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SkyWest Airlines, a leading North American regional airline, is headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA and operates as a contract carrier for major airlines, connecting passengers to smaller airports across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of SkyWest, Inc., it partners with United Airlines (United Express), Delta Air Lines (Southwest Airlines), American Airlines (AA), and Alaska Airlines (American Airlines) providing over 2,400 daily flights to hundreds of destinations. Below is a comprehensive overview of SkyWest’s history, operations, fleet, services, challenges, and future outlook.
SkyWest Airlines was founded in 1972 in St. George, Utah, by Ralph Atkin, initially operating small propeller-driven aircraft like Piper Aztecs, to provide air taxi services. It became a commuter airline in the 1970s, partnering with Western Airlines in 1981 to operate as Western Express. In 1986, SkyWest went public on NASDAQ (SKYW), raising funds to acquire five Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia turboprops, marking its transition to larger aircraft. That year, it also became a Delta Connection carrier after Delta acquired Western Airlines.
In 1997, SkyWest expanded as United Express, operating from United’s hubs in San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), and Denver (DEN), and introduced Bombardier CRJ200 jets. The 2000s saw further growth: in 2003, SkyWest revived a Continental Connection partnership in Houston, ending in 2005; in 2005, SkyWest, Inc. acquired Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) from Delta for $425 million; and in 2010, it acquired ExpressJet for $133 million, merging it with ASA. These acquisitions solidified SkyWest’s position as North America’s largest regional airline by fleet size, passengers carried (42 million in 2024), and destinations served (262).
SkyWest began partnerships with American Airlines (American Eagle) in 2012 and Alaska Airlines in 2011, replacing Horizon Air on West Coast routes. In 2018, SkyWest sold ExpressJet to ManaAir, LLC, focusing operations on SkyWest Airlines. In 2024, SkyWest, Inc. purchased a 25% stake in Contour Airlines to support its new Part 135 charter operation, SkyWest Charter (SWC). The airline celebrated 50 years in 2022, with CEO Chip Childs named to the FAA’s NextGen Advisory Committee.
As of April 2025, SkyWest operates a fleet of nearly 500 aircraft, primarily Bombardier CRJ200s, CRJ700s, CRJ900s, and Embraer E175s, with an average age of approximately 12 years. The E175, introduced in 2014 as United’s launch partner, is a cornerstone, with 50 aircraft featuring larger overhead bins for carry-ons by 2024. SkyWest retired Embraer EMB 120 turboprops in 2015 and Fairchild Metroliners by 1996, transitioning to jets like the CRJ100 in 1994. The airline has 44 new aircraft on order, primarily E175s, to support partner agreements.
SkyWest operates over 2,400 daily flights to 262 destinations across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with 41% as United Express (890 flights), 32% as Delta Connection (700 flights), 17% as American Eagle (380 flights), and 10% as Alaska Airlines (220 flights). Key hubs include Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Denver (DEN), Detroit (DTW), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP), Phoenix (PHX), Portland (PDX), Salt Lake City (SLC), San Francisco (SFO), and Seattle (SEA). Popular routes connect smaller cities like Albuquerque, Boise, Fresno, and Tucson to major hubs. International destinations include over 10 cities in Canada (e.g., Vancouver, Calgary) and Mexico (e.g., Cancun, Puerto Vallarta).
SkyWest’s operations align with partner airlines’ branding, schedules, and standards, with SkyWest handling flight operations while partners manage reservations, ticketing, and ground services. Maintenance facilities in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Oklahoma City (OKC), Milwaukee (MKE), and Tucson (TUS) ensure rigorous upkeep, with checks every 2.5 months. SkyWest introduced Wi-Fi on dual-class Delta Connection aircraft in 2018 and uses fully electronic maintenance logs, a U.S. first.