United Expressis a regional flight service network that supportsUnited Airlines's operations, primarily by serving smaller cities and connecting traffic to United's main hubs. Representing approximately 6% of United's total capacity for 2023, United Express operates through partnerships with regional carriers, includingCommuteAir,GoJet,Mesa Airlines,Republic Airways,andSkyWest.These carriers operate under Capacity Purchase Agreements, where United contracts for flight services, pays fixed and performance-based fees, and covers additional costs like fuel and landing fees. The regional carriers operate United-branded flights, following schedules set by the airline, while United manages pricing, revenue, and loyalty programs for passengers.[1]
 | |
 Embraer 175operated byRepublic Airwaysfor United Express | |
| Founded | 1985 |
|---|---|
| Hubs | |
| Frequent-flyer program | MileagePlus |
| Alliance | Star Alliance |
| Fleet size | 438 |
| Parent company | United Airlines Holdings |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
| Website | united |
Fleet/Airlines
editAs of February 2025[update],the combined United Express-branded fleet consists of the following regional jet aircraft:[2]
| Airline | Aircraft | In fleet | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | Y+ | Y | Total | |||||
| CommuteAir | Embraer ERJ 145 | 57 | — | — | 6 | 44 | 50 | 7 Parked. |
| GoJet Airlines | Bombardier CRJ550 | 44 | (2) | 10 | 20 | 20 | 50 | 15 Parked. |
| Mesa Airlines | Embraer 175 | 23 | — | 12 | 32 | 26 | 70 | |
| 37 | — | 12 | 16 | 48 | 76 | |||
| Republic Airways | Embraer 170 | 15 | (15) | 6 | 16 | 48 | 70 | Going toEnvoy Air. |
| Embraer 175 | 51 | 15[3] | 12 | 16 | 48 | 76 | ||
| SkyWest Airlines | Bombardier CRJ200 | 69 | — | — | — | 50 | 50 | |
| Bombardier CRJ550 | 9 | 31 | 10 | 20 | 20 | 50 | ||
| Bombardier CRJ700 | 19 | — | 6 | 16 | 48 | 70 | ||
| Embraer 175 | 55 | 15[4] | 12 | 32 | 26 | 70 | ||
| 59 | — | 16 | 48 | 76 | ||||
| Total | 438 | 44 | ||||||
History
edit
Major airlines in theUnited Stateshad long maintained relationships with regional carriers which fed passengers from small markets to larger cities. TheAirline Deregulation Act of 1978spurred industry consolidation, and as the hub system became more pronounced, airlines formalized these relationships throughcode sharing,co-brandingand listing regional partners' flights incomputer reservations systems.
On May 1, 1985, United formally partnered withAir Wisconsin,Horizon Air,andWestAiras United Express, feeding its hubs atChicago–O'Hare,Seattle/Tacoma,andSan Francisco,respectively.Aspen Airwaysjoined in 1986 the hub atDenver–Stapleton.Horizon Air was bought byAlaska Airlinesin 1987 at which time Horizon's contract with United was cancelled and a new carrier,North Pacific Airlines(NPA), was established by WestAir to service the Seattle hub as well as hubs at Portland, Spokane, and Boise. Aspen was dismantled in 1990 being sold to Air Wisconsin and Mesa Airlines. NPA was merged into its parent, WestAir, in 1991.San Juan Airlinesof Seattle and SouthCentral Air of Anchorage, Alaska, also operated as United Express from 1987 through 1989.
In 1988,Presidential Airwaysbecame a United Express carrier for United's new hub atWashington–Dulles,but quickly floundered. In response, WestAir formed an eastern division to serve Dulles.[5]WestAir itself experienced turmoil; in 1991 it spun off the new division into an independent company, Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA), which years later would go on to becomeIndependence Air.
In 1990,Mesa Airlinestook over all of the United Express routes from Denver formerly operated by Aspen Airways except the Denver to Aspen route which went to Air Wisconsin. Mesa also added a number of new routes from Denver as well. In 1992 Mesa created a new division calledCalifornia Pacific Airlinesto begin new United Express service from the Los Angeles hub. In 1995 Mesa took over all United Express routes at the Seattle and Portland hubs formerly operated by WestAir. Mesa Airlines contract operating as United Express was cancelled in 1998 at which time Air Wisconsin and Great Lakes Airlines took over the Denver routes while SkyWest took over the Los Angeles, Seattle, and Portland routes.
In 1992,Great Lakes Airlinesbecame a United Express partner, followed byTrans States Airlinesthe following year. In 1997, as United officially designatedLos Angelesone of its hubs,SkyWest Airlinesbecame a United Express partner as well. Great Lakes left the United Express system in early 2002, although it continued to do codeshare flights until they ceased operations in 2018.
In 1993, Trans States Airlines started United Feeder Service (UFS), to operate British AerospaceBAe ATPaircraft for United Airlines. The aircraft, originally owned byAir Wisconsin,were transferred and subsequently owned by United. UFS operated routes to Chicago–O'Hare from close markets in the U.S.Upper Midwest.UFS was eliminated from the United Express carrier network in 1999 and disappeared.
When United declared forChapter 11 reorganizationin 2002, it pressured its regional partners for reduced fees. In 2004, ACA canceled its contract and attempted to reinvent itself aslow-cost carriercalledIndependence Air,but ceased operations only 18 months later. The next year, Air Wisconsin unsuccessfully bid to retain its flying contract, though it did retain some ground-handling United Express operations. To compensate, United initiated new service agreements withColgan Air,Trans States subsidiaryGoJet Airlines,andRepublic Airways HoldingssubsidiariesChautauqua AirlinesandShuttle America.Mesa Airlineswas also reinstated into the United Express system.
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-seatEmbraer 170sand 66-seatBombardier CRJ700s.[6]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 Expressfocus cityinSan Antonioin 2006, but the experiment was short-lived. Trans States was the carrier operating the San Antonio operation.
United decided to cancel Dash 8 and CRJ200 service withMesa Airlinesin November 2009.[7]On November 16, 2009, it was announced thatExpressJetwould begin operatingEmbraer ERJ 145sbeginning in the spring of 2010.[8]Mesa Airlines continued service using CRJ700 regional jets and added theEmbraer 175in 2015.
All Continental Express and Continental Connection service officially merged into United Express in late 2010 including that ofCape Airwhich was operating as Continental Connection on behalf ofContinental Micronesiain Guam.Silver Airwayswas also a Continental Connection carrier that converted to United Express using turbo prop aircraft. Silver operated throughout Florida as well as routes from Washington Dulles Airport however their affiliation as United Express ended in 2013.
On April 1, 2012,Pinnacle Airlines Corp.filed for bankruptcy and announced it would draw down itsColgan Airoperation. In May, United reached a deal withRepublic Airways Holdingsfor its subsidiaryRepublic Airwaysto fly the Q400 in Colgan's place. The eight-year capacity purchase agreement included all 28 aircraft previously operated by Colgan as well as four currently flown by Republic forFrontier Airlines.
In August 2015, United announced the start of a new subsidiary, United Ground Express (UGS), to provide ground operation service in select airports within its domestic network. UGS has grown to serve 60 United line stations and three hubs.[9][10]
By September 2016,Republic Airways’ Q400s were phased out of service, replacing them with 50 more Embraer 175s.[11]
On February 27, 2017, United Airlines announced the return of their partnership withAir Wisconsinas a United Express carrier. They would be flying a fleet of 65 Bombardier CRJ200s beginning second-half 2017.
In September 2017, the Q300 was phased out,[12]and in January 2018, the Q200 was phased out.[13]These were the final prop aircraft in the United Express system within the United States.
On April 16, 2018, United Airlines announced the end of its partnership withCape Air.Services ended on May 31, 2018, which marked the end of United Express operations inGuam,along with the retirement of the last turboprop aircraft in the United Express fleet.[14]
In March 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic,Trans States Airlinesannounced that it would be ceasing operations on April 1, 2020, ending its operations as United Express.[15]
On July 30, 2020, it was announced thatUnited Airlineshad decided to end its contract withExpressJetand transferred these operations toCommuteAir.ExpressJet continued its operations until September 30, 2020, and CommuteAir became the sole operator of the United Express Embraer ERJ 145 fleet.[16][17]
In August 2022, Air Wisconsin announced that it would again be leaving the United Express brand and transferring exclusively toAmerican Eagle.The transition started in March 2023.[18]
United has also selected SpaceX'sStarlinkas its in-flight internet connectivity provider for mainline and two-class regional aircraft in September 2024. This high-speed satellite internet service will enable live streaming, cloud-based work applications, and gaming, with complimentary access provided to all passengers.[19]
United Airlines entered into asale-leaseback agreementwithMesa Airlinesin late 2024 under which United would purchase 18Embraer 175aircraft from Mesa for $230 million, then lease those aircraft back to Mesa. The deal involved the transfer of eight E175s by the end of December 2024, with the remaining ten aircraft in early 2025.[20]
Former fleet
edit
- Historical regional jet fleet
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAe 146-100 | 4 | 1988 | 2004 | Operated byAir WisconsinandAspen Airways |
| BAe 146-200 | 19 | 1985 | 2006 | Operated byAir WisconsinandWestAir Commuter Airlines |
| BAe 146-300 | 5 | 1988 | 2006 | Operated byAir Wisconsin |
| Bombardier CRJ100 | 4 | 2005 | 2008 | Operated byMesa Airlines |
| 2 | 2009 | 2016 | Operated bySkyWest Airlines | |
| 1 | 2019 | 2019 | Operated byExpressJet | |
| Dornier 328 | 23 | 1998 | 2003 | Operated byAir Wisconsin |
| Embraer ERJ 135 | 9 | 2010 | 2018 | FormerContinental Express,operated byExpressJet |
- Historical turboprop fleet
The United Express brand, through its various regional and commuter airline partners, operated a variety of twin turboprop aircraft over the years including the following types.
Accidents and incidents
edit- On February 2, 1988, United Express Flight 3749 from Denver to Durango, CO, operated by Aspen Airways using a Convair 580 aircraft, drifted off a snow-packed runway at night while landing atDurango-La Plata County Airportand crashed into a snowbank. No injuries were reported among the 38 passengers and three crew members on board.[21]
- On December 26, 1989,United Express Flight 2415operated byNorth Pacific Airlines,aBAe Jetstream 31crashed on approach toTri-Cities Airportnear Pasco, Washington. The four passengers and two crew members on board were killed. The crew executed an excessively steep and unstabilizedinstrument landing system(ILS) approach. That approach, along with improper air traffic control commands and aircraft icing, caused the aircraft to stall and crash short of the runway.[22]
- On January 7, 1994,United Express Flight 6291operated byAtlantic Coast Airlines,aBAe Jetstream 41crashed on approach toPort Columbus International Airport.Two passengers and three crew members were killed, while three passengers (a Taiwanese family) survived the accident. The NTSB report concluded the aircraft was never properly stabilized for the approach to runway 28L. The aircraft slowed to a stall, which was not recognized by the flight crew in a timely manner. The subsequent stall recovery was performed contrary to the Airplane Flight Manual procedure, which resulted in the aircraft impacting the ground less than 2 miles from the runway. Furthermore, after investigating the backgrounds of the cockpit crew, theNTSBconcluded that Atlantic Coast shouldn't have paired an inexperienced first officer with a captain who had a history of failed check rides.
- On November 19, 1996,United Express Flight 5925operated byGreat Lakes Airlines,aBeechcraft 1900Ccollided with aKing Airduring landing atQuincy Regional Airport.The ten passengers and two crew members on board were killed. The pilots of the King Air were blamed for failing to effectively monitor both the common frequency and to scan for traffic.[23]
- On April 9, 2017, passenger Dr. David Dao was dragged off ofUnited Express Flight 3411by law enforcement. He had been selected to be deplaned to make room for deadheading crew, but had refused to give up his seat, stating that he needed to see patients the following day.[24]He suffered a concussion, lost teeth, and a broken nose.[25]The airline later faced criticism and backlash for how the incident was handled.
- On March 4, 2019,United Express Flight 4933operated byCommuteAir,aEmbraer ERJ 145,landed in a snow-covered grassy area to the right of the runway atPresque Isle International Airportand was severely damaged; two passengers and thefirst officersuffered minor injuries. The accident was attributed to an inadequately reported ILS misalignment combined with "confirmation bias"and fatigue that led the first officer to continue the approach despite being unable to see the runway due to blowing snow.[26]
References
edit- ^https://ir.united.com/static-files/e15ea603-2d3a-41b2-bee3-163200e5f912
- ^https://sites.google.com/site/unitedfleetsite/express-fleet-tracking
- ^https://sites.google.com/site/unitedfleetsite/express-fleet-tracking
- ^"SkyWest Orders 19 E175s For United Service | Aviation Week Network".aviationweek.com.
- ^"Ridgelines: iHistory – The Story of an Airline (1989–2004)".ridgelines.org.Archived fromthe originalon December 1, 2008.
- ^"United Express features".Archived fromthe originalon December 24, 2010.RetrievedNovember 20,2009.
- ^"Mesa Air Group, Inc. Announces Update on CRJ-200s Operating at United Airlines".November 6, 2009.
- ^"United Airlines Announces New Partnership With ExpressJet".November 16, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon July 24, 2011.RetrievedNovember 20,2009.
- ^https://www.unitedgroundexpress.com.
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^Sokolow, Jesse (August 10, 2015)."United Airlines Launches United Ground Express".Frequent Business Traveler.Archivedfrom the original on July 19, 2017.
- ^Bhaskara, Vinay (September 17, 2014)."ANALYSIS: United Express to Eliminate Q400 fleet; Add More E175s".Archived fromthe originalon October 9, 2016.
- ^"CommutAir ends Q300 operations".October 30, 2017.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
- ^"CommutAir becomes all-jet, phases out its last DHC-8-200 Dash 8".January 10, 2018.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
- ^Sablan, Jerick (April 16, 2018)."United to change flights between Guam and Saipan June 1".Archivedfrom the original on June 9, 2019.
- ^Jacob Barker (March 17, 2020)."Regional carrier Trans States Airlines to stop flying April 1 as airlines reel from coronavirus".St. Louis Post-Dispatch.RetrievedMarch 22,2020.
- ^"United to drop contract with ExpressJet, dealing fatal blow".Reuters.July 30, 2020.RetrievedJuly 31,2020.
- ^Wolfsteller2020-08-24T16:32:00+01:00, Pilar."ExpressJet to cease operations on 30 September".Flight Global.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^Burns, Jelissa (August 23, 2022)."Greenville-based Air Wisconsin leaves United Airlines for new agreement with American Airlines".RetrievedApril 2,2023.
- ^Abott, Rich (September 19, 2024)."Starlink Lands United Deal for the Airline's Full Fleet".Avionics International.RetrievedJanuary 28,2025.
- ^Hardee, Howard (January 7, 2025)."Mesa to raise $230m with sale-leaseback of 18 E175s to United".Flight Global.RetrievedJanuary 13,2025.
- ^"ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-580 N5808 Durango-La Plata Airport, CO (DRO)".aviation-safety.net.RetrievedJanuary 23,2023.
- ^Accident descriptionat theAviation Safety Network
- ^Accident descriptionat theAviation Safety Network
- ^Aulbach, Lucas."Video shows man forcibly removed from United flight from Chicago to Louisville".The Courier-Journal.RetrievedSeptember 14,2022.
- ^Bucher, Chris (April 11, 2017)."David Dao: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".Heavy.com.RetrievedSeptember 14,2022.
- ^National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report(Report).National Transportation Safety Board.July 12, 2022. DCA19FA089.RetrievedJuly 20,2022.
External links
edit
- United's officialUnited Expresspage
- United's officialUnited Express Fleetpage