A regional airline is a general classification of
airline
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...
which typically operates scheduled passenger air service, using
regional aircraft
A regional airliner or a feederliner is a small airliner that is designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' airline hubs from small markets. This class of airliners is typically flown by the r ...
, between communities lacking sufficient demand or infrastructure to attract
mainline flights. In
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
, most regional airlines are classified as "fee-for-departure" carriers, operating their revenue flights as
codeshare services contracted by one or more major airline partners. A number of regional airlines, particularly in during the 1960s and 1970s, were also known as commuter airlines and classified as such in the
Official Airline Guide (OAG).
History
Background
Decades before the advent of
jet airliners and high-speed, long-range air service, commercial aviation was structured similarly to
rail transport
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
networks. In this era, technological limitations on
air navigation and propeller-driven
aircraft performance imposed strict constraints on the potential length of each flight; some routes covered less than .
As such, airlines structured their services along
point-to-point routes with many stops between the originating and terminating air terminals. This system of air transportation effectively forced most airlines to be "regional" in nature, but the lack of distinction among carriers soon began to change with the 1929 launch of
Transcontinental Air Transport (T-A-T) in the United States. T-A-T's transcontinental "Lindbergh Line" became America's first contiguous coast-to-coast air service, and it ushered in a new era of major airlines expanding to operate networks with large footprints. The development of long-range aircraft operated by
flag carriers like
British Overseas Airways Corporation and
Trans-Canada Airlines
Trans-Canada Air Lines (also known as TCA in English, and Trans-Canada in French) was a Canadian airline that operated as the country's flag carrier, with corporate headquarters in Montreal, Quebec. Its first president was Gordon Roy McGre ...
further normalized the capability of "far and wide" air travel among the traveling public.
Early growth
As flag carriers grew to fill the demand of long-range passenger traffic, new and small airlines found niches flying between short and under-served routes to-and-from major airports and more rural destinations. Through the 1960s and 1970s, war surplus designs (notably, the
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner
manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper versi ...
) were replaced by higher-performance
turboprop
A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller.
A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. ...
or
jet-powered designs like the
Fokker F27 Friendship
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Eur ...
and
BAC One-Eleven
The BAC One-Eleven (or BAC-111/BAC 1-11) was an early jet airliner produced by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
Originally conceived by Hunting Aircraft as a 30-seat jet, before its merger into BAC in 1960, it was launched as an 80-se ...
. This extended the range of the regionals dramatically, causing a wave of consolidations between the now overlapping airlines.
In the United States, 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.
Some of the original regional airlines (then known as "Local Service Airlines") sanctioned by the
Civil Aeronautics Board in the 1940s and 1950s include:
*
Allegheny Airlines
*
Bonanza Air Lines
*
Central Airlines
*
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines is a major ultra-low-cost U.S. airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The ca ...
*
Lake Central Airlines
Lake Central Airlines was an airline that served points in the midwestern and eastern United States from 1950 to 1968, when it merged into Allegheny Airlines. In 1979 Allegheny became USAir. In 1997 USAir became US Airways. In 2015 US Airways w ...
*
Mohawk Airlines
*
North Central Airlines
*
Ozark Airlines
*
Pacific Air Lines
*
Piedmont Airlines
*
Southern Airways
*
Southwest Airways (renamed Pacific Air Lines in 1958)
*
Trans-Texas Airways
*
West Coast Airlines
None of these airlines survive today; some airlines use these names today but are not the direct successors to the original airlines. A history and study of regional airlines was published by the Smithsonian Institution Press in 1994 under the title ''Commuter Airlines of the United States'', by
R.E.G. Davies
Ronald Edward George Davies (3 July 1921 – 30 July 2011) was an English specialist in airline and air transport history, and commercial aviation economic research.
Biography
Educated at Shaftesbury Grammar School, he started work in London i ...
and
I. E. Quastler.
Deregulation era
Since the
Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, the US federal government has continued support of the regional airline sector to ensure many of the smaller and more isolated
rural
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are de ...
communities remain connected to air services. This is encouraged with the
Essential Air Service program that subsidizes airline service to smaller U.S.
communities and
suburban
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separa ...
centers, aiming to maintain year-round service.
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 carrier status based on the only actual definition of "major airline," in the United States, the definition from the U.S. Department of Transportation. This definition is based solely on annual revenue and not on any other criterion such as average aircraft seating capacity, pilot pay, or number of aircraft in the fleet. It is common in the U.S. to incorrectly associate aircraft size with the Department of Transportation's designation of major, national, and regional airline. The only corollary is the Regional Airline Association, an industry trade group, defines "regional airlines" generally as "...operat(ing) short and medium haul scheduled airline service connecting smaller communities with larger cities and connecting hubs. The airlines' fleet primarily consists of 19 to 68 seat turboprops and 30 to 100 seat regional jets." To be clear there is no distinction in the Department of Transportation definition of major, national and regional airlines by aircraft size. The definition is based on revenue. The clash of definitions has led to confusion in the media and the public.
1990s–2000s
Beginning around 1985, a number of trends have become apparent. Regional aircraft are getting larger, faster, and are flying longer ranges. Additionally, the vast majority of regionals within the United States with more than ten aircraft within their fleet, have lost their individual identities and now serve only as feeders, to
Alaska Airlines,
American Airlines
American Airlines is a major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passeng ...
,
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along ...
, or
United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois. major hubs. Regional aircraft in the US have been getting slightly more comfortable with the addition of better
ergonomically designed
aircraft cabin
An aircraft cabin is the section of an aircraft in which passengers travel. Most modern commercial aircraft are pressurized, as cruising altitudes are high enough such that the surrounding atmosphere is too thin for passengers and crew to breat ...
s, and the addition of varying
travel class
A 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 designed to be more comfortable and are typically more expensive.
Airlines
Traditionall ...
es aboard these aircraft. From small, less than 50-seat "single-class cabin"
turboprop
A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller.
A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. ...
, to
turbofan
The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which ac ...
regional jet equipment, present day regional airlines provide
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or by using the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in ...
such as the higher capacity
CRJ700,
CRJ900
The Bombardier CRJ700, CRJ900, and CRJ1000 are a family of regional jet airliners that were designed and manufactured by Canadian transportation conglomerate Bombardier (formerly Canadair) between 1999 and 2020. Their design was derived from t ...
,
CRJ1000 series of aircraft and the somewhat larger fuselage
Embraer E-Jets
The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast narrow-body short- to medium-range twin-engine jet airliners designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer.
The E-Jet was designed as a complement to the preceding E ...
. 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.
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 Vector
The Embraer/FMA CBA 123 Vector (originally EMB 123 for Embraer and IA 70 for FMA) 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 Emb ...
and the 34 seat
Dornier 328 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
Delta's regional sister
Comair airlines in the United States 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 Europe and the United Kingdom this transition, to notably the
Embraer
Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace manufacturer that produces commercial, military, executive and agricultural aircraft, and provides aeronautical services. It was founded in 1969 in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, where ...
or
Canadair 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.
To improve on their market penetration, larger airline
holding companies
A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...
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 repain
their aircraft fleet in the mainline airline's sub-brand livery. For example,
United Express
United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights.
On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...
regional airline partner
CommutAir branded its entire fleet as United Express. On the other hand, regional airline
Gulfstream International Airlines does not brand their aircraft. When
Colgan Air
Colgan Air was an American certificated regional airline subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. The headquarters of Colgan Air were located in Memphis, Tennessee.
Colgan Air operated for Continental Express/United Express, and US Airways Expres ...
was still operating, they branded a handful of aircraft as Colgan Air, but most were branded as
Continental Connection,
US Airways Express
US Airways Express was the brand name for the regional affiliate of US Airways, under which a number of individually owned commuter air carriers and regional airlines operate short and medium haul routes. This code sharing service was previously ...
or
United Express
United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights.
On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...
, with whom it had contractual agreements.
Business model
21st century regional airlines are commonly organized in one of two ways.
Independent model
Operating as an independent airline under their own brand, mostly providing service to small and isolated towns, for whom the airline is the only reasonable link to a larger town. Examples of this are
PenAir
Peninsula Airways, operated as PenAir, was a U.S.-based regional airline headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. It was Alaska's second-largest commuter airline operating scheduled passenger service, as well as charter and medevac services throug ...
, which links the remote
Aleutian Islands
The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large v ...
to
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring ...
, and
Mokulele Airlines, which operates in the Hawaiian islands.
Fee-for-departure (contract) model
As an affiliated airline, contracting with a
major airline
The United States Department of Transportation defines a major carrier or major airline carrier as a U.S.-based airline that posts more than $1 billion in revenue during a fiscal year, grouped accordingly as "Group III".
Airlines
According to FY20 ...
, operating under their brand name (for example,
Endeavor Air operates flights under the
Delta Connection brand name for
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along ...
), and filling two roles: delivering passengers to the major airline's hubs from surrounding towns, and increasing frequency of service on mainline routes during times when demand does not warrant use of large aircraft, known as ''commuter flights''.
One of the first independently owned and managed airlines in the world that rebranded its aircraft to match a larger airline's brand was
Air Alpes of France. During 1974, Air Alpes painted its newly delivered short range regional jets in the livery of
Air France
Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global a ...
.
NLM's KLM style branding does however pre-date the Air France efforts though by a number of years.
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.
Many airline passengers find 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. 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.
Industry
Labor relations
In the film, ''
Capitalism: A Love Story'', director and film producer
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism.
Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...
profiled how little most regional pilots are paid in the first few years of their careers. Hourly wages for regional pilots start at $12.50. In comparison, a cabbie in New York averages $17 an hour, according to the city's Taxi & Limousine Commission. On Feb 12th, 2010, a year after the crash of
Colgan flight 3407, ''
Frontline
Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield.
Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to:
Books and publications
* ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant
* ''Frontlines ...
'' premiered its WGA Award-winning exposé on the industry entitled "Flying Cheap". In the program, reporter
Miles O'Brien questioned how the impact of low salaries are having on pilot psyches and how safe this could be for the flying public. When asked to respond to the question, Roger Cohen, president of the Regional Airline Association, told ''Frontline'' that, "...there are many other people who earn less money than that and work more days in these communities that can afford it and do it and do it responsibly."
Future
An alternative to some regional airline service may be the new
Small Aircraft Transportation System initiative in conjunction with
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
and
VLJs (very light jets). With the introduction of
air taxi services and
very light jets, city pair links to smaller communities lacking regional connections could become more common.
In many regions, regional airlines increasingly face competition from
high-speed rail
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
with airlines sometimes replacing feeder services through
air rail alliances.
Current regional airline brands
*
Aer Lingus Regional
Aer Lingus Regional is an Aer Lingus brand which has been used for commuter and regional flights. Aer Lingus Regional scheduled passenger services operate primarily from Ireland to the United Kingdom, France, and the Channel Islands, and also ...
*
Aeromexico Connect
*
Air Canada Express
Air Canada Express is a brand name of regional feeder flights for Air Canada that are subcontracted to other airlines. As of March 2021, Jazz Aviation is the sole operator of Air Canada Express. They primarily connect smaller cities with Air Cana ...
*
Air Europa Express
Air Europa Express (legally incorporated as ''Aeronova, S.L.U.'' and previously doing business as Aeronova) is a Spanish regional low-cost airline. It is a subsidiary of Globalia (which is also the parent company of Air Europa). The airline is set ...
*
Air India Regional
Alliance Air (formerly Air India Regional) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AIAHL (AI Assets Holding Ltd.) which is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV ) formed by Government of India after the disinvestment of Air India Limited. It was founded in ...
*
Air New Zealand Link
*
Alaska Horizon
Horizon Air Industries, Inc., operating as Horizon Air, is an American regional airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. Horizon Air and its sister carrier Alaska Airlines are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, and all Horizon-opera ...
*
Alitalia CityLiner
Alitalia CityLiner S.p.A. was an Italian regional airline and a subsidiary of Alitalia. It maintained two bases at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome and at Linate Airport in Milan. The airline operated short haul domestic and inter ...
*
AnadoluJet
*
American Eagle
*
Azul Conecta
*
BA CityFlyer
*
Cayman Airways Express
Cayman Airways is the flag carrier airline of the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands. With its head office in Grand Cayman, it operates mainly as an international and domestic scheduled passenger carrier, with cargo services ava ...
*
Delta Connection
*
Fiji Link
Fiji Link is the trade name for Fiji Airlines Limited, which is a Fijian domestic airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of the international carrier Fiji Airways. It is headquartered at the Fiji Link office in the Civil Aviation Authority of Fi ...
*
HOP!
*
Iberia Regional
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defin ...
*
J-Air
*
KLM Cityhopper
*
LATAM Express
Transporte Aéreo S.A. d/b/a LATAM Express (previously known as LAN Express) is a subsidiary of LATAM Chile based in Santiago, Chile. It operates few domestic flights for its parent. Its main hub is Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport.
...
*
Lufthansa Regional
Lufthansa Regional is an operational entity for regional and feeder flights performed by two regional airlines owned by Lufthansa within its route network.
*
Moçambique Expresso
*
PAL Express
*
Porter Airlines
*
QantasLink
*
TAP Express
*
Tunisair Express
Tunisair Express (french: Société des Lignes Intérieures et Internationales, ar, الخطوط التونسية السريعة) is an airline based in Tunis, Tunisia that was founded on 1 August 1991. Formerly known as Tuninter ( ar, الخ ...
*
United Express
United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights.
On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...
*
Virgin Australia Regional Airlines
*
WestJet Encore
*
WestJet Link
WestJet Link is a brand name under which Pacific Coastal Airlines operates feeder flights for WestJet. Service was originally planned to commence March 7, 2018, but was delayed until June 21, 2018. The brand was created to primarily connect ...
Current regional airlines
North America
In
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
, regional airlines are operated primarily to bring passengers to the major hubs, where they will connect for longer-distance flights on the
national airline
A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations.
His ...
s also known as
flagship carriers. 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
mainline owners.
Many large North American airlines, have established operational relationships with one or more regional airline companies. Their aircraft often use the
aircraft livery for the company they are operating flights for. These airlines can be
subsidiaries
A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a sa ...
of the major airline or fly under a
code sharing
In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communicati ...
agreement or operating through capacity purchase agreements, with the mainline parent company financing the aircraft for the regional airline, and then placing the aircraft with the regional for very little cost. An example would be
Envoy Air
Envoy Air Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered in Irving, Texas, in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The airline is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group and it is paid by fellow group member American Airl ...
, which is fully owned by
American Airlines Group and does business as
American Eagle.
Many of these large regional airlines have joined the lobbying group
Regional Airline Association
The Regional Airline Association (RAA) is a business association founded in 1975 that represents 17 North American regional airlines and 280 associate, non-airline members. This includes manufacturers of products and services supporting the region ...
. This association lobbies purely for the financial interest of the corporate bodies it constitutes, not the employees of those airlines.
Canada
In Canada there are a number of regional airlines. Some of them focus on
Canadian Arctic and
First Nations communities, while others operate regional flights on behalf of a larger carrier, similar to their American counterparts. Some of these airlines and brands include:
*
Air Canada Express
Air Canada Express is a brand name of regional feeder flights for Air Canada that are subcontracted to other airlines. As of March 2021, Jazz Aviation is the sole operator of Air Canada Express. They primarily connect smaller cities with Air Cana ...
operated by
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
*
Air Creebec
*
Air Tindi
Air Tindi is an airline based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. It operates scheduled and on demand charter services. Its main base is Yellowknife Airport and the airline was previously owned by the Arychuk family. The name Tindi m ...
*
Bearskin Airlines
Bearskin Lake Air Service LP, operating as Bearskin Airlines, is a regional airline based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. It is a division of Perimeter Aviation and operates services in northern Ontario and Manitoba. Its main base is at Thun ...
*
Canadian North
Bradley Air Services, operating as Canadian North, is a wholly Inuit-owned airline headquartered in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. It operates scheduled passenger services to communities in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Nunavik regio ...
*
Pacific Coastal Airlines
*
Pascan Aviation
*
Perimeter Aviation
*
Porter Airlines
*
Wasaya Airways
*
WestJet Encore (operating for
WestJet)
United States
The trend of branding smaller and mostly regional (in terms of geographical scope) airlines to match the mainline airlines, has led to only four main sub-brands in the United States:
Alaska Horizon/Alaska SkyWest,
American Eagle,
Delta Connection and
United Express
United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights.
On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...
. They are the post-deregulation survivors of the multiple bankruptcies and mergers of the major, legacy,
mainline airlines.
These regional brands are a form of a
virtual airline, with the regional airline paid to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by a partner mainline airline. This practice allows the mainline carrier to use outsourced labor at smaller stations, to reduce costs. In 2011, 61% of all advertised flights for American, Delta, United and US Airways were operated by their regional brands. This figure was only 40% in 2000.
=Regional airlines
=
The formerly small regional airlines have grown substantially, through mergers or by the use of a holding company, as pioneered by
AMR Corporation in 1982. AMR created the AMR Eagle Holding Corporation which unified its wholly owned
American Eagle Airlines and
Executive Airlines under one division, but still maintained the regional airlines'
operating certificate
Operating 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 in ...
s and personnel separate from each other and
American Airlines
American Airlines is a major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passeng ...
.
The most significant regional airlines in the United States, are:
Mainline carrier-owned
*
Alaska Air Group
**
Horizon Air
*
American Airlines Group
**
Envoy Air
Envoy Air Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered in Irving, Texas, in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The airline is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group and it is paid by fellow group member American Airl ...
**
Piedmont Airlines
**
PSA Airlines
*
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along ...
**
Endeavor Air
Independent contractors
*
Air Wisconsin
*
CommutAir
*
GoJet Airlines
*
Mesa Airlines
Mesa Airlines, Inc., is an American regional airline based in Phoenix, Arizona. It is an 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 ...
*
Republic Airways
Republic Airways Inc. is a regional airline subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings that operates service as American Eagle, Delta Connection, and United Express using a fleet of Embraer 170 and Embraer 175 regional jets. It is headquart ...
*
SkyWest Airlines
SkyWest Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered in St. George, Utah, United States. SkyWest is paid to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by a partner mainline airline. Th ...
=Smaller commuter airlines
=
The evolution and chronological history of the commuter side of the regional airline industry can be defined by a number of dates prior to the end of the era of airline regulation by the Civil Aeronautics Board of the United States. Among these significant dates are:
: 1967 – CAB makes exemption for airlines, starting with the local service carrier Allegheny Airlines; to suspend operating a route with
large aircraft due to a lack of passenger traffic to do so profitably, provided the airline operating the CAB awarded route substitutes its operation with other equipment and maintains responsibility the route is served. As such this "exemption" allowed the development of the Allegheny Commuter System and the subcontracting of
Henson Airlines to fulfill Allegheny's CAB route award obligations.
: 1969 and before – aircraft falling below the weight of were considered small aircraft and thus, not subject to the certification requirements of the CAB.
: 1969 and after – the CAB officially defined airlines with aircraft of no more than of maximum gross weight as commuter airlines
: 1972 – relaxations of the CAB regulations permitted commuter aircraft to carry 30 passengers and a payload of .
: 1977 – Official list of U.S. Commuter Airlines in the year prior to airline deregulation
: 1978 – during the sunset of the CAB regulation the size of commuters were permitted to grow to 60 passengers and of freight.
: 1978 and onwards the airline industry was officially deregulated by the
Airline Deregulation Act of 1978
: 1981 – the United States governmental lobbying body of this industry, known as the Commuter Airline Association, changes its name to the Regional Airline Association.
List of Commuter Airlines in 1977 Prior to Airline Deregulation:
*
Air Carolina
Air Carolina, originally known as Florence Airlines, was a regional airline initially based in Florence, South Carolina, with piston aircraft service within the Carolinas and Georgia. The company was originally certified as Florence Airlines, on ...
*
Air Midwest
*
Air New England
*
Air Wisconsin
* Alaska Aeronautical
*
Altair Airlines
Altair Airlines was an airline based in Philadelphia. It was in service from 1967 to 1982. According to its June 15, 1982 system timetable, the Altair name was taken from the first magnitude star " Altairius" brightest in the constellation "Aqui ...
* Antilles Air Boats
* Atlantic City Airlines
*
Bar Harbor Airlines
*
Cascade Airways
*
Cochise Airlines
* Cumberland Airlines
* Execuair Airlines
*
Florida Airlines
*
Golden West Airlines
*
Metro Airlines
*
Midstate Airlines
*
New England Airlines
New England Airlines is a regional airline based in Westerly, Rhode Island, USA. With a main base at Westerly State Airport, it provides scheduled service to Block Island and operates charters to other airports along the Northeast coast.
Hist ...
*
Pilgrim Airlines
*
Puerto Rico International Airlines
*
Rio Airways
*
Rocky Mountain Airways
* Royal Hawaiian Airways
*
Scenic Airlines
Scenic may refer to:
* Scenic design
* Scenic painting
* Scenic overlook
* Scenic railroad (disambiguation)
* Scenic route
* Scenic, South Dakota, United States
* Scenic (horse), a Thoroughbred racehorse
Aviation
* Airwave Scenic, an Austrian ...
* Seaplane Shuttle
*
Sky West Aviation
* SMB Stagelines
*
Swift Aire Lines
*
Suburban Airlines
* Transport Catalina Airlines
* Tyee Airlines
* Zia Airlines
Some of the lesser known smaller brands used by the regional airlines and their
parent companies were:
* PWExpress, 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, a regional airline brand of Pacific Wings, which is owned by Pacific Air Holdings company
*
Nantucket Airlines, a brand operated by regional airline
Cape Air
Hyannis Air Service Inc., operating as Cape Air, is an airline headquartered at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States. It operates scheduled passenger services in the Northeast, the Caribbean, Midwest, and Eas ...
which is wholly owned by the regional airline holding company Hyannis Air Service.
* Ravn Connect, a commuter /air taxi brand operated by the regional airlines owned by the HoTH parent company in association with
Corvus Airlines which operates under the
Ravn Alaska marketing brand and is also owned by HoTH.
Europe
European regional airlines serve the intra-continental sector in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. They connect cities to major airports and to other cities, avoiding the need for passengers to make transfers.
For example,
BA CityFlyer a regional subsidiary of British Airways uses the basic
''Chatham Dockyard Union Flag'' livery of its
parent company and flies between domestic and European cities.
Some of Europe's regional airlines are subsidiaries of national air carriers, though there remains a strong
entrepreneurial 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 Dolomiti
*
Air France Hop
Air France Hop, formerly branded HOP!, is a French regional airline operating flights on behalf of its parent company Air France. The airline was founded on 21 December 2012http://www.verif.com/societe/HOP!-790151716/ after the merger of Airlina ...
*
Air Nostrum
*
Alitalia CityLiner
Alitalia CityLiner S.p.A. was an Italian regional airline and a subsidiary of Alitalia. It maintained two bases at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome and at Linate Airport in Milan. The airline operated short haul domestic and inter ...
*
Aurigny
Aurigny Air Services Limited (pronounced ), commonly known as Aurigny, is the flag carrier airline of the Bailiwick of Guernsey with its head office next to Guernsey Airport in the Channel Islands, and wholly owned by the States of Guernsey ...
*
BA CityFlyer
*
Blue Islands
*
CityJet
*
Eastern Airways
*
KLM Cityhopper
*
Loganair
*
Lufthansa CityLine
*
TAP Express
*
Twin Jet
Asia
;India
India has many regional carriers operating currently. Some of these operate under the government's
UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme).
*
Alliance Air, a subsidiary of India's state-owned flag carrier,
Air India.
*
Air Deccan
Air Deccan is an Indian regional airline currently operating from Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad di ...
*
Air Odisha
Air Odisha was[ch-aviation.com – Air Odisha](_blank)
retrieved 14 April 2019 ...
*
Air Carnival
*
Air Costa
Air Costa was an Indian regional airline headquartered in Vijayawada and based out of Chennai International Airport. It was owned by Indian business company LEPL Group. The airline commenced operations as a regional airline in October 2013 usin ...
*
Air Pegasus
Air Pegasus was an Indian regional airline headquartered in Bangalore and based at Kempegowda International Airport. The airline was a subsidiary of Decor Aviation, an aircraft ground-handling services company. It commenced operations on 12 A ...
*
TruJet
;Thailand
*
Bangkok Airways
Bangkok Airways Public Company Limited ( th, บางกอกแอร์เวย์ส) is a regional airline based in Bangkok, Thailand. It operates scheduled services to destinations in Thailand, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, M ...
has won World's Best Regional Airline from Skytrax three years in a row in 2015, 2016 and 2017
*
Thai Smile
THAI Smile Airways is a Thai regional airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of Thai Airways International headquartered in Bangkok.
History
On 20 May 2011, the Thai Airways board announced plans to create a new lower-cost airline, at the time ...
Australia
Australia has an association for regional airline, the Regional Aviation of Australia. More than 2 million passengers and 230 kg of cargo are involved each year.
*
Airlines of Tasmania
*
Airnorth
*
Alliance Airlines
Alliance Airlines Pty Limited based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia with operational bases in Adelaide, Cairns, Melbourne, Perth, Townsville, Darwin and Rockhampton. Alliance Airlines owns and operates a fleet of Fokker and Embraer aircr ...
*
FlyPelican
*
Fly Tiwi
Fly Tiwi is an Australian airline based in Darwin, Northern Territory, offering scheduled passenger services between the Northern Territory capital and communities located on the Tiwi, South Goulburn and Croker islands, as well as a number ...
*
King Island Airlines
Matakana Nominees Pty. Ltd., trading as King Island Airlines, is a small regional airline
*
QantasLink, the regional arm of Qantas
*
Regional Express Airlines
Regional Express Pty. Ltd., trading as Rex Airlines (and as Regional Express Airlines on regional routes), is an Australian airline based in Mascot, New South Wales. It operates scheduled regional and domestic services. It is Australia's large ...
(Rex), the largest regional airline outside of the
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founde ...
group in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
, servicing routes in several
states and territories.
*
Sharp Airlines
Sharp Airlines is a regional airline founded in Hamilton, Victoria, Australia in 1990. Sharp operates scheduled airline services in the southern states of Australia. Its main bases are Essendon Airport, Adelaide Airport and Launceston Airport. ...
*
Skytrans Airlines
Skytrans is an Australian owned and operated airline and air charter business based in Cairns. The airline operates RPT and charter services from Cairns, Horn Island, and Brisbane. After being placed in administration in January 2015, Skytrans ...
*
Virgin Australia Regional Airlines
Former regional airlines
Post airline deregulation, airlines sought added market share and to do this they sought partnerships with regional and small airlines to feed traffic into the airline hub.
Initially these tie ups tended to use small 15 -19 seat aircraft, which did not have a reputation of passenger comfort, or safe reliable operations, by small often under capitalized tiny airline operators.
To create a common tie and what appeared to be seamless to the air traveler, major carriers marketed in advertising and soon had much smaller airlines paint their small and what was often described as puddle-jumper aircraft, in the image and branding colors of the much larger mainline partner. This was to give the appearance of reliability. Over time these regional aircraft grew in size as airline hubs expanded and competition dwindled among the major carriers.
Below is a list of many of the regional brands that evolved when regional airlines were advertised to look like the major airlines.
Marketing brands with regional-type aircraft
The following is a list of former regional marketing brands operated by lesser known airlines, serving
airline hub
An airline hub or hub airport is an airport used by one or more airlines to concentrate passenger traffic and flight operations. Hubs serve as transfer (or stop-over) points to help get passengers to their final destination. It is part of the ...
regional routes on behalf of mainline, legacy, major, or large discount carriers in the United States:
*
Air Florida Commuter Air Florida Commuter was the regional feeder network for Air Florida. Air Florida Commuter was not an airline, but a system of affiliated commuter carriers that fed traffic into Air Florida's hubs. In an arrangement commonly known as code-sharing, ...
*
AirTran JetConnect
*
Allegheny Commuter
Allegheny, Alleghany or Allegany may refer to:
Places Geologic and geographic features
* Allegheny River, in Pennsylvania and New York
* Allegheny Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountain Range in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Vir ...
*
Aloha Island Air
Island Air (officially Hawaii Island Air) was a commuter airline based in Honolulu, Hawaii. It operated scheduled inter-island passenger services in Hawaii. Its main base was the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Oahu.
The airline mai ...
*
America West Express
America West Express was the brand 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 American Eagle.
Mesa Airlines operated Amer ...
* American Inter-Island
*
AmericanConnection
AmericanConnection was an American flight connection service brand name for the spoke-hub of U.S. mainline carrier American Airlines, under which regional airline operator Chautauqua Airlines operated feeder flights for American Airlines at ...
*
ATA Connection
*
Braniff Express
*
Continental Connection
*
Continental Express
Continental Express was the operating brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2012 at the time of the merger ...
*
Eastern Atlantis Express
* Eastern Express ops by
(AJC) (AMD) (PBA) (PRE)
*
Eastern Metro Express
* Frontier Commuter (Combs Airways – ITR Airlines)
*
Frontier Express
*
Frontier JetExpress
*
Grand Connection (Alpha Air)
*
MarkAir Express
*
Midway Connection
*
Midwest Connect
Midwest Connect was 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 ...
*
New York Air Connection
New York Air was a low-cost U.S. airline owned by Texas Air Corporation and based at Hangar 5 at LaGuardia Airport in Flushing, Queens, New York. It ceased operations on February 1, 1987, in a merger with Continental Airlines.
New York Ai ...
*
Northwest Airlink
*
Ozark Midwest
*
Pan Am Express (an airline formerly known as Ransome Airlines, acquired by Pan Am in 1987)
*
Piedmont Commuter
*
Reno Air Express
* Republic Express ops by
(9E) (XJ) (MQ)
*
Trans World Express
*
TranStar Sky Link
*
TW Express (TWE)
*
TWA Connection Trans World Connection was an affiliated brand name with Trans World Airlines (TWA). Other regional and commuter airlines operated code sharing service for TWA as Trans World Express.
The brand ended in December 2001, after American Airlines acqui ...
*
US Airways Express
US Airways Express was the brand name for the regional affiliate of US Airways, under which a number of individually owned commuter air carriers and regional airlines operate short and medium haul routes. This code sharing service was previously ...
, being replaced by American Eagle as US Airways merges with American Airlines
*
Western Express (OO)
Marketing brands with mainline branding / mainline-type aircraft but operated by regional airlines
The following is a list of former marketing brands operated by smaller airlines, but using larger traditionally non-regional-type equipment such as the
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller air ...
,
Douglas DC9,
Fokker F28,
Embraer 190
The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast narrow-body short- to medium-range twin-engine jet airliners designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer.
The E-Jet was designed as a complement to the preceding ...
E-jets, or
BAE 146
The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. Manufacture by Avro Internation ...
, serving
airline hub
An airline hub or hub airport is an airport used by one or more airlines to concentrate passenger traffic and flight operations. Hubs serve as transfer (or stop-over) points to help get passengers to their final destination. It is part of the ...
regional routes on behalf of mainline, legacy, major, or large discount carriers, in the United States:
* Continental Airlines operated by
Royale Airlines
Royale Airlines was a regional airline with headquarters on the grounds of Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV) in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Operations
Royale operated scheduled passenger flights in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Florida ...
*
Continental Jet Express
*
Continental's Houston Proud Express
* Frontier Airlines operated by
Lynx Aviation
*
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines is a major ultra-low-cost U.S. airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The ca ...
operated by
Republic Airlines
*
Northwest Jet AirLink
*
Midwest
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...
(ops by
Republic Airlines even after
Midwest Airlines
Midwest Airlines (formerly Midwest Express) was a U.S.-based airline headquartered in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, that operated from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport between 1984 and 2010. For a short time, it also operated as a brand of ...
is shuttered)
*
Pan Am Clipper Connection (
Boston-Maine Airways, a true regional airline within the
Pan Am Systems airline and transportation conglomerate, tried to run a fully certificated mainline airline as nothing more than a distinct internal marketing brand of a regional airline.)
*
Pan Am Express (1981–1991, consisting of several airlines contracted to operate regional flights on behalf of Pan Am)
See also
*
List of commercial short-haul civilian passenger "regional" airliners
*
List of commercial short-haul civilian passenger "regional jet" airliners
References
External links
Regional Airline Association (US)
European Regions Airline Association (EU)Regional Aviation Association of Australia (Aus)* ''
Frontline
Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield.
Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to:
Books and publications
* ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant
* ''Frontlines ...
'' �
Flying Cheap– February 9, 2010. One year after the deadly crash of
Continental 3407, FRONTLINE investigate the
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are two slightly di ...
issues associated with regional airlines.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Regional Airline
Airline types
*