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ExpressJet Airlines was a regional U.S. airline headquartered in
College Park, Georgia College Park is a city in Fulton and Clayton counties, Georgia, United States, adjacent to the southern boundary of the city of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,930. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is par ...
. The company originally operated as a contracted codeshare partner, flying under the American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express brands at various points in history. In September 2020, it exited the fee-for-departure airline market and temporarily ceased flights after the conclusion of its contract with its sole remaining mainline partner,
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
. In September 2021, ExpressJet resumed operations as both an
air charter Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a ticket through a traditional airline). Regulation Charter – also called air taxi or ad hoc – flight ...
provider and a regional airline under its own brand
aha! ''Aha!'' is a Philippine television informative show broadcast by GMA Network. Hosted by Drew Arellano, it premiered on April 4, 2010 on the network's Sunday morning line up. The show is streaming online on YouTube. Hosts * Drew Arellano ;Se ...
—short for "Air-Hotel-Adventure." The brand's route structure focused on the
West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous ...
with a hub at Reno-Tahoe International Airport, and scheduled flights began on October 24, 2021. The airline, including its brand aha!, filed for bankruptcy on August 23, 2022, and ceased all operations.


History


Incorporation and acquisition

The airline was established in 1986 and started operations in 1987. Its origins were in a group of small commuter airlines acquired by Texas Air Corporation /
Continental Airlines Continental Airlines, simply known as Continental, was a major United States airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continental started ...
. These included Bar Harbor Airlines in
Maine Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...
, Provincetown-Boston Airlines in
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...
, Rocky Mountain Airways in
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...
, and Britt Airways in Terre Haute, Indiana. ExpressJet operates under the original
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
Part 121 certificate issued to Britt, which began operations as
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 b ...
in April 1987 and was later acquired by Continental Airlines. ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. incorporated in 1996.FORT X $79,800,000 Available for Real Estate Investment & 1031 Exchange
" Fort Properties. Retrieved on October 22, 2009.


Corporate independence

ExpressJet was spun off from Continental in 2002. Afterwards the company began plans to move into a corporate headquarters location, boasting over 8,000 employees. ExpressJet Holdings also owns American Composites LLC, Saltillo Jet Center, and InTech Aerospace Services. Together with other facilities throughout the U.S. they make up ExpressJet Services which provides third-party maintenance, repair and overhaul services for a variety of aircraft types. ExpressJet Holdings also has non-controlling interests in Wings Holdings LLC 49% and Flight Services and Systems Inc 44%. Before ExpressJet became independent, it was headquartered in Continental Center I in Downtown Houston. Following a December 2005 decision by Continental to reduce ExpressJet's Continental Express flying by 69 aircraft, the airline elected to operate the aircraft independently. On December 31, 2006, the airline began its charter operation. It currently operates 6 aircraft for charter services under the Corporate Aviation Division. On February 5, 2007, the airline announced service to 24 cities in the west coast, southwest, and
midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. ...
regions of the United States beginning in April 2007. On April 2, 2007, the airline bega
point-to-point services
under its own name to locations throughout the U.S. The airline had a total of 42 aircraft in their branded operation. According to ExpressJet CEO James Ream, LA/Ontario International Airport in
Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan are ...
(alternate airport to nearby LAX) would become the airline's "biggest center of operation". In addition to Ontario in the west, New Orleans operated as a hub with additional focus cities and 24 destinations. During this period oil prices escalated from $50 per barrel to $140 which made conditions unsustainable for the branded operation. The service ended on September 2, 2008.


2007 partnerships

In March 2007, ExpressJet operated four of its Embraer 145 jets on JetBlue routes while JetBlue's Embraer 190 jets were being serviced. In June 2007, the airline began service at LAX to western ski markets and Mexico on behalf of
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 wi ...
under the Delta Connection banner using 10 EMB 145XR aircraft. In July 2007, the agreement was increased to 18 aircraft. In July 2008, the agreement was terminated and ExpressJet ended all Delta Connection flying by September 1. Shortly after announcing the end of its agreement with Delta, ExpressJet announced on July 8, 2008, that it would also end its independent ExpressJet-branded flying on September 2 due to the oil price increases since 2003. This resulted in the furlough of 347 pilots. In September 2007, the airline agreed to provide feeder service for
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 ...
from
Denver International Airport Denver International Airport , locally known as DIA, is an international airport in the Western United States, primarily serving metropolitan Denver, Colorado, as well as the greater Front Range Urban Corridor. At , it is the largest airport in ...
while federal certification for Frontier's Lynx Aviation turboprop subsidiary was underway. ExpressJet flew to 5 cities from Frontier's Denver hub using 50-seat ERJ 145 regional jets until Frontier's subsidiary, Lynx Aviation, received DOT approval in December 2007. As of December 7, ExpressJet discontinued providing feeder service for Frontier Airlines. In April 2008, SkyWest, Inc. proposed an acquisition of ExpressJet at a price of $23.50/share. ExpressJet Holdings Inc. said its special committee unanimously rejected the proposal. SkyWest rescinded the offer in early June after ExpressJet Holdings and Continental signed a new 7-year Capacity Purchase Agreement. This proposal was ultimately not successful.


Growth as United Express

ExpressJet began a temporary contract with
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
to fly as a United Express carrier beginning in June 2009. The contract was for approximately 10 aircraft that operated out of United's O'Hare and Washington (Dulles) hub. The aircraft were flown in ExpressJet livery. The contract ended on September 2, 2009. In late 2010 ExpressJet signed a multiple year contract with United Airlines for 22 ERJ-145 aircraft. The aircraft were flown, for the first time, in full United Express colors. Additionally, 10 more ERJ-145s; in ExpressJet colors, operated for United during the peak Summer travel season in 2010. The first flights under this new contract started December 1, 2009, and all 22 aircraft were in United Express service by Spring 2010. In May 2010, ExpressJet began operating Branson AirExpress, non-stop air service between
Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, Missouri, Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County, Missouri, Stone County. Branson is in the Ozarks, Ozark Mountains. ...
and Houston, Texas;
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
;
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...
;
Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moine ...
; Shreveport, Louisiana and Terre Haute, Indiana; Chicago Midway and Indianapolis. ExpressJet last flight operating under Branson Air Express was on October 30, 2010.


Consolidation with Atlantic Southeast Airlines

On November 12, 2010, the airline was purchased by SkyWest, Inc. (the parent company of
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. The ...
, the largest regional airline in the United States) and merged with Atlantic Southeast Airlines. As a legal entity, the original (legacy) ExpressJet airlines effectively ceased to exist. Atlantic Southeast Airlines continued to operate ExpressJet during that time under the terms of their then current operating certificate with the FAA as "ExpressJet Airlines" while a new name for the recently merged companies was being considered. In October 2011, the employees of ExpressJet and Atlantic Southeast Airlines voted to keep the name ExpressJet as the combined airlines new name, while Atlantic Southeast's "Acey" callsign would remain. (Prior to the merger, the original ExpressJet had used its own IATA code “XE”, ICAO code “BTA”, and callsign “JET LINK”.) In October 2013, ExpressJet opened a new crew domicile in Kansas City, Missouri, at Kansas City International Airport. ExpressJet also opened a crew domicile in Denver, at Denver International Airport.


2018 acquisition

As talks with United Airlines of a potential purchase gained momentum in August 2017,
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 wi ...
terminated its contract with ExpressJet. The fleet of CRJ-900 aircraft it operated (but were owned by Delta) were transferred to Endeavor Air.
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 passenge ...
terminated their contract with ExpressJet in May 2018, marking ExpressJet's permanent exit from American Eagle-branded flights as of 2019. In late 2018, it was announced that the company would be spun-off by SkyWest and purchased by a joint venture called ManaAir, with KAir Enterprises as the majority (50.1%) owner and
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
as the minority (49.9%) owner. January 201
ExpressJet Airlines announced
finalization of its acquisition by Mana Air, LLC along with United Airlines as a minority investor. In addition, United committed delivery of 25 new ERJ-175 aircraft to ExpressJet for United Express operations beginning in April 2019. February 202
United Airlines announced
a formal reassignment of 36 ERJ-145 jets from another United Express carrier to ExpressJet. This made ExpressJet the largest operator of ERJ-145 aircraft in the world.


AVIATE program

United Airlines and ExpressJet had partnered to offer ExpressJet pilots a direct path to a First Officer position at
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
through the United Pilot Career Path Program called "AVIATE". The program guaranteed eligible ExpressJet pilots participation in United's hiring process and, once accepted into the program, the expectation that they would become a mainline United Airlines pilot. Through the program, United had committed to hiring a sizable portion of its new-hire pilots directly from ExpressJet.


COVID-19 pandemic disruption

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation, on July 30, 2020, it was announced that
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
decided to end its contract with ExpressJet and transfer these operations to fellow United Express affiliate CommutAir. CommutAir would become the sole operator of the United Express Embraer ERJ-145 fleet. On August 24, 2020, it was announced ExpressJet would end United Express operations on September 30, 2020. As part of the operational wind down ExpressJet had closed maintenance bases at Chicago O'Hare and Cleveland Hopkins International airports. Despite the lack of flying since the end of March 2020, the crew base in Newark never officially closed before systemwide operations ended. Likewise, the flight crew base in Chicago remained open until shutdown as the final revenue flight to O'Hare (Flight 3915 from Fargo) by ExpressJet was completed on September 2. On September 30, 2020, at 11:44 AM, ExpressJet Airlines flight 4001 departed out of gate former Continental Express Gate C14A at Memphis International Airport, 6 minutes ahead of schedule utilizing the former "Jetlink" call-sign. A local grass-roots effort lead by United CSA David Knowles and Lead Ramp Serviceman Johnny Dortch at MEM arranged for a surprise water-cannon salute to honor the working crew, along with the several former/current ExpressJet employees on board as passengers and in the terminal looking outwards prior to its takeoff 11 minutes later. Jetlink 4001 then touched down at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston at 1:24 PM, parking 8 minutes later after a low altitude fly-over and additional water-cannon salute at Gate B87. The final flight was piloted by former Houston Chief Pilot James Campbell and former Houston Assistant Chief Pilot, Sean George with Teresa Baltazar-Arambula serving as the Flight Attendant. This flight was not only the last revenue ExpressJet departure, but also the last ExpressJet revenue arrival subsequently concluding all ExpressJet Airlines operations for United, sans any media attention. Federal assistance was in place for US airline industry workers, however, due to the circumstances of shutting down ExpressJet, some 3000 employees lost their jobs at the airline with no federal assistance.


Resumption and launch of aha! brand

In July 2021, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) granted final approval for ExpressJet to restart commercial operations. The airline's first relaunched revenue flight was a sports charter operated on September 30, 2021, between Tallahassee, FL and Anderson, SC—exactly one year after its final flight as a fee-for-departure contract carrier. One day later, the company also launched
aha! ''Aha!'' is a Philippine television informative show broadcast by GMA Network. Hosted by Drew Arellano, it premiered on April 4, 2010 on the network's Sunday morning line up. The show is streaming online on YouTube. Hosts * Drew Arellano ;Se ...
, a leisure travel brand providing scheduled air service between Reno-Tahoe International Airport and cities along the
West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous ...
. Scheduled flights began on October 24, 2021, with the first flight being to Pasco, Washington. The carrier will focus on cities, markets, and customers which have seen diminished air service as a result of airline industry consolidation and "up-gauging" of routes to larger but less-frequent flights. On June 14, 2022, United Airlines Holdings Inc. quietly divested its stake in the parent company of former regional carrier ExpressJet Airlines. ExpressJet Airlines LLC became 100% owned by KAir Enterprises and affiliates. ExpressJet filed for
Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, whet ...
bankruptcy on August 22, 2022. Although Chapter 11 is typically used as protection while a debtor restructures, ExpressJet ceased all flight operations with plans to liquidate its assets.


Fleet


Current fleet

, prior to the closure of all operations, the ExpressJet fleet consisted of the following aircraft:


Historic fleet

ExpressJet previously operated Bombardier CRJ200,
CRJ700 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 ...
, CRJ900, Embraer ERJ145, and Embraer 175 aircraft for American Eagle, United Express and Delta Connection.


Corporate headquarters

ExpressJet has its headquarters in
College Park, Georgia College Park is a city in Fulton and Clayton counties, Georgia, United States, adjacent to the southern boundary of the city of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,930. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is par ...
, in Greater Atlanta.Tobin Ramos, Rachel and Douglas Sams.
ASA lands headquarters at Hartsfield hangar
" '' Atlanta Business Chronicle''. Monday December 10, 2007. Retrieved on July 28, 2012.
ExpressJet previously had its headquarters in the North Belt Office Center IV, a building in the Greens Crossing office park, a mixed-use office park; the office park is in the Greenspoint area of
Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...
.Boundary Map
." ''Greenspoint Management District''. Retrieved on May 19, 2009.
ExpressJet was one of three tenants that leased space in the two-building, North Belt Office Center complex, which includes buildings III and IV. FORT Properties manages both buildings. ExpressJet uses the location due to the proximity to George Bush Intercontinental Airport and to Continental Center I, the
Continental Airlines Continental Airlines, simply known as Continental, was a major United States airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continental started ...
headquarters in Downtown Houston. ExpressJet had relocated its headquarters to its final Houston location by 2006. FORT had acquired the buildings in 2007, which were built in 2003.


Accidents and incidents

* On August 8, 2009, an ExpressJet aircraft operating as Continental Express Flight 2816 was involved in a passenger-handling incident that resulted in the 6-hour-long forced enplanement of its crew and 47 passengers. The flight was originally destined for Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, but weather forced its diversion to Rochester International Airport—a facility not served by ExpressJet nor Continental. Upon landing at 12:28 am, representatives of Mesaba Airlines—which ''did'' possess passenger-handling capability in Rochester—refused to allow the passengers to deplane and enter the airport terminal. The event resulted in United States Department of Transportation (DOT) fines against all the involved airlines, and it contributed to new regulations codifying the rights of airline passengers. * On April 3, 2012, an ExpressJet Embraer ERJ-145, registration N15973, operating as Flight UA/EV-5912 from Peoria, IL to Denver, was landing on 34R in Denver when the aircraft hit the approach lights and stopped on the runway. Smoke developed inside the aircraft and passengers were evacuated onto the runway. One passenger was taken to hospital for treatment of his injuries. *On May 1, 2013, the wing of
Scandinavian Airlines Scandinavian Airlines, more commonly known and styled as SAS, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. ''SAS'' is an abbreviation of the company's full name, Scandinavian Airlines System or legally Scandinavian Airlines System Denmar ...
Flight 908, an Airbus A330 bound for Oslo, Norway, clipped the tail of ExpressJet Flight 4226, destined for
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...
, during departure taxi to runway 22R at Newark Liberty Airport. No injuries were reported.


References


External links


ExpressJet HoldingsExpressJet Airlines
(Archive)
ExpressJet CharterExpressJet Airlines Fleet AgeExpressJet Airlines Fleet Detail
{{DEFAULTSORT:Expressjet Airlines Defunct regional airlines of the United States Airlines established in 1986 Airlines disestablished in 2022 American companies established in 1986 American companies disestablished in 2022 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2022 Regional Airline Association members Companies based in Houston Airlines based in Texas Airlines based in Georgia (U.S. state) Companies based in Atlanta