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99-638: 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 began as Britt Airways and flew exclusively as Continental Express , the contracted codeshare partner for Continental Airlines . The name was changed to ExpressJet at the beginning of 1995 as the company began acquiring regional jets , replacing its fleet of turboprop aircraft. Along with flying as Continental Express, ExpressJet expanded flying under

198-541: A fee-for-departure contract carrier. One day later, the company also launched aha! , a leisure travel brand providing scheduled air service between Reno-Tahoe International Airport and cities along the West Coast of the United States . Scheduled flights began on October 24, 2021, with the first flight being to Pasco, Washington. The carrier focused on cities, markets, and customers which have seen diminished air service as

297-424: A form of a virtual airline , with the regional airline paid to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by a partner mainline airline. This practice allows the mainline carrier to use outsourced labor at smaller stations, to reduce costs. In 2011, 61% of all advertised flights for American, Delta, United and US Airways were operated by their regional brands. This figure

396-607: 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. United Airlines and ExpressJet had partnered to offer ExpressJet pilots a direct path to a First Officer position at United Airlines 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

495-765: A group of small commuter airlines acquired by Texas Air Corporation / Continental Airlines . These included Bar Harbor Airlines in Maine , Provincetown-Boston Airlines in New England , Rocky Mountain Airways in Denver, Colorado , and Britt Airways in Terre Haute, Indiana . ExpressJet operates under the original Federal Aviation Administration Part 121 certificate issued to Britt, which began operations as Continental Express in April 1987 and

594-519: A larger carrier, similar to their American counterparts. Some of these airlines and brands include: The trend of branding regional airlines to match the mainline airlines, has led to just three major sub-brands in the United States: American Eagle , Delta Connection and United Express . They are the post-deregulation survivors of the multiple bankruptcies and mergers of the major, legacy, mainline airlines. These regional brands are

693-458: A mainline or flagship airline's aircraft, while in actuality they are far from it. Sub-branding is pretty consistent throughout the airline industry of the United States, with all the regional airlines, mainline airlines, and the regional airline holding companies, as well as the mainline airlines holding companies participating. On Feb 12th, 2010, a year after the crash of Colgan flight 3407 , Frontline premiered its WGA Award-winning exposé on

792-422: A new era of major airlines expanding to operate networks with large footprints. The development of long-range aircraft operated by flag carriers like British Overseas Airways Corporation and Trans-Canada Airlines further normalized the capability of "far and wide" air travel among the traveling public. "Regional airline" is a flexible term whose meaning has changed substantially over time. What it means today

891-527: A new vision for regional mobility, based on services built out of small general aviation aircraft and VLJs (very light jets) with advanced automation. This vision failed to materialize due to its primary focus on rural mobility and a lack of clear and viable business case. With the introduction of air taxi services and very light jets , city pair links to smaller communities lacking regional connections could become more common. This opportunities could become commercially viable with advanced air mobility and

990-449: A nonstop to Chicago and American started flights to Dallas (and Chicago, for a short time). In September 1986, Ontario hosted the Concorde supersonic airliner during a promotional round-the-world flight. In 1981, a second east–west runway, 26L/8R, was built, necessitating the removal of the old NE-SW runway 3/21. Remnants of the 3/21 runway are visible in the present-day taxiways. With

1089-557: A number of nearby airports: Redlands Municipal Airport , Chino Airport , Brackett Field in La Verne , Cable Airport in Upland , or San Bernardino International Airport . Ontario has few noise restrictions/abatement rules, unlike other Southern California airports, such as John Wayne Airport , Hollywood Burbank Airport (Bob Hope), Long Beach Airport , and San Diego International Airport , which all have very strict policies. The airport

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1188-463: A number of years, the airport operated alongside Ontario Air National Guard Station , which was closed as a result of the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission . In 1998, the new and larger airport terminal opened, designed by DMJM Aviation . Two older terminals, west of the current terminal, the main terminal and a small terminal were discontinued when the new Terminal 2 and Terminal 4 facilities were opened. The old terminals currently house

1287-637: 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. In May 2010, ExpressJet began operating Branson Air Express , non-stop air service between Branson, Missouri and Houston, Texas ; Austin, Texas ; Nashville, Tennessee ; Des Moines, Iowa ; Shreveport, Louisiana and Terre Haute, Indiana ; Chicago Midway and Indianapolis . ExpressJet's last flight operating under Branson Air Express

1386-418: 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 bankruptcy on August 22, 2022. Although Chapter 11

1485-646: A separate adjacent international arrivals facility with 2 arrival-only gates, totaling 28 gates. Terminal 2 has 265,000 sq ft (24,600 m ) and 12 gates. Alaska Airlines , Avianca El Salvador , China Airlines , Delta Air Lines , Frontier Airlines , JetBlue , United Airlines , and Volaris are located in Terminal 2. Terminal 4 has 265,000 sq ft (24,600 m ) and 14 gates. American Airlines , Hawaiian Airlines , and Southwest Airlines are located in Terminal 4. The international arrivals facility has two gates for arrivals only, containing

1584-544: A single Boeing 777. The airline requested a 90 day extension to its Air Operator Certificate's revocation-for-dormancy date while it works to submit its formal intent to resume operations. The aircraft ExpressJet plans to use is a former Japan Airlines aircraft owned by Logistic Air. The airline estimates it will take nearly $ 2 million to finalize its relaunch. In November 2023, the company requested to have its operating certificate changed from Part 121 domestic to Part 121 supplemental authority. The new air operator's certificate

1683-408: A strong entrepreneurial sector of independents. They are based on business models ranging from the traditional full service airline to low cost carriers . Innovations include one where the passenger is required to join a membership club before being allowed to fly. Some examples of European regional airlines include: India has many regional carriers operating currently. Some of these operate under

1782-478: 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

1881-426: Is allowed to operate 24/7, but during the hours of 22:00 to 07:00, all aircraft must arrive from the east on runway 26L or 26R and take off to the east on runway 8R or 8L, depending on ATC instruction. This procedure is known as "Contra-Flow" operations and applies to turbojet or turbofan aircraft. This procedure is similar to the one employed by LAX, where all landings are conducted from the east and all takeoffs are to

1980-655: Is common in the U.S. to incorrectly associate aircraft size with the Department of Transportation's designation of major, national, and regional airline. The only corollary is the Regional Airline Association, an industry trade group, defines "regional airlines" generally as "...operat(ing) short and medium haul scheduled airline service connecting smaller communities with larger cities and connecting hubs. The airlines' fleet primarily consists of 19 to 68 seat turboprops and 30 to 100 seat regional jets." To be clear there

2079-597: Is different than how it has been used in the past. For instance, in the United States, around 1960, the term “regional carrier” denoted the smaller eight of the 12 largest carriers, then known as trunk carriers (or trunk airlines or simply trunks). At the time the four biggest airlines in the United States were known as the Big Four, comprising American , United , TWA and Eastern Air Lines . The other eight trunk carriers were Braniff , Capital , Continental , Delta , National , Northeast , Northwest and Western . Since, at

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2178-584: Is expected to be approved by mid 2024. As of June 2022, prior to the closure of all operations, the ExpressJet fleet consisted of the following aircraft: ExpressJet previously operated Bombardier CRJ200 , CRJ700 , CRJ900 , Embraer ERJ 145, and Embraer 175 aircraft for American Eagle , United Express and Delta Connection . ExpressJet has its headquarters in College Park, Georgia , in Greater Atlanta . ExpressJet previously had its headquarters in

2277-500: Is fully owned by American Airlines Group and does business as American Eagle . Many of these large regional airlines have joined the lobbying group Regional Airline Association . This association lobbies purely for the financial interest of the corporate bodies it constitutes, not the employees of those airlines. In Canada there are a number of regional airlines. Some of them focus on Canadian Arctic and First Nations communities, while others operate regional flights on behalf of

2376-555: Is located about 38 miles (61 km) east of downtown Los Angeles, 18 miles (29 km) west of downtown San Bernardino , and 14 miles (23 km) northwest of downtown Riverside . Motorists can use the San Bernardino Freeway ( Interstate 10 ), Ontario Freeway ( Interstate 15 ), or the Pomona Freeway ( State Route 60 ). Omnitrans , San Bernardino County's main public transportation agency, operates three routes near

2475-469: Is longer than three of the four runways at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), it is an alternate landing site for large aircraft destined for LAX. In 1923, a landing field was established east of Central Avenue (3 mi (4.8 km) west of the current airport) on land leased from the Union Pacific Railroad . The airfield was named Latimer Field after an orange-packing company next to

2574-428: Is no distinction in the Department of Transportation definition of major, national and regional airlines by aircraft size. The definition is based on revenue. The clash of definitions has led to confusion in the media and the public. Beginning around 1985, a number of trends have become apparent. Regional aircraft are getting larger, faster, and are flying longer ranges. Additionally, the vast majority of regionals within

2673-475: Is owned and operated under a joint-powers agreement with the city of Ontario and San Bernardino County. The airport covers 1,741 acres (705 ha) and has two parallel runways . It is the West Coast air and truck hub for UPS Airlines and is a major distribution point for FedEx Express . As of September 2018 , ONT has more than 64 daily departures and arrivals. Since Ontario's longest runway (runway 8L/26R)

2772-404: Is typically used as protection while a debtor restructures, ExpressJet ceased all flight operations with plans to liquidate its assets. In early 2023, ExpressJet's assets were purchased by the company that owns Logistic Air , a Nevada-based lessor and aviation solutions provider, and Global Supertanker Aviation, LLC . In July 2023, the carrier announced its intentions to restart operations with

2871-932: The American Eagle brand. 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. As talks with United Airlines of a potential purchase gained momentum in August 2017, Delta Air Lines terminated its contract with ExpressJet. The fleet of CRJ900 aircraft it operated (but were owned by Delta) were transferred to Endeavor Air . American Airlines terminated their contract with ExpressJet in May 2018, marking ExpressJet's permanent exit from American Eagle -branded flights as of January 5, 2019. In late 2018, it

2970-652: The Civil Aeronautics Board from 1943 to 1950 include: A history and study of regional airlines was published by the Smithsonian Institution Press in 1994 under the title Commuter Airlines of the United States , by R.E.G. Davies and I. E. Quastler . Since the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, the US federal government has continued support of the regional airline sector to ensure many of

3069-583: The Delta Connection brand from 2007 through 2008 and again from 2012 through 2018. Service as American Eagle was flown between 2012 and 2019 and service under the United Express brand began in 2009. ExpressJet also flew an independent operation under their own brand in 2007 through 2008. When Continental Airlines merged into United Airlines in 2012, the Continental Express operations were added to

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3168-471: 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 . The airline was established in 1986 and started operations in 1987. Its origins were in

3267-507: The Works Progress Administration . The 6,200 ft (1,900 m) east–west runway and the 4,700 ft (1,400 m) northeast–southwest runway cost $ 350,000 (equivalent to $ 6,530,000 in 2023). On 27 February 1942, an Army Air Corps plane made the first landing at the new airport. By 1943, the airport was an Army Air Corps Lockheed P-38 Lightning training base and North American P-51 Mustang operating base. After

3366-410: The aircraft livery for the company they are operating flights for. These airlines can be subsidiaries of the major airline or fly under a code sharing agreement or operating through capacity purchase agreements, with the mainline parent company financing the aircraft for the regional airline, and then placing the aircraft with the regional for very little cost. An example would be Envoy Air , which

3465-425: The 19 passenger Embraer/FMA CBA 123 Vector and the 34 seat Dornier 328 were undertaken, but met little financial success, partly due to economic downturn in the airline industry resulting from the outbreak of hostilities when Iraq invaded Kuwait . Many of the regional airlines operating turboprop equipment such as Delta 's regional sister Comair airlines in the United States set the course for bypassing entirely

3564-475: The Los Angeles regional airports system in 1967. In 1968, the airport had its first scheduled jet flights. In 1969, Continental Airlines started Boeing 720B nonstops to Denver and Chicago; Air California started Boeing 737 flights to San Jose ; Pacific Southwest Airlines started San Francisco flights; and Western began 737 nonstops to Sacramento and Salt Lake City . In 1970, United Airlines started

3663-607: The North Belt Office Center IV, a building in the Greens Crossing office park, a 484-acre (1.96 km) mixed-use office park; the office park is in the Greenspoint area of Houston . ExpressJet was one of three tenants that leased space in the two-building, 107,200-square-foot (9,960 m) North Belt Office Center complex, which includes buildings III and IV. FORT Properties manages both buildings. ExpressJet uses

3762-544: 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 (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

3861-673: 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,

3960-489: The United Express service. 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

4059-497: The United States and the Orient." In 1949, Western Airlines began scheduled flights; in 1955, Bonanza Air Lines flights started. Western and Bonanza nonstops did not reach beyond Las Vegas . In 1962, Western began nonstop flights to San Francisco (one Electra daily). In 1967, Bonanza began nonstop F27 flights to Phoenix . Ontario and Los Angeles entered into a joint-powers agreement, making Ontario International Airport part of

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4158-606: The United States with more than ten aircraft within their fleet, have lost their individual identities and now serve only as feeders, to Alaska Airlines , American Airlines , Delta Air Lines , or United Airlines major hubs. Regional aircraft in the US have been getting slightly more comfortable with the addition of better ergonomically designed aircraft cabins , and the addition of varying travel classes aboard these aircraft. From small, less than 50-seat "single-class cabin" turboprop , to turbofan regional jet equipment, present day regional airlines provide aircraft such as

4257-429: The United States, are: Mainline carrier-owned Independent contractors The evolution and chronological history of the commuter side of the regional airline industry can be defined by a number of dates prior to the end of the era of airline regulation by the Civil Aeronautics Board of the United States. Among these significant dates are: List of Commuter Airlines in 1977 Prior to Airline Deregulation: Some of

4356-635: The administration and the USO. In 2005 and 2006, runway 26R/8L was repaved and strengthened, and received storm drains and better runway lighting, and additional improvements to taxiway intersections were made. In 2006, Ontario International Airport became LA/Ontario International Airport . The "LA" portion was added to remind fliers of Greater Los Angeles and to avoid confusion with the province of Ontario in Canada. The airport's traffic peaked in 2005 with 7.2 million passengers, and remained steady through 2007. Around

4455-471: The advent of jet airliners and high-speed, long-range air service, commercial aviation was structured similarly to rail transport networks. In this era, technological limitations on air navigation and propeller-driven aircraft performance imposed strict constraints on the potential length of each flight; some routes covered less than 100 miles (160 km). As such, airlines structured their services along point-to-point routes with many stops between

4554-445: 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,

4653-586: The airline agreed to provide feeder service for Frontier Airlines from Denver International Airport 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

4752-550: The airline elected to operate the aircraft independently. On December 31, 2006, the airline began its charter operation. It operated 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 regions of the United States beginning in April 2007. On April 2, 2007, the airline began point-to-point services under its own name to locations throughout

4851-404: The airline hub. Initially these tie ups tended to use small 15 -19 seat aircraft, which did not have a reputation of passenger comfort, or safe reliable operations, by small often under capitalized tiny airline operators. To create a common tie and what appeared to be seamless to the air traveler, major carriers marketed in advertising and soon had much smaller airlines paint their small and what

4950-527: The airline is the only reasonable link to a larger town. Examples of this are PenAir , which links the remote Aleutian Islands to Anchorage, Alaska , and Mokulele Airlines , which operates in the Hawaiian islands. As an affiliated airline , contracting with a major airline , operating under their brand name (for example, Endeavor Air operates flights under the Delta Connection brand name for Delta Air Lines ), and filling two roles: delivering passengers to

5049-577: The airport are currently in the process of trying to implement a tunnel with autonomous, zero-emission vehicles on an "on-demand" basis from the Metrolink San Bernardino Line 's Rancho Cucamonga station to Ontario International Airport. Initially, The Boring Company proposed constructing a single 2.8-mile (4.5 km) tunnel similar to the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop that would cost $ 60 million. However,

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5148-419: The airport's U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility. International flights depart from the main terminals. Avianca , China Airlines , and Volaris are the only airlines with international arrivals that operate this terminal. A USO is housed in the old terminal complex near the international arrivals facility. Remote parking is located on the east end of the airport (moved from its former location at

5247-575: The airport, which the Ontario city council had authorized the $ 50,000 purchase of just the previous week. City officials were pleased to have secured a bargain. Thought to be the only pair available in the U.S., City Manager Harold J. Martin observed that even if they could be acquired at a later date, the cost would be several times that afforded by prompt action. A Pacific Overseas Airlines flight from Shanghai arrived at Ontario on 18 May 1946, "which inaugurated regular round-trip air passenger service between

5346-1031: The airport. The airport's continuing traffic decline reversed in early 2017, when the airport experienced faster growth than LAX for the first time since 2007. On September 30, 2017, it was announced that China Airlines would begin nonstop flights from Ontario to Taipei, which started in spring 2018. On July 14, 2023, New Pacific Airlines (formerly known as Northern Pacific Airways) commenced operations and made its first flight to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas , Nevada , and started flights to Reno–Tahoe International Airport , also in Nevada, and Nashville International Airport in Tennessee . Also on that day, Volaris added flights to El Salvador. On January 1, 2024, they ended flights to Las Vegas and subsequently discontinued all scheduled service altogether. Ontario International Airport has two terminals with 26 gates and

5445-461: The airport. A group of local government officials, led by Ontario city council member Alan Wapner, began a campaign to transfer control of the airport away from Los Angeles World Airports . Wapner argued that the City of Los Angeles had no interest in maintaining service at an airport well beyond its borders. In 2013, LAWA offered to return the airport to local control for a purchase price of $ 474M, which

5544-573: The airport. Route 380, also called ONT Connect, provides non-stop daily service every 35 to 60 minutes between the airport and Rancho Cucamonga station , where passengers can connect to Metrolink's San Bernardino Line , which operates daily with service to Los Angeles Union Station . Route 61 operates daily between Pomona–Downtown station , Ontario station , the airport, and Fontana station . Both routes 61 and 380 operate from stops located east of baggage claim at terminals 2 and 4. Route 81 operates Monday through Saturday on Haven Avenue which runs along

5643-585: The airport. Upon transfer of ownership, the airport would be operated by the Ontario International Airport Authority, formed under a joint-powers agreement between the city of Ontario and San Bernardino County". The Ontario International Airport Authority took over control of operations in November 2016, and the airport's operating name was reverted to Ontario International Airport, since the City of Los Angeles no longer oversaw operations of

5742-672: The airstrip. An airport was built there by one of the first flying clubs in Southern California, the Friends of Ontario Airport. In 1929, the city of Ontario purchased 30 acres (12 ha), now in the southwest corner of the airport, for $ 12,000 (equivalent to $ 213,000 in 2023), and established the Ontario Municipal Airport . In 1941, the city bought 470 acres (190 ha) around the airport and approved construction of new runways, which were completed by 1942, with funds from

5841-400: The branded operation. The service ended on September 2, 2008. In March 2007, ExpressJet operated four of its Embraer ERJ 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 under the Delta Connection banner using 10 ERJ 145 aircraft. In July 2007,

5940-407: The completion of the new runway, the existing runway 25/7 became 26R/8L. In 1985, the city of Los Angeles acquired Ontario International Airport outright from the city of Ontario. In 1987, Runway 26R/8L was extended to the east to bring the two runway thresholds side by side, so aircraft would be higher over neighborhoods. 26R/8L became the main departing runway and 26L/8R the main arrival runway. For

6039-519: The demand of long-range passenger traffic, new and small airlines found niches flying between short and under-served routes to-and-from major airports and more rural destinations. Through the 1960s and 1970s, war surplus designs (notably, the Douglas DC-3 ) were replaced by higher-performance turboprop or jet -powered designs like the Fokker F27 Friendship and BAC One-Eleven . This extended

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6138-520: The eastern edge of the airport between Chaffey College and Ontario–East station , where passengers can connect to Metrolink's Riverside Line , which operates during weekday peak periods. As a cost-effective solution compared to the proposed extension of the Foothill Extension project from Montclair Transcenter to Ontario International Airport, estimated at around $ 1-1.5 billion, the SBCTA and

6237-415: 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. On November 12, 2010, the airline was purchased by SkyWest, Inc. (the parent company of SkyWest Airlines ,

6336-567: 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 led by United CSA David Knowles and Lead Ramp Serviceman Johnny Dortch at MEM arranged for

6435-545: The government's UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme) . Note:- Alliance Air is still a state-owned airline, whereas Air India is private. Australia has an association for regional airline, the Regional Aviation of Australia. More than 2 million passengers and 23 million kg of cargo are involved each year. Post airline deregulation, airlines sought added market share and to do this they sought partnerships with regional and small airlines to feed traffic into

6534-416: The higher capacity CRJ700 , CRJ900 , CRJ1000 series of aircraft and the somewhat larger fuselage Embraer E-Jets . Some of these newer aircraft are capable of flying longer distances with comfort levels that rival and surpass the regional airline equipment of the past. In the early 1990s, much more advanced turboprop-powered, fuel efficient, and passenger friendly DC-3 type replacement projects such as

6633-532: The industry entitled "Flying Cheap". In the program, reporter Miles O'Brien questioned how the impact of low salaries are having on pilot psyches and how safe this could be for the flying public. When asked to respond to the question, Roger Cohen, president of the Regional Airline Association, told Frontline that, "...there are many other people who earn less money than that and work more days in these communities that can afford it and do it and do it responsibly." The Small Aircraft Transportation System outlined

6732-461: The introduction of electric aircraft. In some parts of the world, regional airlines face competition from high-speed rail and also coach (bus) services with airlines sometimes replacing feeder services through air rail alliances and contracts with bus companies (e.g., Landline between Philadelphia International Airport and Atlantic City International Airport ). In North America , regional airlines are operated primarily to bring passengers to

6831-516: 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

6930-631: The lesser known smaller brands used by the regional airlines and their parent companies were: European regional airlines serve the intra-continental sector in Europe . They connect cities to major airports and to other cities, avoiding the need for passengers to make transfers. For example, BA CityFlyer a regional subsidiary of British Airways uses the basic Chatham Dockyard Union Flag livery of its parent company and flies between domestic and European cities. Some of Europe's regional airlines are subsidiaries of national air carriers, though there remains

7029-667: The livery of Air France . NLM 's KLM style branding does however pre-date the Air France efforts though by a number of years. The success of the "rebranding" or "pseudo branding" of a much smaller airline into the name recognition of a much larger one soon became clear as passenger numbers soared at Air Alpes, and it was soon decided to paint other aircraft such as the Fokker F-27 into full Air France colours as well. Many airline passengers find sub-branding very confusing, while many other airline passengers are content to think they are on

7128-551: The location due to the proximity to George Bush Intercontinental Airport and to Continental Center I , the Continental Airlines 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. [REDACTED] Media related to ExpressJet at Wikimedia Commons Regional airline Decades before

7227-680: The mainline airline's sub-brand livery. For example, United Express regional airline partner CommutAir branded its entire fleet as United Express. On the other hand, regional airline Gulfstream International Airlines did not brand their aircraft. When Colgan Air was still operating, they branded a handful of aircraft as Colgan Air, but most were branded as Continental Connection , US Airways Express or United Express , with whom it had contractual agreements. 21st century regional airlines are commonly organized in one of two ways. Operating as an independent airline under their own brand, mostly providing service to small and isolated towns, for whom

7326-410: The mainline airlines, in terms of revenue, many would be designated major airline carrier status based on the only actual definition of "major airline," in the United States, the definition from the U.S. Department of Transportation. This definition is based solely on annual revenue and not on any other criterion such as average aircraft seating capacity, pilot pay, or number of aircraft in the fleet. It

7425-439: The major airline's hubs from surrounding towns, and increasing frequency of service on mainline routes during times when demand does not warrant use of large aircraft, known as commuter flights . One of the first independently owned and managed airlines in the world that rebranded its aircraft to match a larger airline's brand was Air Alpes of France. During 1974, Air Alpes painted its newly delivered short range regional jets in

7524-477: The major airlines. LA/Ontario International Airport Ontario International Airport ( IATA : ONT , ICAO : KONT , FAA LID : ONT ) is an international airport 2 mi (3.2 km) east of downtown Ontario , in San Bernardino County, California , United States, about 38 mi (61 km) east of downtown Los Angeles and 18 mi (29 km) west of downtown San Bernardino . It

7623-501: The major hubs, where they will connect for longer-distance flights on the national airlines also known as flagship carriers . The smallest regional carriers have become known as feeder airlines. The separate corporate structure allows the company to operate under different pay schedules, typically paying much less than their mainline owners. Many large North American airlines, have established operational relationships with one or more regional airline companies. Their aircraft often use

7722-415: The originating and terminating air terminals. This system of air transportation effectively forced most airlines to be "regional" in nature, but the lack of distinction among carriers soon began to change with the 1929 launch of Transcontinental Air Transport (T-A-T) in the United States. T-A-T's transcontinental "Lindbergh Line" became America's first contiguous coast-to-coast air service, and it ushered in

7821-520: 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. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation , on July 30, 2020, it was announced that United Airlines decided to end its contract with ExpressJet and transfer these operations to fellow United Express affiliate CommutAir . CommutAir would become

7920-494: The range of the regionals dramatically, causing a wave of consolidations between the now overlapping airlines. In the United States, regional airlines were an important building block of today's passenger air system. The U.S. Government encouraged the forming of regional airlines to provide services from smaller communities to larger towns, where air passengers could connect to a larger network. The original regional airlines (then known as " Local service carriers ") sanctioned by

8019-888: The regional turboprops as they became the first to transition to an all-jet regional jet fleet. To a lesser extent in Europe and the United Kingdom this transition, to notably the Embraer or Canadair designs, was well advanced by the late 1990s. This evolution towards jet equipment, brought the independent regional airlines into direct competition with the major airlines, forcing additional consolidation. To improve on their market penetration, larger airline holding companies rely on operators of smaller aircraft to provide service or added frequency service to some airports. Such airlines, often operating in code-share arrangements with mainline airlines, often completely repaint [1] their aircraft fleet in

8118-462: The smaller and more isolated rural communities remain connected to air services. This is encouraged with the Essential Air Service program that subsidizes airline service to smaller U.S. communities and suburban centers, aiming to maintain year-round service. Although regional airlines in the United States are often viewed as small, not particularly lucrative "no name" subsidiaries of

8217-565: The sole operator of the United Express 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,

8316-525: The term has been stretched beyond the point of utility. For instance, in a 1983 article about PBA, Provincetown-Boston Airlines , both Air New England and Air Florida are described as regional airlines. At the time, Air New England was a recently-failed turboprop operator in the northeast USA, while Air Florida was a jet carrier flying from Florida to the northeast, to Latin America and Europe. The two airlines had little in common. As flag carriers grew to fill

8415-462: The time of the 2008 financial crisis , JetBlue suspended service to ONT, and major legacy carriers significantly decreased their passenger volume at the airport. Southwest Airlines transferred a significant portion of its Ontario capacity to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), making LAX fares more competitive with ONT, while being coupled with more attractive frequencies and a wider range of destinations. The surrounding Inland Empire region

8514-466: The time, none of these eight had a network approaching the scale of the Big Four, they were known as the regional carriers. This was despite the existence, at the time, of 13 smaller United States scheduled carriers known as local service carriers whose service was arguably far more regional than the “regional” trunks. So when reading historical sources, it’s important to understand that the term "regional airline" has migrated greatly over time. Sometimes

8613-576: The war, it was one of the five large storage, sales, and scrapping centers for Army Air Forces aircraft established by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation ; others were at Albuquerque AAF , New Mexico ; Altus AAF , Oklahoma ; Kingman AAF , Arizona ; and Walnut Ridge AAF , Arkansas . In 1946, Ontario Municipal Airport was renamed "Ontario International Airport" because of the trans-Pacific cargo flights originating there. On 17 May 1946, two Army surplus steel hangars arrived at

8712-456: The west (known as "over-ocean" operations) between 00:00 and 06:30. Both of these procedures are employed as long as weather and/or construction activity permits. This is done in an effort to be better neighbors and minimize the noise impact to the surrounding communities as much as possible. Residents of cities west of the airport have complained of increased noise as a result of the airport's refusal to abide by noise abatement rules. The airport

8811-402: The west end). On the east end is a ground transportation center that consolidates the rental car companies in one central location. The Omnitrans 61 bus traverses the airport, providing connections to each of the terminals, rental car and remote parking lots, and public transit stops. General aviation is located at the south side of the airport, although most general-aviation pilots tend to use

8910-543: 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 as the minority (49.9%) owner. January 2019 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 Embraer 175 aircraft to ExpressJet for United Express operations beginning in April 2019. February 2020 United Airlines announced

9009-556: 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 ”.) ASA had been a Delta Connection feeder carrier prior which reinstated ExpressJet as Delta Connection in 2012. On November 15, 2012, ExpressJet added feeder operations for American Airlines under

9108-528: Was hit hard by the financial crisis, with the nearby city of San Bernardino declaring bankruptcy. The airport suffered a 40% decline in traffic between 2007 and 2012, during which time traffic at LAX recovered to surpass prerecession levels. Ownership and control of the airport became an issue in late 2010, when the city of Ontario, supported by the Southern California Association of Governments , criticized and questioned LAWA's operation of

9207-562: 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. 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

9306-407: Was later acquired by Continental Airlines. ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. incorporated in 1995. 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

9405-401: Was often described as puddle-jumper aircraft, in the image and branding colors of the much larger mainline partner. This was to give the appearance of reliability. Over time these regional aircraft grew in size as airline hubs expanded and competition dwindled among the major carriers. Below is a list of many of the regional brands that evolved when regional airlines were advertised to look like

9504-529: Was on October 30, 2010. ExpressJet began a temporary contract with United Airlines 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

9603-580: Was only 40% in 2000. The formerly small regional airlines have grown substantially, through mergers or by the use of a holding company, as pioneered by AMR Corporation in 1982. AMR created the AMR Eagle Holding Corporation which unified its wholly owned American Eagle Airlines and Executive Airlines under one division, but still maintained the regional airlines' operating certificates and personnel separate from each other and American Airlines . The most significant regional airlines in

9702-458: 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

9801-453: Was rejected. Local groups then sued the city of Los Angeles, a suit that was temporarily suspended when both sides agreed to attempt to work together. In 2015, Los Angeles World Airports agreed to turn over ownership of Ontario Airport to the city of Ontario. LAWA was "to be reimbursed for its investments in the facility, job protection for the facility's 182 employees and the settlement of a lawsuit in which Ontario sought to regain control of

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