700,000 passengers a year are carried on the scheduled route network....
- Flybe
Flybe Limited is a British airline headquartered at the Jack Walker House at Exeter International Airport in Devon, England. It operates around 180 routes between 55 European airports...
- Portugália
Portugália is a regional airline based in Lisbon, Portugal, a subsidiary of TAP Portugal. It operates scheduled international and domestic services from Lisbon and Porto, as well as European charter services...
- VLM
VLM can refer to:*VLM Airlines*Visionary Leaders in Manucaturing*Virtual Light Machine*Vic Lee Motorsport, a British motor racing team...
See also
External links