Lynx Aviation, Inc. was a

regional airline A regional airline is a general classification of airline which typically operates scheduled passenger air service, using regional aircraft, between communities lacking sufficient demand or infrastructure to attract mainline flights. In North ...

based in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, United States. The airline began as a sister company to, and operated feeder service for,

Frontier Airlines Frontier Airlines, Inc. is a major American ultra low-cost airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 120 destinations in the United States, Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, and employs more than 5,000 staff. ...

. The Lynx name played off of the tail pictures of its planes, specifically Larry the Lynx, and the fact that it "linked" smaller airports to the main Denver hub of Frontier Airlines. All flights operated by Lynx Aviation were sold and marketed as "Frontier Airlines operated by Lynx Aviation." On August 13, 2009, Frontier Airlines and Lynx Aviation were purchased by Republic Airways Holdings of Indianapolis, Indiana through an auction held in the US Bankruptcy Court. In the agreement it was accorded that the remaining operation of Lynx Q400 flights for 2011 would be following the

air operator's certificate An air operator's certificate (AOC) is the approval granted by a civil aviation authority (CAA) to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial air transport purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets and s ...

of Frontier Airlines (F9/FFT) to further consolidate in the operation's final phase. In 2012, the Lynx Aviation operation was folded into Republic Airways Holdings subsidiary

Republic Airways Republic Airways Inc. is a regional airline in the United States and a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings that operates service for American Airlines (as American Eagle (airline brand), American Eagle), Delta Air Lines (as Delta Connect ...

. The remaining Q400 aircraft were withdrawn from Frontier service and placed in service for

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

History

Lynx Aviation was formed by Frontier Airlines Holdings on September 6, 2006. It was formed to help reduce costs; Frontier hoped to cut costs on routes 650 miles or shorter by 30%, allowing entry into new markets. The plan was originally to begin service in May 2007. The carrier received a waiver from the

United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the president of the United States a ...

to begin selling seats prior to receipt of their Airline Operating Certificate from the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

. Plans were delayed when Frontier announced on September 4, 2007 that FAA certification would not be met in time for the initial launch date of Lynx Aviation service. In the interim, these routes were flown with existing aircraft flown by Republic Airlines and Horizon Air, and beginning in November 2007 aircraft flown by ExpressJet Airlines. On December 5, 2007, Lynx Aviation received its Airline Operating Certificate from the FAA. Lynx began passenger operations December 7, 2007. On April 11, 2008, Frontier Airlines Holdings announced that it and all of its subsidiaries had filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection 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, wh ...

due to its credit card processor withholding payment from ticket sales. On April 23, 2008, Frontier terminated their service agreement with Republic Airlines. This left Lynx as the only regional providing feeder service for Frontier. In May 2011, Frontier Airlines got rid of the final 4 Q400s in the fleet that were converted into United Express planes that are still operated by Republic Airlines out of Denver to similar destinations that Lynx served.

Planned closure

On February 4, 2010, Republic Airways announced their intent to close Lynx by September 2010, and transitioning the routes operated by Lynx to Republic

Embraer 170 The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast, narrow-body, short- to medium-range, twin-engined jet airliners designed and produced by Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. The E-Jet was designed to complement Embraer’s earlier ...

/190

regional jets A regional jet (RJ) is a jet-powered regional airliner usually defined by having fewer than 100 seats. The first aircraft considered part of this category was the Sud-Aviation Caravelle in 1959, followed by Douglas DC-9, BAC One-Eleven, ...

, after determining the turboprop aircraft operated by Lynx placed the company at a competitive disadvantage carrying the same number of passengers. The closure would result in the loss of about 175 jobs, although those laid off would be offered new jobs at Republic or Frontier. To this end, Republic said that it would remove three aircraft from Lynx's fleet on April 6, with a further three scheduled to leave the fleet on April 19. Additionally, service to

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

and Fargo would be terminated on April 5. On 19 August 2010, Frontier announced that Lynx would continue operations between Denver and three Colorado cities—

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

and

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...

—using three Bombardier Q400 aircraft, though this service was expected to end in April 2011. In January 2011, it was announced that four Lynx Q400s would continue to operate indefinitely. Lynx Aviation was eventually merged into Republic Airways with 4 remaining Q400's. After Pinnacle holdings closed Colgan, Republic began to take on the ex-Colgan Q-400s and began operating for United. Competing against Republic Airways' own Frontier airlines.

Fly Smart

Former

Western Airlines Western Airlines was a major airline in the United States based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mex ...

pilot and

chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

of ATA Airlines Inc., Bill Beal; former

Sun Country Airlines Sun Country Airlines is an ultra-low cost airline in the United States. Based at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport with headquarters on airport property, Sun Country operates to about 140 destinations in the United States, Canad ...

and Great Lakes Airlines executive Nick Wangler, and, Steven Westberg, former

chief financial officer A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, ...

of Midway Airlines and a former vice president of

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines (simply known as Continental) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continen ...

are trying to raise $40 million to buy Lynx Aviation and rename it Fly Smart. It would connect Sheridan, Cody, Riverton, Laramie, and Casper with Denver.

Destinations

Lynx Aviation operated to the following destinations within the United States: *

( Aspen-Pitkin County Airport) *

( Colorado Springs Airport) *

(

Denver International Airport Denver International Airport , often referred to by locals 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 , Effective Ju ...

) Hub *

( Durango-La Plata County Airport) *

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

(

Kansas City International Airport Kansas City International Airport (originally Mid-Continent International Airport) is a public airport in Kansas City, Missouri, located northwest of Downtown Kansas City in Platte County, Missouri., effective May 15, 2025. The airport was ...

) * Wichita Mid-Continent Airport,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

Eppley Airfield Eppley Airfield , also known as Omaha Airport, is an airport in the midwestern United States, located northeast of downtown Omaha, Nebraska. On the west bank of the Missouri River in Douglas County, it is the largest airport in Nebraska, with ...

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

* Albuquerque International Sunport,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

Will Rogers World Airport OKC Will Rogers International Airport , also known as Will Rogers Airport or simply Will Rogers, is a passenger airport located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, about 6 miles (10 km) southwest of the city's downtown Oklahoma Cit ...

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

Salt Lake City International Airport Salt Lake City International Airport is a joint civil-military international airport located about west of Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The airport, along with the much smaller Provo Airport (PVU) and Ogden–Hinckley Airpo ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

* Yampa Valley Airport, Hayden,

* Jackson Hole Airport,

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

* Gallatin Field Airport,

Bozeman Bozeman ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The 2020 United States census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it Montana's fourth-largest city. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montan ...

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

Billings Logan International Airport Billings Logan International Airport is in the western United States, northwest of downtown Billings, in Yellowstone County, Montana. It is the fourth busiest airport in Montana, having been surpassed in recent years by Bozeman, Miss ...

Hector International Airport Hector International Airport is a civil-military public airport three miles (5 km) northwest of Fargo, in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The busiest airport in North Dakota, it is owned by the City of Fargo Municipal Airport A ...

, Fargo,

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

Tulsa International Airport Tulsa International Airport is a civil-military airport five miles (8 km) northeast of Downtown Tulsa, in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named Tulsa Municipal Airport when the city acquired it in 1929 ...

* El Paso International Airport,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

Grand Junction Regional Airport Grand Junction Regional Airport is northeast of Grand Junction, in Mesa County, Colorado, United States. The airport is owned by the Grand Junction Regional Airport Authority. Federal Aviation Administration records show the airport served 2 ...

Rapid City Regional Airport Rapid City Regional Airport is a public use airport, nine miles southeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, Rapid City, in Pennington County, South Dakota, Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is included in the Federal Aviation Admin ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

* Fargo International Airport,

Fleet

The first Q400 was delivered on July 20, 2007, and featured a baby lynx named Luke on the tail. The remaining nine aircraft were delivered by year's end. 1 option was exercised. The remaining 9 options on the aircraft were then declined with the exception of one that was delivered in August 2009. During 2010, the fleet was reduced to four aircraft, and Republic committed to flying them through April 2011. The aircraft were then sold to

Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada, by size and passengers carried. Air Canada is headquartered in the borough of Saint-Laurent in the city of Montreal. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled and cha ...

for their Air Canada Express service (operated by Jazz Air).

References