Hubs | |
---|---|
Focus cities | |
Frequent-flyer program | SkyMiles |
Parent company | Delta Air Lines |
Website | delta |
Delta Connection is a regional airline brand name for Delta Air Lines, under which a number of individually owned regional airlines primarily operate short- and medium-haul routes. Mainline major air carriers often use regional airlines to operate services via code sharing agreements in order to increase frequencies in addition to serving routes that would not sustain larger aircraft as well as for other competitive or operational reasons.
Delta Connection flights are operated by Delta-owned Endeavor Air and contractors Republic Airways and SkyWest Airlines.
This section needs additional citations for verification .(April 2013) |
Delta Connection was founded in 1984 [1] as a means of expanding the Delta network to smaller markets via partnerships with regional airlines.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) began Delta Connection service on March 1, 1984, from their hub at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and soon had a substantial presence at Delta's hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. ASA was a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines under the Delta Connection, Inc., holding company from May 11, 1999, to September 7, 2005, when it was purchased by SkyWest, Inc., the parent company of SkyWest Airlines.
Ransome Airlines operated Delta Connection flights in the northeast from March 1, 1984, to June 1, 1986, when it was purchased by Pan Am.
Comair began Delta Connection service on September 1, 1984. Comair primarily operated from Delta's hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport which was established the same year. Comair also began operating Delta Connection service from Delta's hub at Orlando International Airport in 1987. [2] In January 2000, Comair became a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. [1]
Rio Airways operated Delta Connection flights from their hub in Dallas/Fort Worth from June 1, 1984, to December 14, 1986, when the airline declared bankruptcy. ASA subsequently became the main Delta Connection carrier at the Dallas/Fort Worth hub. [3]
Business Express Airlines operated Delta Connection flights in the northeastern US and Canada from June 1, 1986, to March 15, 2000. The company was purchased by AMR Corporation in 1999 and integrated into the American Eagle Airlines system in 2000.
Following the acquisition of Western Airlines by Delta Air Lines, SkyWest Airlines, which had been operating codeshare service flying as Western Express for Western, became a Delta Connection carrier on April 1, 1987, primarily operating from their hub at Salt Lake City International Airport, which Delta inherited from Western. [4]
Trans States Airlines operated Delta Connection flights from March 1998 to March 31, 2000, mainly from their focus cities in Boston and New York.
In 2002, Chautauqua Airlines became a Delta Connection carrier and replaced Comair as the main provider of regional flights at the Orlando hub. [5]
On November 2, 2004, Atlantic Coast Airlines ended service as a Delta Connection Carrier. Atlantic Coast Airlines reinvented itself as a low fare carrier called Independence Air, based at Washington Dulles International Airport. Atlantic Coast Airlines operated over 30 Dornier 328JET aircraft as part of its Delta Connection service from 2000 until 2005.
On December 22, 2004, Delta Air Lines announced that Republic Airways would order and operate 16 Embraer E170 aircraft under the Delta Connection banner. Since then, it has been announced that the Republic Airways subsidiary Shuttle America would operate the flights. The initial flight took place on September 1, 2005. On May 4, 2005, Delta Air Lines announced that Mesa Air Group subsidiary Freedom Airlines would operate up to 30 Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft under the Delta Connection banner beginning in October 2005. Shortly after the announcement, the decision was made for Freedom Airlines to operate the Embraer ERJ-145 for Delta Connection instead of the CRJ. After a legal battle with Mesa Air Group, Delta and Freedom Airlines terminated their contract, ending all flights on August 31, 2010. [6] On December 21, 2006, Delta announced that Big Sky Airlines would become a Delta Connection carrier, using eight Beechcraft 1900D turboprops out of Boston Logan International Airport. [7]
On March 1, 2007, it was announced that ExpressJet would operate 10 Embraer ERJ-145XR aircraft under the Delta Connection banner beginning in June 2007 on flights from Los Angeles International Airport. It was later announced that ExpressJet would operate an additional eight aircraft as Delta Connection. On July 3, 2008, Delta and ExpressJet announced that they had terminated their agreement and that ExpressJet operations as Delta Connection would end by September 1, 2008. [8] On April 30, 2007, it was announced that Pinnacle Airlines would operate 16 Bombardier CRJ-900 under the Delta Connection banner starting in December 2007.
The merger of Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines meant that Northwest's regional brand, Northwest Airlink , would be merged into Delta Connection. The new Delta Connection would include the regional airlines from both the original Delta and Northwest. On November 8, 2008, Delta and Mesaba Airlines, a fully owned regional subsidiary of Northwest Airlines that operated flights as Northwest Airlink with turboprop aircraft and also with regional jet aircraft, announced that the seven CRJ-900 aircraft previously operated by Freedom as well as eight new-order aircraft would be operated for Delta Connection beginning February 12, 2009.
Citing cost reductions, Delta Air Lines sold former Northwest Airlines regional subsidiary Mesaba Airlines on July 1, 2010, to Pinnacle Airlines Corp. for $62 million. Its headquarters were moved to Pinnacle's in Memphis on December 26, 2011. Mesaba merged its operations into Pinnacle on January 4, 2012. [9] [10] The same day, Trans States Holdings purchased Compass Airlines from Delta for $20.5 million. [11] It has maintained both regional operations with the airlines as of January 1, 2012.
Delta announced that it would add in-flight WiFi to 223 Delta Connection aircraft beginning in 2011. [12]
Regional carrier GoJet Airlines, also owned by Trans States Holdings, began operations from Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport to cities in the Midwest using 15 CRJ-700 aircraft on January 11, 2012. [13]
Following a merger between Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) and ExpressJet, Delta Connection flights operated under the latter's name and ceased operations as ASA. All routes remained the same, but the flights began operating as ExpressJet beginning in 2012. [14]
On July 25, 2012, Delta announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Comair would cease all operations at midnight on September 28, 2012.
On May 1, 2013, as a condition of exiting bankruptcy, Pinnacle Airlines became a subsidiary of Delta and was subsequently renamed Endeavor Air. [15]
On December 31, 2014, Chautauqua Airlines operated its last flight for Delta Connection. All aircraft and crew and maintenance bases would be absorbed by the Shuttle America certificate. The conclusion of this service also removed the last operating three seat wide aircraft from the Delta Connection fleet. [16]
On August 9, 2017, it was announced that Delta and ExpressJet would terminate their agreement early with all operations ended in late 2018. [17] The remaining dual-class aircraft financed by Delta would be transferred to Endeavor while ExpressJet would redistribute their financed aircraft to other flying partners. Delta cited ExpressJet's lacking operational performance and focus on trimming their 50-seat fleet as the main reason for terminating the contract early. [18]
In August 2019, Delta announced that the regional fleet would be consolidated from 5 carriers to 3, eliminating GoJet Airlines and Compass Airlines. The Delta Connection aircraft and routes would be transferred to the Delta-owned Endeavor Air and contractors Republic Airway and SkyWest Airlines. [19] Endeavor, Republic, and SkyWest would each focus on different geographic regions with SkyWest becoming the primary partner in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Seattle; and Endeavor growing in Cincinnati, Detroit, and Raleigh–Durham. [20]
In September 2020, Delta announced in an SEC filing that it planned to retire all Delta-owned CRJ200 aircraft by December 2023. [21] This was due to the uncomfortably of the aircraft, and the lack of any premium seats. The final CRJ200 flight flew on December 1 being replaced by the larger CRJ variants. [22] In November 2023, Delta announced that they would add Wi-Fi to their current regional aircraft, and their mainline Boeing 717s starting from mid 2024.
A scope clause agreement between Delta Air Lines and its mainline pilots union limits the number and size of aircraft that may be flown by Delta Connection. The current agreement allows up to 125 airplanes with 50 seats or fewer, 102 airplanes with between 51 and 70 seats, and 223 airplanes with up to 76 seats. [23]
The E170s operated by Republic Airways are to be removed, and transferred to American Eagle.
As of December 2023, Delta Connection operates the following aircraft:
Airline | Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | Refs. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F | Y+ | Y | Total | ||||||
Endeavor Air | Bombardier CRJ700 | 18 | — | 9 | 16 | 44 | 69 | [24] [25] | |
Bombardier CRJ900 | 7 | — | 12 | 20 | 38 | 70 | |||
116 | 12 | 20 | 44 | 76 | |||||
Embraer 175 | 1 | — | 12 | 20 | 44 | 76 | Currently parked. | ||
Republic Airways | Embraer 170 | 7 | — | 9 | 12 | 48 | 69 | All aircraft to be transferred to American Eagle. | [24] |
Embraer 175 | 46 | — | 12 | 20 | 44 | 76 | |||
SkyWest Airlines | Bombardier CRJ700 | 9 | — | 9 | 16 | 44 | 69 | [26] [27] | |
Bombardier CRJ900 | 13 | — | 12 | 20 | 38 | 70 | |||
24 | — | 44 | 76 | ||||||
Embraer 175SC | 37 | — | 12 | 20 | 38 | 70 | |||
Embraer 175 | 48 | 1 | 44 | 76 | |||||
Total | 326 | 1 |
The Delta Connection brand, through its various regional and commuter airline partners, operated a variety of jet aircraft over the years including the following types:
Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Replacement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BAe 146-200 | 8 | 1993 | 1996 | Bombardier CRJ100/200 | Operated by Business Express Airlines [28] |
Bombardier CRJ100 | 67 | 1993 | 2019 | Bombardier CRJ700, Bombardier CRJ900 Bombardier CRJ200 | Operated by Comair and SkyWest Airlines |
Bombardier CRJ200 | 268 | 1994 | 2023 | Bombardier CRJ700, Bombardier CRJ900 | Operated by Atlantic Coast Airlines, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Comair, Endeavor Air, ExpressJet, and SkyWest Airlines |
Dornier 328JET | 3 | 1993 | 1996 | Bombardier CRJ100/200 | Operated by Business Express Airlines |
Embraer ERJ 135 | 3 | 2002 | 2008 | Embraer ERJ 145 | Operated by Chautauqua Airlines |
Embraer ERJ 145 | 41 | 2005 | 2018 | Bombardier CRJ700, Bombardier CRJ900, Embraer 170, Embraer 175 | Operated by Chautauqua Airlines, Express Airlines, Freedom Airlines, and Shuttle America |
The Delta Connection brand, through its various regional and commuter airline partners, operated a variety of twin turboprop aircraft over the years including the following types:
Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Replacement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ATR 72 | 19 | 1993 | 2008 | Bombardier CRJ100/200,Bombardier CRJ700 series | Operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines |
BAe Jetstream 41 | 4 | 2000 | 2002 | None | Operated by Trans States Airlines |
Beechcraft 1900 | 8 | 2006 | 2008 | None | Operated by Big Sky Airlines |
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | 5 | 1986 | 1986 | None | Operated by Business Express Airlines |
de Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 | 11 | 2006 | 2007 | None | Operated by Freedom Airlines |
Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia | 101 | 1991 | 2015 | Bombardier CRJ100/200 | Operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines until 2003. Operated under codeshare with SkyWest Airlines until 2015, and never wore Delta Connection livery, |
Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner | 35 | 1987 | 1996 | Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia | Operated by SkyWest Airlines |
Saab 340 | 92 | 1986 | 2011 | Bombardier CRJ100/200 | Initially operated by Business Express Airlines until 2001. Former Northwest Airlink fleet acquired in 2008, which were operated by Mesaba Airlines. |
Delta Connection Academy was an airline flight school established in October 1989. The academy was located in Sanford, Florida, on the grounds of the Orlando Sanford International Airport. It contained a fleet that had 73 aircraft and over 550 flight students who attended the academy. On January 13, 2010, it was acquired by Flight Training Acquisitions for $50 million. [29] Today, it operates as L3Harris Flight Academy.
Comair was an American regional airline, a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, headquartered at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. Operating under the brand name Delta Connection, Comair operated passenger services to destinations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) was a regional U.S. airline based in the A-Tech Center in College Park, Georgia, flying to 144 destinations as a Delta Connection carrier on behalf of Delta Air Lines via a code sharing agreement and, as of February 2010, commenced service as a United Express carrier on behalf of United Airlines via a separate code sharing agreement. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of SkyWest, Inc. ASA operated nearly 900 flights each day. Its main hub was located at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) which is also a hub for Delta. After a 2010 merger with ExpressJet, ASA adopted the ExpressJet name and branding in 2011.
SkyWest Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered in St. George, Utah, United States. SkyWest operates and maintains aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by four partner mainline airlines. The company is contracted by Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. In all, it is the largest regional airline in North America when measured by fleet size, number of passengers carried, and number of destinations served.
Endeavor Air is an American regional airline headquartered at the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The airline is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines and staffs, operates and maintains aircraft used on Delta Connection flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by Delta Air Lines.
Mesaba Aviation, Inc. was a regional airline in the United States that operated from 1944 until 2012, when it merged with Pinnacle Airlines to form Endeavor Air. It was based in Eagan, Minnesota From 2010 to 2012 the airline was a wholly owned subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. with code sharing 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.
United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which five individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights.
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 Continental's merger with United Airlines, two carriers were operating using the Continental Express brand name:
Republic Airways Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Republic operates and maintains aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by a partner mainline airline. The company is contracted by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.
Casper–Natrona County International Airport is 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Casper, in Natrona County, Wyoming. Before December 19, 2007, the airport was called Natrona County International Airport.
Flagstaff Pulliam Airport is 5 miles south of Flagstaff, in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The airport is serviced by American Eagle, and is also used for general aviation. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a "primary commercial service" airport. It is the closest airport to Grand Canyon National Park with scheduled passenger service from a major airline.
Durango–La Plata County Airport is a city- and county-owned public airport 12 miles southeast of Durango, in La Plata County, Colorado.
ExpressJet Airlines was a regional airline in the United States that operated from 1987 until 2022. It was headquartered in College Park, Georgia. 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. In September 2021, ExpressJet resumed operations as both an air charter provider and a regional airline under its own brand aha!—short for "Air-Hotel-Adventure." The brand's route structure focused on the West Coast of the United States 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, having ceased all operations the previous day. In July 2023, the airline announced plans to relaunch as an air charter service using a single leased Boeing 777.
GoJet Airlines LLC is a regional airline headquartered in Bridgeton, Missouri, United States. Wholly owned by Trans States Holdings, it has 1,670 employees. It operates commuter feeder services under the United Express brand of United Airlines. United Express flights are currently operated out of United's hubs at Chicago–O'Hare, Newark and Washington-Dulles. GoJet's Delta Connection branded flights came to an end on March 31, 2020. Most of the flying at the end of the agreement was out of Detroit and Minneapolis–St. Paul as well as Raleigh-Durham. GoJet Airlines' system operations center (SOC), training center and corporate offices are co-located in the former Trans World Airlines and Ozark Airlines training center in Bridgeton, Missouri. The airline uses the former McDonnell Douglas factory hangar at Saint Louis Lambert International Airport as its primary maintenance facility, with maintenance staff available at all of the airline's destinations. Its call sign, "Lindbergh", is named for aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, who flew the Spirit of St. Louis solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927: the first person to do so.
Tupelo Regional Airport is a public use airport located 3.7 miles; 3.2 nautical miles (6 km) west of the central business district of Tupelo, a city in Lee County, Mississippi, United States. It is owned by the Tupelo Airport Authority. The airport is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline with scheduled passenger service subsidized by the federal Essential Air Service (EAS) program. Many college football teams visiting the University of Mississippi, 49 miles west in Oxford, fly into Tupelo.
Pellston Regional Airport, also known as Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County, is a public airport located one mile (1.6 km) northwest of the central business district of Pellston, a village in Emmet County, Michigan, United States. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.
Freedom Airlines, Inc. was an American FAA Part 121 certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number FDKA087K issued on April 1, 2002. A Nevada corporation, it was headquartered in Irving, Texas and a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group. It operated flights as Delta Connection for Delta Air Lines serving Delta's hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron, KY, near Cincinnati, OH using EMB 145 aircraft. Freedom's base moved to Cincinnati from New York City in July 2009. Freedom previously operated the CRJ-900 aircraft for Delta Connection as well; however, this contract was canceled and all aircraft were transferred to Eagan, MN-based Mesaba Airlines, Atlanta, GA-based Atlantic Southeast Airlines, and Pinnacle Airlines.
Compass Airlines, LLC, was a regional airline in the United States that operated from 2006 to 2020, when it shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was headquartered in Delta Air Lines Building C at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport in Fort Snelling, Hennepin County, Minnesota; prior to December 16, 2009, it was headquartered in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, east of the Chantilly CDP. The airline launched inaugural service with a single Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft under the Northwest Airlink brand between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Washington, D.C., on May 2, 2007. On August 21, 2007, it began flying two Embraer E175 76-passenger aircraft, and expanded to 36 aircraft by December 2008.
The Florida Keys Marathon International Airport is a public airport located along the Overseas Highway (US1) in Marathon, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The airport covers 197 acres (80 ha) and has one runway.
Pinnacle Airlines Corporation was an airline holding company in the United States, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, and was the parent company of Pinnacle Airlines and Colgan Air until Colgan was closed down in 2012. The company contracted its airlines to fly in the aircraft livery of other airlines such as Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. The company filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 in 2012 and emerged from Chapter 11 in 2013 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. The company's only surviving airline, Pinnacle, became Endeavor Air.
Chautauqua Airlines, Inc. was an American regional airline and a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Prior to the shut down of operations, it operated scheduled passenger services to 52 airports in the United States and Canada via code sharing agreements as the Delta Connection for Delta Air Lines, AmericanConnection for American Airlines, and United Express for United Airlines. Chautauqua previously flew feeder services for other airlines via code sharing agreements including Allegheny, USAir, TWA, Continental, Frontier, and America West. Its last day in operation was December 31, 2014, at which time all flying was absorbed by the Shuttle America certificate.