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SkyWest Airlines

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This article is about the North American airline. For Skywest Airlines in Australia, see Skywest Airlines.
SkyWest Airlines
IATA ICAO Call sign
OO SKW SKYWEST
Founded1972
Hubs

As American Eagle:

As SkyWest Airlines/Alaska Airlines:

As Delta Connection:

As United Express:

As US Airways Express:

Frequent-flyer programAAdvantage
(American Airlines)
Mileage Plan
(Alaska Airlines)
SkyMiles
(Delta Connection)
MileagePlus
(United Express)
Dividend Miles
(US Airways Express)
AllianceSkyTeam (Delta)
Star Alliance (United, US Airways)
Fleet size322
Destinations169
Parent companySkyWest, Inc.
HeadquartersSt. George, Utah, USA[1]
Key peopleJerry Atkin (CEO)
Websitehttp://www.skywest.com
SkyWest Airlines headquarters in St. George, Utah
Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia in SkyWest livery.
SkyWest Bombardier CRJ-200 at O'Hare International Airport.
Delta Connection Bombardier CRJ-200 operated by SkyWest at Minneapolis-St Paul
An Alaska Skywest CRJ-700 operated by SkyWest at Sea-Tac Airport

SkyWest Airlines is a North American airline owned by SkyWest, Inc. and headquartered in St. George, Utah, USA. Financially speaking,[2] and according to the Airlines for America definitions,[3] SkyWest Airlines is a North American major airline. SkyWest however, operates on a regional airline level and is a member of the Regional Airline Association.[1][4][5] SkyWest Airlines flies to 169 cities, in 37 States, Washington D.C., 5 Canadian Provinces and 2 cities in Mexico. The airline serves as a feeder airline, operating under contract with various major carriers. It flies as SkyWest Airlines in a partnership with United Express on behalf of United Airlines, as US Airways Express on behalf of US Airways, as Delta Connection on behalf of Delta Air Lines.[6] SkyWest announced that it will fly in a partnership with American Eagle on behalf of American Airlines which will commence on November 15, 2012.[7]

As of September 2012, SkyWest employs over 10,000 people throughout North America. The airline averages 1,724 departures a day, with 1,037 operating as United Express, 526 operating as Delta Connection, 91 operating as US Airways Express, 46 operating as American Eagle and 24 operating as Alaska Airlines. In total, SkyWest carried 24.5 million passengers in 2011.[6] The current President and CEO of SkyWest Inc. is Jerry Atkin, with Chip Childs as President and Chief Operating Officer of SkyWest Airlines.[8][9]

History

Frustrated by the limited extent of existing air service, Ralph Atkin, a St. George, Utah lawyer, purchased Dixie Airlines to shuttle businessmen to Salt Lake City in 1972.[10] After early struggles, SkyWest began steady expansion across the Western US. It became the eleventh largest regional carrier in 1984 when it acquired Sun Aire Lines of Palm Springs, California, and had its initial public offering in 1986.[11]

In 1985, SkyWest began codesharing as Western Express, a feeder service for Western Airlines at its Salt Lake City hub, later acquired by Delta. In 1995, SkyWest began operating flights for Continental Airlines out of LAX. The relationship was discontinued two years later when SkyWest began flying for United Airlines. SkyWest's United Express flights out of LAX, SFO, and DEN became its largest operation by the late 1990s. A partnership with Continental was revived in 2003 out of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, but was discontinued in June 2005. On August 15, 2005, Delta announced that it was selling Atlantic Southeast Airlines to the newly incorporated SkyWest, Inc. for $425 million in cash. The acquisition was completes on September 8, 2005.

On August 4, 2010, SkyWest Inc. announced that it planned to acquire ExpressJet Airlines and merge it with SkyWest subsidiary Atlantic Southeast Airlines in a deal reported to have a value of $133 million. The purchase aligned the largest commuter operations of United and Continental Airlines, who were in a merger process, and was approved on September 13, 2010 by the Federal Trade Commission.[12]

In February 2011, Alaska Airlines announced SkyWest would be replacing six Horizon Air flights on the West Coast beginning May 14. The flights were scheduled to base out of Seattle and Portland and fly to several California cities including Fresno, Burbank, Santa Barbara and Ontario. Alaska Airlines has similar agreements with PenAir for Alaskan flights and Horizon Air for flights in the lower 48.[13]

In June 2011, AirTran Airways announced that it would end codesharing and partnership with SkyWest effective September 6, 2011.[14] Two months later, SkyWest announced a codesharing agreement with US Airways, effective early to mid 2012, to operateCRJ-200 aircraft from US Airways' hub in Phoenix, Ariz.[15]

In September 2012, SkyWest announced that it would begin a capacity purchase agreement with American Airlines for 12 CRJ-200 aircraft from American's hub in Los Angeles, California effective November 15, 2012.[16]


Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said on Thursday it sealed an agreement to sell 100 of its regional jets to US airline operator SkyWest for USD$4.2 billion.

Delivery of the planes will start in 2017.

Mitsubishi Heavy said SkyWest has the option to purchase an additional 100 of the 90-seater MRJ planes for USD$4.2 billion.

Destinations

Main article: SkyWest Airlines destinations

SkyWest flies to 169 destinations throughout North America including Denver International Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Portland International Airport.[6]

Fleet

As of December 2012, the SkyWest fleet consists of the following aircraft:[6][17][18]

Type Total Orders Passengers Livery Notes
F Y+ Y Total
Embraer EMB 120ER Brasilia 42 — — — 30 30 (24) United Express, (18) SkyWest Airlines
Bombardier CRJ100ER 7 — — — 50 50 (4) Delta Connection, (2) United Express,
(1) SkyWest Airlines
Bombardier CRJ200ER 150 (49) Delta Connection, (66) United Express,
(14) US Airways Express, (2) American Eagle,
(19) SkyWest Airlines 		9 additional planes to be converted to American Eagle by end of Q1 2013[19][20]
Bombardier CRJ700ER 6 — — — 70 70 Alaska Airlines [21]
18 9 — 56 65 Delta Connection
70 6 28 32 66 United Express
Bombardier CRJ900 29 — 9 — 67 76 Delta Connection
Mitsubishi MRJ901 [22] — 100 TBA TBA Entry into service 2017
Total 322 100
Notes
  • ^1 These are replacement aircraft on order by the parent company, SkyWest, Inc., and may be split between its two subsidiaries, SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet.

Accidents and incidents

  • January 15, 1990: SkyWest Airlines Flight 5855, a Fairchild Metro collided with terrain during an instrument approach to Elko, Nevada. There were 4 serious and 9 minor injuries.
  • February 1, 1991: SkyWest Airlines Flight 5569, a Fairchild Metro was awaiting departure clearance on an active runway at Los Angeles for a scheduled flight between Los Angeles and Palmdale when USAir Flight 1493 arriving from Columbus, Ohio collided with it while it was landing. Skywest 5569 was directed to move onto runway 24L for takeoff and hold in position at the intersection of taxiway 45. US1493 was cleared to land on 24L one minute later by the same local controller. One minute later, the 737 touched down, then landed on the SkyWest Metro, which was still holding in position 2400' from the runway threshold. The two planes slid down the runway, then off to the side, coming to rest against an unoccupied firehouse, and burst into flames. All 12 people on the Metro were killed (10 passengers and 2 pilots), and 22 of the 89 aboard the 737 perished (20 passengers, 1 pilot and 1 flight attendant).
  • May 21, 1997: SkyWest Flight 724, an Embraer EMB-120, N198SW, experienced a total loss of engine power to the right engine and associated engine fire, followed by a total loss of all airplane hydraulic systems, after takeoff from San Diego International-Lindbergh Field, San Diego, California. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The 2 pilots, 1 flight attendant, and 14 passengers were not injured. Skywest Airlines, Inc., was operating the airplane as a scheduled, domestic, passenger flight under 14 CFR Part 121. The flight was destined for Los Angeles, California. It diverted to Miramar NAS, San Diego, where it landed at 14:27 military time. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and an IFR flight plan was filed.
  • May 26, 2007: SkyWest Airlines flight 5741, an Embraer 120, was involved in a serious runway incursion when the plane nearly collided with Republic Airlines flight 4912, an Embraer 170, on intersecting runways at San Francisco. There were no reported injuries to passengers and no reported damage to either aircraft. According to the NTSB the FAA traffic controller was at fault and the aircraft were between 50 and 300 feet apart.
  • January 13, 2008: A United Airlines Boeing 757 jet with maintenance workers on board at San Francisco International Airport backed into SkyWest Airlines Flight 6398, a Bombardier CRJ700 carrying 60 passengers and crew. The collision occurred at 7:30 p.m. as the 757 was being taken out of service and being moved without passengers from Gate 80 to a hangar for the night. The passengers on board the SkyWest plane were taken off the plane, which had left its gate and was waiting to depart to Boise, Idaho. Both planes suffered tail and engine damage, but no one on board either plane was injured.[24]
  • September 7, 2008: SkyWest Airlines flight 6430, a Bombardier CRJ700 operating as a United Express flight from Los Angeles, California ran off a runway after landing in San Antonio, Texas. An airport spokesman indicated that the aircraft appeared to be having mechanical difficulties, and resulted in the airport's primary runway being closed for two hours until the aircraft could be removed. No injuries were reported among the 52 passengers and four crew members on board.[25][26]
  • July 17, 2012: A SkyWest Bombardier CRJ200 d/b/a Delta Connection liveried[29] aircraft was commandeered by a SkyWest employee on leave, and substantially damaged at the Saint George Municipal Airport in St. George, Utah, USA. The plane was stolen, then moved to the parking lot from the terminal. The individual who stole it eventually died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.[30]

References

  1. ^ a b "SkyWest Airlines - General Information". SkyWest Airlines. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  2. ^ "SkyWest 2nd Quarter Investor Release" (PDF). SkyWest Airlines. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  3. ^ Kaps, Robert (1997). Air Transport Labor Relations. Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 0-8093-1911-X.
  4. ^ "Regional Airline Association Member". RAA. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  5. ^ "Contact." SkyWest. Retrieved on October 16, 2011. "444 South River RoadSt. George, Utah 84790"
  6. ^ a b c d "SkyWest Airlines Fact Sheet". SkyWest Airlines. 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  7. ^ Associated, The (2012-09-12). "American Air signs deal to contract out some flying to SkyWest - Yahoo! News". News.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  8. ^ "Executive Profiles". Skywest.com. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  9. ^ "Executive Profiles". Skywest.com. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  10. ^ Arnoult, Sandra (April 2005). "SkyWest thrives on the Atkin diet". Air Transport World. Retrieved Feb 10th 2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  11. ^ "List of NASDAQ IPO dates". NASDAQ. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  12. ^ "FTC transaction granted (Early termination)" (PDF). FTC. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  13. ^ "Alaska Airlines Announces Routes, Schedule for New Partner". Alaska Airlines. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  14. ^ "Southwest to end AirTran's codesharing with SkyWest on Sept. 6 | Airline Biz Blog". Aviationblog.dallasnews.com. 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  15. ^ "Media Room" (PDF). Skywest.com. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
  16. ^ "SkyWest to do flying for American Airlines? | Airline Biz Blog". Aviationblog.dallasnews.com. 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  17. ^ "SkyWest Airlines Fleet". SkyWest Airlines. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  18. ^ "Skywest Airlines (USA)". ch-aviation.ch. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
  19. ^ "SkyWest and ExpressJet to fly as oneworld affiliates". Aviationblog.dallasnews.com. 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  20. ^ "SkyWest SkyWest To Fly as American Eagle". ainonline.com. 2012-09-12. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  21. ^ "SkyWest to operate five ex-Horizon CRJ700s for Alaska". Flightglobal.com. 2011-01-25. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  22. ^ Catts, Tim. "Mitsubishi Wins SkyWest Jet Sale in Blow to Bombardier". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  23. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II N163SW Kearns, UT". Aviation-safety.net. 1987-01-15. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  24. ^ Schevitz, Tanya (2008-01-14). "Jet backs into another at SFO - no injuries". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  25. ^ "United Express jet runs off San Antonio runway". WFAA. Associated Press. 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2008-09-09. [dead link‍]
  26. ^ Hradecky, Simon (2008-09-08). "Incident: Skywest CRJ7 at San Antonio on Sep 7th 2008, ran off runway". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  27. ^ "Skywest Flight Out Of SFO Makes Emergency Landing". KTVU. Bay City News. 2010-05-23. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
  28. ^ "SkyWest Confirms Information Regarding Flight #6467" (PDF). SkyWest Airlines. 2010-05-23. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
  29. ^ "Man tries to steal commercial jet, crashes into terminal, kills himself | National News - 960WELI - New Haven's News/Talk :: New Haven, CT". 960WELI. 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  30. ^ The Spectrum (Gannett), "Fugitive steals SkyWest jet, commits suicide at St. George airport", 17 July 2012 (accessed 17 July 2012)
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