The United States Department of Transportation defines a major carrier or major airline carrier as a U.S.-based airline that posts more than $1 billion in revenue during a fiscal year, grouped accordingly as "Group III". [1]
The United States Department of Transportation defines a major carrier or major airline carrier as a U.S.-based airline that posts more than $1 billion in revenue during a fiscal year, grouped accordingly as "Group III". [1]
According to FY2024 revenues, 19 major carriers meet the requirement for Group III status. [2]
(*) - considered one of the "Big 4" major U.S. national airlines [3]
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers or freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in which they both offer and operate the same flight. Generally, airline companies are recognized with an air operating certificate or license issued by a governmental aviation body. Airlines may be scheduled or charter operators.
Southwest Airlines Co. is a major airline in the United States that operates on a low-cost carrier model. It is headquartered in Love Field, Dallas, in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and has scheduled service to 121 destinations in the United States and ten other countries. As of 2018, Southwest carried more domestic passengers than any other United States airline. It is currently the third largest airline in the world based on passengers flown.
Delta Air Lines is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the United States' oldest operating airline and the seventh-oldest operating worldwide. Delta, along with its regional subsidiaries and contractors operating under the brand name Delta Connection, operate over 5,400 flights daily and serve 325 destinations in 52 countries on six continents. Delta is a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. As of the end of 2023, it had 100,000 employees.
John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is the busiest of the seven airports in the New York airport system, the sixth-busiest airport in the United States, and the busiest international commercial airport in North America. The airport, which covers 5,200 acres (2,104 ha), is the largest in the New York metropolitan area. Over 90 airlines operate from Kennedy Airport, with nonstop or direct flights to destinations on all six inhabited continents.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the primary international airport serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and the North Texas region, in the U.S. state of Texas.
Philadelphia International Airport is the primary international airport serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It served 12.4 million passengers annually in 2022, making it the busiest airport in Pennsylvania and the 21st-busiest airport in the United States. The airport is located 7 miles (11 km) from the city's downtown area and has 22 airlines that offer nearly 500 daily departures to more than 130 destinations worldwide.
US Airways was a major airline in the United States. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon became a commercial passenger airline. In 1953, it was renamed Allegheny Airlines and operated under that name for a quarter-century. In October 1979, after the passage of the Airline Deregulation Act, Allegheny Airlines changed its name to USAir. A decade later it had acquired Piedmont Airlines and Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), and was one of the U.S.'s seven transcontinental legacy carriers. In 1997, it rebranded as US Airways.
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 America, most regional airlines are classified as "fee-for-departure" carriers, operating their revenue flights as codeshare services contracted by one or more major airline partners. A number of regional airlines, particularly during the 1960s and 1970s, were classified as commuter airlines in the Official Airline Guide (OAG).
Spirit Airlines, Inc. is an ultra-low cost airline headquartered in Dania Beach, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. Spirit operates scheduled flights throughout the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Spirit was the seventh largest passenger carrier in North America as of 2023, as well as the largest ultra-low-cost carrier in North America. Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2024.
The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was an agency of the federal government of the United States, formed in 1940 from a split of the Civil Aeronautics Authority and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services and, until the establishment of the National Transportation Safety Board in 1967, conducted air accident investigations. The agency was headquartered in Washington, D.C.
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, Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The airline also has significant charter operations and is a contract cargo operator for Amazon Air.
The largest airlines in the world can be measured in several ways. As of 2023, Delta Air Lines was the largest by revenue, assets, market capitalization, fleet size and brand value; American Airlines Group by passengers carried and employees; FedEx Express by freight tonne-kilometers; Southwest Airlines by routes; and Turkish Airlines by countries served.
Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport, also known as Forney Field, is a public and military use airport located at Fort Leonard Wood in Pulaski County, Missouri, United States. The airport's passenger terminal is operated under the control of the U.S. Army and general aviation is under the direction of a board named by the cities of Waynesville and St. Robert. Formerly known as Waynesville Regional Airport at Forney Field, it is served by one commercial airline with scheduled service subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.
Chippewa Valley Regional Airport is a public use airport in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. The airport is owned by Eau Claire county and is located 3 nautical miles north of the central business district of the city of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
McKellar–Sipes Regional Airport is a public use airport located four nautical miles (7 km) west of the central business district of Jackson, a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. It is owned by the city and county. The airport is mostly used for general aviation, and is served by one commercial airline, Southern Airways Express, subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.
Alaska Air Group, Inc. is an American airline holding company based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. The group owns two mainline carriers, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, along with a regional airline, Horizon Air. Alaska Airlines in turn wholly owns an aircraft ground handling company, McGee Air Services.
Southern Air Transport (SAT), based in Miami, Florida, was, in its final incarnation, a cargo airline. However, it started life as an irregular air carrier, a type of carrier defined and tightly controlled until 1978 by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), a now defunct Federal agency that, at the time, closely regulated almost all US commercial air transportation. From 1965 onward, such airlines were charter carriers. Up until 1965, they were charter/scheduled hybrids. For much of that time the carrier was owned by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (1960–1973).
The United States has an extensive air transportation network. In 2013, there were 86 airports in the U.S. that annually handled over 1,000,000 passengers each. The civil airline industry is entirely privately owned and has been largely deregulated since 1978, while most major airports are publicly owned. The three largest airlines in the world by passengers carried are U.S.-based; American Airlines is number one after its 2013 acquisition by US Airways. Of the world's 50 busiest passenger airports, 16 are in the United States, including the top five and the busiest, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In terms of cargo, in 2015, eight of the world's thirty busiest airports were in the U.S., including the world's second-busiest, Memphis International Airport, just behind Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong. Private aircraft are also used for medical emergencies, government agencies, large businesses, and individuals.
American Airlines Group Inc. is an American publicly traded airline holding company headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It was formed on December 9, 2013, by the merger of AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, and US Airways Group, the parent company of US Airways. Integration was completed when the Federal Aviation Administration granted a single operating certificate for both carriers on April 8, 2015, and all flights now operate under the American Airlines brand.
Boutique Air, Inc. is a commuter airline based in San Francisco, California, United States. The airline offers charter services as well as scheduled passenger services subsidized under the Essential Air Service (EAS) program. Boutique operates the third largest PC-12 fleet in the United States with 26 aircraft. In 2019, Boutique transported over 180,000 passengers.
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