The vast airline networks of the United States are built on the regional connectivity provided by partner airlines which feed into their large hubs, where onward and international travel is possible.
Today there are hundreds of aircraft operating in these roles.
History of Regional Feeder Airlines
Eduard Marmet.Russavia at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
First pioneered by Allegheny Airlines when it rebranded as USAir in 1979, the carrier retained links with Allegheny Commuter – a small airline which fed passengers into its hubs from smaller airports. This was the first example of codesharing, and Allegheny Commuter grew to incorporate services by many other smaller airlines, all operating flights under the USAir Express banner.
Following the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act, the practice of providing these feeder services became common. Most of the larger airlines courted the services of smaller, independent airlines to feed passengers into hubs on their behalf.
[Airlines USA – Our 140-Page Guide for Airport Spotting Premium Members]
Regional Feeder Airlines in 2022
Today all of the major full service carriers utilise the services of other carriers under feeder brands. Often these other carriers will operate on behalf of multiple airlines, with parts of their fleet painted in the colours of one carrier, and others in the colours of another.
Unlike the small, independent operators of the 1970s and 80s, today the regional feeder providers are powerhouses in the industry, often with hundreds of aircraft and thousands of staff, and a widespread reach across the nation.
The main brands operating today are:
- Alaska Horizon/SkyWest Horizon
- American Eagle
- Delta Connection
- United Express
The other largest airlines in the United States are classified as low-cost- or ultra-low-cost-carriers and these typically do not utilise feeder carriers to feed their hubs as they tend to operate many more point-to-point services and fewer ‘frills’ like connections.
Regional Feeder Airlines and Fleets in 2022
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Horizon is the feeder brand for Alaska Airlines, serving its main hubs in:
- Portland, OR
- Seattle/Tacoma, WA
It is served by:
Horizon Air Q400 (c) William Musculus
Horizon Air (operating as Alaska Horizon)
- 29x Bombardier DHC-8-402/402NG
- 30x Embraer 175
SkyWest Airlines (operating as Alaska SkyWest)
- 33x Embraer 175 (+8 on order)
American Eagle
The feeder brand for American Airlines, American Eagle flights are operated by six different airlines at present, serving hubs in:
- Charlotte
- Chicago–O’Hare
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New York–JFK
- New York–LaGuardia
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix–Sky Harbor
- Washington–National
The airline partners of American Eagle are:
Envoy Embraer (c) Alan Wilson
Envoy Air
- 59x Embraer ERJ-145
- 4x Embraer 170 (+3 on order)
- 98x Embraer 175
Mesa CRJ (c) Glenn Beltz
Mesa Airlines
- 57x Bombardier CRJ900
Piedmont Airlines
- 54x Embraer 145
PSA Airlines
- 2x Bombardier CRJ200ER
- 61x Bombardier CRJ700
- 67x Bombardier CRJ900
Republic Airways
- 16x Embraer 170
- 88x Embraer 175
SkyWest Airlines
- 80x Bombardier CRJ700 (+10 on order)
- 20x Embraer 175
Delta Connection
The feeder brand for Delta Air Lines, with three different airline providers, and hubs in:
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Detroit
- Los Angeles
- Minneapolis/St. Paul
- New York–JFK
- New York–LaGuardia
- Salt Lake City
- Seattle/Tacoma
The airline partners of Delta Connection are:
Endeavor Air CRJ (c) Eric Salard
Endeavor Air
- 52x Bombardier CRJ200
- 18x Bombardier CRJ700
- 123x Bombardier CRJ900
Republic Airways
- 46x Embraer 175
SkyWest operating for Delta Connection
SkyWest Airlines
- 5x Bombardier CRJ700
- 41x Bombardier CRJ900 (16 being retired)
- 71x Embraer 175 (+16 on order)
United Express
Finally, of the major passenger carriers, United Airlines’ feeder brand is United Express, with six independent airlines providing service out of these hubs:
- Chicago–O’Hare
- Denver
- Houston–Intercontinental
- Los Angeles
- Newark
- San Francisco
- Washington–Dulles
The United Express airlines and fleets are:
Air Wisconsin
- 55x Bombardier CRJ200
CommutAir
- 79x Embraer 145
GoJet Airlines
- 54x Bombardier CRJ550 (+20 on order)
Mesa Airlines
- 80x Embraer 175
- (+200 Heart Aerospace ES-19 on order)
Republic Airways
- 38x Embraer 170
- 28x Embraer 175
SkyWest Airlines
- 112x Bombardier CRJ200
- 19x Bombardier CRJ700
- 90x Embraer 175
There are, of course, many other independent and smaller airlines providing codeshare agreements with larger carriers to link smaller communities into hubs. Cape Air is one, which has agreements with Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue and United Airlines.
The major freight operators also have regional feeder providers, like FedEx Express and UPS.
Airlines USA
Data in this report comes from our latest premium guide, Airlines USA, which is available exclusively to Airport Spotting Premium Members.
The 140-page guide lists every commercial airline currently operating in America, with details of the fleet, hubs, operations and – crucially for plane spotters – their livery and any special liveries.
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