Mesaba Aviation, Inc. (operating as Mesaba Airlines) was an American

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 Eagan, Minnesota From 2010 to 2012 the airline was a wholly owned subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corporation with

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 communication ...

flights operated as Delta Connection for Delta Air Lines and US Airways Express for US Airways. Previously, the airline operated code sharing service as Northwest Airlink and Northwest Jetlink on behalf of Northwest Airlines which subsequently merged with Delta. Mesaba also previously operated connecting flight services in association with Republic Airlines before this air carrier was subsequently merged into Northwest. Mesaba Airlines effectively ceased operations on January 4, 2012, when all aircraft and personnel were transitioned to the Pinnacle Airlines operating certificate. Mesaba's operating certificate was surrendered on July 31, 2012.

History

Mesaba (from the Ojibwe language, ''misaabe'': "Soaring Eagle") was founded in 1944 by Gordy Newstrom in the Mesabi Range city of Coleraine, Minnesota and started operations in the same year under the name of Mesaba Aviation. It had one airplane, a Piper Cub purchased for $1,300, and it was used to shuttle employees of the Blandin Paper Mill Company from Grand Rapids, Minnesota to Minneapolis. In 1950 Newstrom moved the company to Grand Rapids. In 1973, the Halverson family of Duluth, Minnesota, bought Mesaba from Newstrom. Subsequently, they started regularly scheduled airline services serving Spencer, Iowa,

Ely, Virginia Ely is an unincorporated community in Lee County, Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachia ...

, and Duluth. The Swenson family of Thief River Falls, Minnesota, purchased Mesaba Aviation in 1977. They took the company public in 1982 as the airline began flying to destinations in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota with Beechcraft 99 commuter turboprops. In 1983, Mesaba became a codeshare partner of Republic Airlines, flying commuter turboprop aircraft from small regional communities to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. In 1986, after the merger of Republic Airlines and Northwest Orient Airlines, Mesaba transitioned its codeshare partnership and began operations as a Northwest Airlink carrier on behalf of Northwest Airlines. Mesaba began feeder service from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to small airports across the east and midwest utilizing Fokker F27 and Fairchild Metro turboprop aircraft in 1988. Maintenance bases were established both in Detroit and Wausau, Wisconsin. The same year, Mesaba managed to add an additional 325 employees. It also expanded its network to four new routes including Cleveland, Dayton and Akron in Ohio, and Erie, Pennsylvania. In 1991, Mesaba built two new hangar facilities, in Detroit and Wausau, Wisconsin, and added the first of 25 de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 turboprop aircraft, leased from Northwest Airlines. In 1995, Mesaba and Northwest reached an agreement to provide service with Saab 340 turboprop aircraft. By 1997, Mesaba added additional flights to several new cities including Aspen, Colorado,

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

and Montreal in Canada. In 1999, '' Forbes'' placed Mesaba at number 41 on their list of Top 200 Small Companies in America.

Growth into jet operations

The Northwest Airlines hub in Memphis was exclusively served by Airlink partner Express Airlines I, which later operated as Pinnacle Airlines and is now Endeavor Air, until 1997 when Mesaba initiated its first

jet aircraft A jet aircraft (or simply jet) is an aircraft (nearly always a fixed-wing aircraft) propelled by jet engines. Whereas the engines in propeller-powered aircraft generally achieve their maximum efficiency at much lower speeds and altitudes, je ...

service using the Avro RJ85, the first jetliner type to be flown by either Airlink airline. The Avro RJ85 jetliner, which was a later model version of the BAe 146-200 featuring an improved cabin and more efficient engines, was operated on Northwest Jetlink flights with the aircraft being configured with 16 first class seats and 53 coach seats. This marked the first time a regional airline had offered first class as well as a coach on a regional jet aircraft. Mesaba was split off at this time into Airways Corporation in order to address objections from mainline pilots flying for Northwest concerning Mesaba's operation of a jet fleet. Mesaba also became the first regional airline to have a first class seating option via the Avro RJ85 jet, with this British-built four-engine aircraft being approximately twice as large as the 50-passenger regional jets manufactured by

Canadair Canadair Ltd. was a civil and military aircraft manufacturer in Canada. In 1986, its assets were acquired by Bombardier Aerospace, the aviation division of Canadian transport conglomerate Bombardier Inc. Canadair's origins lie in the establishm ...

and

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 i ...

. Eventually, as Pinnacle transitioned to an Bombardier CRJ regional jet fleet, Mesaba took over Northwest Airlink Saab 340 turboprop operations. In 2000, the company took delivery of its final Avro RJ85 jet, along with eleven new Saab 340 turboprop aircraft. This made Mesaba the operator of the largest fleet of Avro RJ85 aircraft in the world with 36 of the type, and the second-largest operator of the Saab 340. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, Mesaba was forced to reduce its workforce by 400 employees to achieve cost savings. In the fall of 2003, Northwest wanted to retire the Avro jet fleet, which comprised about half of Mesaba's revenue. They were inefficient and aging, according to Northwest. However, Mesaba was able to negotiate a deal with Northwest which enabled the Avro fleet to remain in service. In 2005, Mesaba began receiving fifteen new Canadair CRJ regional jets that would eventually replace the larger Avro jets.

Bankruptcy

On September 14, 2005, Northwest Airlines filed for

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy 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, whe ...

protection. Subsequently, the airline withheld over US$25 million in payments from their regional partners, Mesaba and

Pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainly ...

. Northwest proceeded to announce plans to ground the entire Avro jet fleet by Q1 2007, ten Saab 340B aircraft by January 2006, and also halt the delivery of the 13 remaining CRJs, leaving Mesaba with an awkward and expensive fleet of two aircraft types. Facing rising fuel costs, downsizing plans, and lack of income from Northwest, Mesaba filed for

on October 13, 2005. In an interview in January 2006, Mesaba President John Spanjers announced that the Mesaba fleet would be cut in half by the end of the year. Twelve Avro RJ85 jets had already been removed from the fleet, and the balance would be grounded by the end of the year. Ten Saab 340 "B" model aircraft were returned to Pinnacle Airlines (from whom they were leased) during January 2006 while the three remaining "A" model Saab 340's and the two Bombardier CRJ regional jets that had been delivered to Mesaba prior to bankruptcy would leave the fleet before mid-year. These changes left Mesaba with a fleet of 49 Saab 340 turboprops. On April 14, 2006, the company announced reductions of the Avro RJ85 fleet, at Northwest Airlines' direction. The RJ85 jets ceased flying out of Memphis on June 8, Minneapolis/St. Paul on October 31, and Detroit on December 4, 2006. Separately it was announced that one of the two 50-seat CRJ-200 regional jets operated by Mesaba would be transferred to Northwest in order to initiate flying operations (expected in late 2006) for newly formed Northwest Airlines subsidiary Compass Airlines. By the end of October 2006, all three of the major unions representing the pilots,

flight attendant A flight attendant, also known as steward/stewardess or air host/air hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are prima ...

s, and mechanics reached tentative agreements that still needed to be approved by the membership. On November 27, 2006, the three unions announced that their membership had ratified the new agreements. In December 2006, Northwest Airlines planned to purchase Mesaba Airlines from owner

MAIR Holdings MAIR Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAIR) was an airline holding company. Later in its life its headquarters were in Fifth Street Towers II in Downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. At an earlier time its headquarters were on the property of Minneapolis-St. ...

and operate it as a wholly owned subsidiary. Tentative agreements concerning the sale were made; however, the merger could not have been approved without going through bankruptcy board proceedings and approvals of regulators and various interest groups. On April 24, 2007, Mesaba Airlines emerged from bankruptcy protection and was officially acquired by Northwest Airlines. With the merging of Northwest Airlines into Delta Air Lines, Mesaba underwent numerous changes as a subsidiary of the new company. A portion of the Saab 340 fleet was relocated to Atlanta. Delta also allocated five more Bombardier CRJ-900 regional jets to Mesaba to be operated out of Delta's Salt Lake City hub. In 2009, several routes were added, utilizing the new CRJ-900s and the existing Saab 340 aircraft.

Fined for not deplaning passengers

On November 24, 2009, Mesaba was one of three airlines, including

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 o ...

and ExpressJet, fined by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for delaying passengers from deplaning for over six hours overnight in Rochester, MN on August 8, 2009. Mesaba's civil penalty was US$75,000, 50% more than the fine for Continental and ExpressJet. It was the first fine ever from the DOT for misconduct related to passengers' being held in planes on the tarmac for an extended time. When the ExpressJet flight was diverted to Rochester due to bad weather in Minneapolis, Mesaba personnel in the Rochester terminal agreed in advance to help deplane the passengers. However, when the plane landed, Mesaba personnel reneged, stating that there were no TSA personnel in the terminal. The DOT stated that the rules for such circumstances allow passengers to be deplaned and kept in a secure area, even when there are no TSA personnel available. The DOT ruled that the actions by Mesaba personnel constituted an "unfair and deceptive practice" because they had agreed to deplane the passengers. Continental and ExpressJet were fined because they did not follow their own internal procedures and passenger commitments, and were ultimately responsible for the passengers' welfare. Since the incident, the ramp personnel in Rochester along with other ground stations handled by Mesaba, Comair, and Compass, have since been merged and renamed

Regional Elite Airline Services 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 wit ...

(REAS).

Sale to Pinnacle

On July 1, 2010, Delta Air Lines sold Mesaba to Pinnacle Airlines Corporation for $62 million. The same day, Pinnacle Airlines Corporation announced that they intended to have Mesaba Airlines operate an all-turboprop fleet, whereas sister company, Pinnacle Airlines, would remain an all-jet operator. It was also announced that Pinnacle's other subsidiary,

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 Express ...

, would cease to exist, and Mesaba would inherit the Colgan fleet of Saab 340s and

Bombardier Q400 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then by ...

s. In time, all aircraft and personnel were transferred to Pinnacle Airlines.http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/oct/24/pinnacle-airlines-move-mesaba-headquarters-memphis/?partner=yahoo_feeds In 2011, Mesaba Airlines began operating flights out of New York City's LaGuardia Airport for US Airways under the US Airways Express brand. This codeshare service utilized Saab 340 aircraft and replaced the service that was being operated by

. Ultimately Colgan's

turboprops were never transferred to Mesaba as they were retired from service by United Express, whom they operated for on a

basis on behalf of United Airlines, before the transition from Colgan to Mesaba took place. On January 4, 2012, Mesaba was folded into Pinnacle Airlines. Mesaba's operating certificate was surrendered on July 31, 2012. Mesaba Airlines ended operations as one of the world's safest air carriers with no fatalities recorded during its 68 years of operations.

Awards

In early 1998, in recognition of the successful introduction of two new airliner types to the fleet (the Saab 340 and the Avro RJ85) while maintaining excellent operating performance, Mesaba Airlines was presented with the Air Transport World (ATW) "Regional Airline of the Year for 1997" award.

Saab AB Saab AB (originally , later just SAAB and Saab Group) is a Swedish aerospace and defence company, founded in 1937. Headquartered in Stockholm, the development and the manufacturing is undertaken in Linköping. Saab produced automobiles from 194 ...

painted two new Saab 340 aircraft in special commemorative liveries celebrating both the award and Mesaba's 25th anniversary of scheduled airline service. On August 31, 2005, Mesaba Airlines was named the winner of the 2005 Operational Excellence Award by

AIG Aviation American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is an American multinational finance and insurance corporation with operations in more than 80 countries and jurisdictions. , AIG companies employed 49,600 people.https://www.aig.com/content/dam/aig/amer ...

, a U.S. based underwriter of aviation insurance. The award has been presented only four times since its creation in 1998 and recognizes clients that exhibit a strong commitment to building quality safety and loss prevention programs. Mesaba was the unanimous selection out of an entry pool of more than 650 companies.

Destinations

Over the years, Mesaba grew to operate a fleet of turboprop and turbofan powered airliners from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Memphis International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on

flights primarily to small-to-medium-sized cities on behalf of its major airline partners. Mesaba began operating as US Airways Express on behalf of US Airways in March 2011, replacing

service, with seven Saab 340 aircraft to eight destinations served from New York LaGuardia Airport: Charlottesville, VA; Manchester, NH;

Ithaca, NY Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...

; Syracuse, NY; Providence, RI; and Washington Dulles, as well as

Martha's Vineyard, MA Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the sm ...

and

Nantucket, MA Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachus ...

with both of these destinations being served on a seasonal basis.

Destinations in 1981

Mesaba was a small independent commuter air carrier at this time in June 1981 operating Beechcraft 99 turboprop aircraft on just one linear route: Minneapolis/

St. Paul, MN Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

Brainerd, MN Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 14,395 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County. Brainerd straddles the Mississippi River several miles upstream from its confluence with ...

- Grand Rapids, MN.

Destinations in 1986

Mesaba was operating Northwest Airlink

flights in June 1986 for Northwest Airlines (which was operating as Northwest Orient at this time) with 19-passenger Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner ("Metro III" model) and 48-passenger Fokker F27 turboprops serving the following destinations: * Aberdeen, SD * Bemidji, MN *

* Brookings, SD * Cedar Rapids, IA * Des Moines, IA *

Devils Lake, ND Devils Lake is a city in Ramsey County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Ramsey County. The population was 7,192 at the 2020 census. It is named after the nearby body of water called Devils Lake. The first house in Devils ...

* Duluth, MN * Grand Rapids, MN *

Hibbing, MN Hibbing is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range and ...

Huron, SD Huron is a city in Beadle County, South Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Beadle County. The '' Huron Daily Plainsman'', also referred to as the ''Plainsman'', is the newspaper. The first settlement at Huron was made in 1880. The cit ...

Jamestown, ND Jamestown is a city in Stutsman County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Stutsman County. The population was 15,849 at the 2020 census, making it the ninth largest city in North Dakota. Jamestown was founded in 1883 and ...

* Minneapolis/

- Hub * Moline, IL * Mitchell, SD * Pierre, SD *

Rapid City, SD Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western S ...

* Rochester, MN * Sioux Falls, SD * Thief River Falls, MN * Wausau/

Stevens Point, WI Stevens Point is the county seat of Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The city was incorporated in 1858. Its 2020 population of 25,666 makes it the largest city in the county. Stevens Point forms the core of the United States Census Bur ...

Destinations served in 1999 from the Northwest Airlines hub in Minneapolis/St. Paul

Those destinations noted in bold were served in May 1999 by Mesaba with a Avro RJ85 jet aircraft operating as Northwest Jetlink

flights from the Northwest hub located at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) with Northwest Airlink code share service from MSP to other destinations being operated by Mesaba with Saab 340 turboprop aircraft at this time:https://www.departedflights.com/NWairlink0599.html * Aberdeen, SD * Appleton, WI *

Aspen, CO Aspen is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,004 at the 2020 United States Census. Aspen is in a remote area of the Rocky Mounta ...

* Bemidji, MN * Bismarck, ND * Bloomington, IL/ Normal, IL *

* Cedar Rapids, IA * Cincinnati, OH * Des Moines, IA * Dubuque, IA * Duluth, MN * Eau Claire, WI *

Escanaba, MI Escanaba ( ), commonly shortened to Esky, is a port city in Delta County, Michigan, Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on Little Bay de Noc in the state's Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula. The population was 12,616 at ...

Ely, MN Ely ( ) is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,268 at the 2020 census. Located on the Vermilion iron range, Ely once had several iron ore mines. It is an entry point for campers and canoers into the Bo ...

* Fargo, ND * Flint, MI *

Fort Dodge, IA Fort Dodge is a city in, and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Ce ...

* Grand Forks, ND * Grand Rapids, MN * Green Bay, WI *

* Houghton, MI/

Hancock, MI Hancock is a city in Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is across the Keweenaw Waterway from the city of Houghton on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The population was 4,634 at the 2010 census. The Weather Channel has consistently rank ...

International Falls, MN International Falls (sometimes referred to as I-Falls) is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota. The population was 5,802 at the time of the 2020 census. International Falls is located on the Rainy River directly acro ...

* Kenora, Ontario, Canada * La Crosse, WI * Lincoln, NE * Madison, WI *

Marquette, MI Marquette ( ) is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,629 at the 2020 United States Census, which makes it the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. Marquette serves as the seat of government of Marquet ...

Mason City, IA Mason City is a city and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,338 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 United States Census, 2000 c ...

* Minneapolis/

- Hub * Moline, IL * Omaha, NE *

Pellston, MI Pellston is a village in Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 822 at the 2010 census. The village is the home of Pellston Regional Airport. The village lies on the boundary between Maple River and McKinley townships o ...

* Peoria, IL * Pittsburgh, PA * Pierre, SD *

* Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada *

Rhinelander, WI Rhinelander is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, Wisconsin, Oneida County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,285 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History The area that eventually became the city of Rhine ...

* Rochester, MN *

Rockford, IL Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

* St. Cloud, MN * St. Louis, MO * Sioux City, IA * Sioux Falls, SD *

Steamboat Springs, CO The City of Steamboat Springs is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Routt County, Colorado, United States. Steamboat Springs is the principal city of the Steamboat Springs, CO Micropolitan Stat ...

(served via the Yampa Valley Airport) * Thief River Falls, MN * Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada *

Traverse City, MI Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was ...

Waterloo, IA Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 67,314, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. The city is part of the W ...

Watertown, SD Watertown is a city in and the county seat of Codington County, South Dakota, Codington County, South Dakota, United States. Watertown is home to the Redlin Art Center which houses many of the original art works produced by Terry Redlin, one of Am ...

* Wausau/

* White Plains, NY (served via the Westchester County Airport) According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), by October 1999 Mesaba had extended its Northwest Jetlink Avro RJ85 service from the Northwest hub in Minneapolis/St. Paul to Green Bay, WI, Kalamazoo, MI, La Crosse, WI, Rochester, MN and Saginaw, MI in addition to the above destinations listed in bold.

Destinations served in 1999 from the Northwest Airlines hub in Memphis

In May 1999, Mesaba was operating all of its Northwest Airlines

flights from the Northwest hub located at the Memphis International Airport (MEM) with Avro RJ85 jet aircraft with these Northwest Jetlink destinations noted in bold: * Atlanta, GA * Cincinnati, OH * Dallas/ Fort Worth, TX * Fayetteville, AR * Huntsville, AL * Knoxville, TN * Memphis, TN - Hub * St. Louis, MO * Wichita, KS Another regional air carrier, Express Airlines I, was also operating code sharing flights at this time from Memphis for Northwest utilizing turboprop aircraft for its Northwest Airlink service. According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), by October 1999 Mesaba had extended its Northwest Jetlink Avro RJ85 service from the Northwest hub in Memphis to Grand Rapids, MI and Raleigh/ Durham, NC.

Destinations served in 1999 from the Northwest Airlines hub in Detroit

Those destinations noted in bold were served in May 1999 by Mesaba with Avro RJ85 jet aircraft operating as Northwest Jetlink

flights from the Northwest hub located at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) with Northwest Airlink code share service from DTW to other destinations being operated by Mesaba with Saab 340 turboprop aircraft as this time: * Akron/

Canton, OH Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and W ...

Allentown, PA Allentown ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 census. It is the fastest-growing major city in Pennsylvania a ...

Alpena, MI Alpena ( ') is the only city in and county seat of Alpena County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census. After Traverse City, it is the second most populated city in the Northern Michigan region. The city i ...

* Appleton, WI *

Benton Harbor, MI Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is 46 miles southwest of Kalamazoo and 71 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. According to the 2020 census, its population was 9,103. It is the smaller, by population, ...

* Binghamton, NY * Bloomington, IL/ Normal, IL * Buffalo, NY * Champaign/

Urbana, IL Urbana ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Urbana had a population of 38,336. As of the 2010 United States Census, Urbana is the List of municipalities in Illinois, 38th-most pop ...

* Charleston, WV * Cincinnati, OH * Cleveland, OH * Columbus, OH * Dayton, OH * Detroit, MI - Hub * Des Moines, IA * Duluth, MN *

Elmira, NY Elmira () is a city and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. The population was 26,523 at the 2020 census ...

Corning, NY Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 10,551 at the 2020 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company ...

* Erie, PA *

* Evansville, IN * Flint, MI * Fort Wayne, IN * Green Bay, WI *

Greensboro, NC Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

* Harrisburg, PA * Houghton, MI/

* Kalamazoo, MI * Knoxville, TN *

Lafayette, IN Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, whic ...

* Lansing, MI * Lexington, KY * London, Ontario, Canada * Louisville, KY * Madison, WI *

* Montreal, Quebec, Canada *

Muskegon, MI Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expan ...

* Ottawa, Ontario, Canada * Owensboro, KY *

* Peoria, IL * Pittsburgh, PA * Portland, ME *

* Roanoke, VA *

* Rochester, NY * Saginaw, MI *

Sault Ste. Marie, MI Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is the only city in, and county seat of, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 13,337 at the 2020 census, it is the second-most populated city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette. It i ...

* South Bend, IN * State College, PA * Toledo, OH *

* Wausau, WI/

* White Plains, NY (served via the Westchester County Airport) *

Youngstown, OH Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, which ...

According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), by October 1999 Mesaba had extended its Northwest Jetlink Avro RJ85 service from the Northwest hub in Detroit to Flint, MI, Lexington, KY, Saginaw, MI, South Bend, IN and

in addition to the destinations listed above in bold.

Fleet

The Mesaba Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft (as of September 7, 2011):Mesaba Airlines fleet list at ch-aviation.ch. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
/ref>

Retired

References

External links

Mesaba Airlines

Mesaba Airlines fleet age

Official bankruptcy information

Unofficial bankruptcy information
{{US Airways Express Carriers Defunct airlines of the United States Defunct regional airlines of the United States Airlines established in 1944 Airlines disestablished in 2012 Companies based in Eagan, Minnesota Delta Air Lines Northwest Airlines Former SkyTeam affiliate members