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United Express

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United Express is a brand name under which seven regional airlines operate feeder flights for United Airlines. They primarily connect smaller cities with United's domestic hub airports and “focus cities”, and sometimes provide point-to-point service such as Sacramento to Eureka.

As of May 1, 2007, these carriers are the following:

Airline IATA ICAO Call Sign United flight number range Aircraft Operated
Chautauqua Airlines RP CHQ Chautauqua UA7775-7874 ER4
Colgan Air 9L CJC Colgan UA5200-5279 SF3
GoJet Airlines G7 GJS Lindbergh UA5550-5699 CR7
Mesa Airlines YV ASH Air Shuttle UA7000-7449 DH2, CRJ, CR7
Shuttle America S5 TCF Mercury UA7500-7774 E70
SkyWest Airlines OO SKW SkyWest UA5700-6999 EM2, CRJ, CR7
Trans States Airlines AX LOF Waterski UA7875-8099 ER4

The seven airlines are owned by five holding companies (Chautauqua and Shuttle America are part of Republic Airways Holdings; Trans States and GoJet are part of Trans States Holdings). Mesa Air Group owns Mesa Airlines while, Pinnacle Airlines Corp., parent company of similarly named, Pinnacle Airlines owns Colgan Air. SkyWest, Inc. is the holding company in control of SkyWest Airlines.

History

United Express CRJ-700 operated by GoJet Airlines

Major airlines in the United States had long maintained relationships with regional carriers which fed passengers from small markets to larger towns. The Airline Deregulation Act spurred industry consolidation both vertically and horizontally, and as the hub system became more pronounced, airlines formalized these relationships through code sharing, shared branding, and listing regional partners in computer reservations systems. By the mid-1980s, United was partners with Air Wisconsin, Aspen Airways, and WestAir, feeding its hubs at Chicago O'Hare, Denver Stapleton, and San Francisco International Airports. Air Wisconsin and Aspen would merge in 1991.

In 1988, Presidential Airways became a United Express carrier for United's new hub at Washington Dulles International Airport, but soon floundered. In response, WestAir formed an eastern division to serve Dulles. WestAir itself experienced turmoil; in 1991 it spun off the new division into an independent company, Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA), and the following year was acquired by Mesa Airlines.

In 1992 Great Lakes Airlines became a United Express partner, followed by Trans States Airlines the following year. In 1997, as United officially designated Los Angeles International Airport one of its hubs, SkyWest Airlines left Continental Airlines to become a United Express partner as well. Great Lakes left the United Express system in 2001, although it continues to codeshare some routes with United.

In 1993, Trans States Holdings started United Feeder Service, to operate British Aerospace BAe ATP aircraft for United Airlines. The aircraft, originally owned by Air Wisconsin, were transferred and subsequently owned by United. UFS operated routes to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) from close markets in the upper midwest of the United States. UFS was eliminated from the United Express carrier network in 1999, and disappeared.

When United declared bankruptcy in 2002, it pressured its regional partners for reduced fees. In 2004, ACA canceled its contract and reinvented itself as low-cost carrier Independence Air. The next year, Air Wisconsin canceled its flying contract but continued ground-handling United Express operations. To compensate, United has initiated new service agreements with Colgan Air, Trans States subsidiary GoJet Airlines, and Republic Airways Holdings subsidiaries Chautauqua Airlines and Shuttle America.

In 2005, United announced that service levels on major United Express routes would be upgraded to a new product called explus. Routes with explus service offer first class seats and meal service on larger, 70-seat Embraer 170 and 66-seat Bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft. Expanding the traditional regional partner role, United started to use the airplanes configured with explus amenities instead of, or alongside with, mainline jets on routes linking large cities, such as Chicago to Houston.

United announced a new Express focus city at San Antonio International Airport in 2006, but the experiment was short-lived.

New routes

In September 2007, United Express will return to Little Rock National Airport with service to Washington D.C. and Denver.

Also starting October 4, 2007 United Express will start service between Peoria, Illinois and Denver, Colorado.

Destinations

Operated by Chautauqua Airlines

Service to/from Chicago, Illinois – Chicago O'Hare International Airport:

Service to/from Washington, DC – Washington Dulles International Airport:

Operated by Colgan Air

Service to/from Washington, DC – Washington Dulles International Airport:

Operated by GoJet Airlines

Operated by Mesa Airlines

Operated by Shuttle America

Operated by SkyWest Airlines

Operated by Trans States Airlines

References

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