Jump to content

SkyWest Airlines

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"SkyWest" redirects here. For other uses, seeSkywest.

SkyWest Airlines
IATA ICAO Callsign
OO[1] SKW SKYWEST
FoundedApril 26, 1972;52 years ago(1972-04-26)
AOC #SWIA011A[2]
HubsSee§ Operations
Fleet size475
Destinations255[3]
Parent companySkyWest, Inc.
HeadquartersSt. George,Utah,U.S.
Key people
Employees13,721 (2023)[3]
Websitewww.skywest.com

SkyWest Airlinesis an Americanregional airlineheadquartered inSt. George, Utah.SkyWest operates and maintains aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by four partnermainlineairlines. The company is contracted byAlaska Airlines(as Alaska SkyWest),American Airlines(asAmerican Eagle),Delta Air Lines(asDelta Connection), andUnited Airlines(asUnited Express). In all, it is the largestregional airline in North Americawhen measured by fleet size, number of passengers carried, and number of destinations served.

SkyWest operates an average of more than 2,400 flights per day to 255 cities in theUnited States,CanadaandMexicowith an extensive network of routes largely set up to connect passengers between smaller airports and the largehubsof its partner airlines. In total, SkyWest carried 38.6 million passengers in 2023.

In 2023, the company operated an average of 1,850 flights per day, of which approximately 740 were United Express flights, 580 were Delta Connection flights, 340 were American Eagle flights, and 190 were Alaska Airlines flights.

History

[edit]
FormerEmbraer EMB 120in SkyWest livery

Frustrated by the limited extent of existing air service,Ralph Atkin,aSt. George, Utah,lawyer, purchasedDixie Airlineson April 26, 1972, to shuttle businessmen toSalt Lake City.[4]After early struggles, SkyWest began a steady expansion across thewestern U.S.It became the eleventh largest regional carrier in 1984 when it acquiredSun Aire LinesofPalm Springs, California,and had itsinitial public offeringin 1986.[5]

In early 1986, SkyWest begancodesharingas Western Express, a feeder service forWestern Airlinesat itsSalt Lake Cityhub and other mainline Western destinations utilizingEmbraer EMB 120andFairchild Metrolinerturboprop aircraft.[6]Following the acquisition and merger of Western byDelta Air Linesin 1987, SkyWest then became aDelta Connectionair carrier with codeshare service being flown on behalf of Delta to destinations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.[7][8]

From 1995 through 1997, SkyWest operated codeshare service forContinental AirlinesasContinental Connectionon flights out of Los Angeles that were also operated as Delta Connection.

In 1997, SkyWest began operating asUnited Expressin addition to Delta Connection on flights out of United Airlines hubs atSFO,LAXandDEN.SkyWest became United's largest United Express operation by the late 1990s. Flights were initially operated withEmbraer EMB 120sandBombardier CRJ200regional jets.CRJ700swere added in the early 2000s and theEmbraer 175were added in 2014.

A partnership with Continental was revived in 2003 asContinental Connectionout ofGeorge Bush Intercontinental Airportin Houston but was discontinued in June 2005. This operation used Embraer EMB 120s.

On August 15, 2005, Delta soldAtlantic Southeast Airlinesto the newly incorporated SkyWest, Inc., for $425 million in cash.[9]The acquisition was completed on September 8, 2005.[10]

In 2007, SkyWest began code sharing withMidwest Airlinesat its hubs in Milwaukee and Kansas City usingBombardier CRJ200aircraft. In 2010 the codeshare with Midwest had ended, and a new codeshare agreement began withAirTran Airwaysat Milwaukee. On September 6, 2011,AirTran Airwaysended its codesharing and partnership with SkyWest.[11]Shortly after, SkyWest began a codesharing agreement withUS Airwaysto operateCRJ200aircraft from US Airways' hub inPhoenix, Arizona.[12]

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

In May 2011, SkyWest replacedHorizon Airon six routes on theWest Coastbeing operated forAlaska Airlines.The flights were based out of Seattle and Portland and flew to several California cities, includingFresno,Burbank,Santa Barbara andOntario.Horizon Air had been operating these routes withBombardier CRJ700aircraft however Horizon retired this aircraft from its fleet. Alaska Airlines had a similar agreement withPenAirfor Alaskan flights and Horizon Air for flights in thelower 48.[14]

On November 15, 2012, SkyWest began a capacity purchase agreement withAmerican Airlinesfor 12Bombardier CRJ200aircraft operating asAmerican Eaglefrom American's hub inLos Angeles, California.[15]This codeshare agreement with American was greatly expanded over the next several years to include destinations from American's hubs at Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Phoenix. LargerCRJ700/900aircraft were introduced to the American Eagle system in 2016, and the smaller CRJ200s were discontinued in 2020.Embraer 175aircraft joined the American Eagle system in late 2021.

Embraer 175,owned and operated by SkyWest forAlaska Airlines.

On September 6, 2017, SkyWest Airlines reported that it has entered into aircraft purchase agreements and capacity purchase agreements to acquire and fly 15 new aircraft withDelta Air Linesand 10 new aircraft withAlaska Airlines.Of the 25 aircraft, 15 Embraer 175SC aircraft will fly under an agreement with Delta in a 70-seat configuration. The Embraer 175SC is built on the same airframe as other Embraer 175 aircraft and can be retrofitted to 76 seats in the future. The agreement with Alaska includes 10 Embraer 175 aircraft which will be configured with 76 seats, similar to aircraft SkyWest has previously placed into service with Alaska. Expected delivery dates of the 25 aircraft run from March 2018 through the end of 2018.[16]

On December 18, 2018, SkyWest, Inc., announced that it would sell ExpressJet Airlines to another airline holding company with ties to United Airlines, ExpressJet's sole client.[17][18]The $70 million sale closed on January 23, 2019.[19]

In early 2024, regional carrier SkyWest Airlines purchased a 25% ownership stake ofContour Airlinesto gain access to its infrastructure, personnel, and operational expertise as it launches its own Part 135 operation. SkyWest also plans to supply Contour withCRJ200aircraft and partner with the airline to both recruit young pilots and provide opportunities to pilots who would otherwise need to retire due to age.[20][21]

In March 2024, SkyWest Airlines signed a deal with United Airlines to operate an additional 20 Embraer 175 aircraft for United Express. Unlike other aircraft, these are financed by United Airlines, not SkyWest.[22]

Corporate affairs

[edit]

Ownership and structure

[edit]

SkyWest is owned bySkyWest, Inc.,anairline holding company.SkyWest also provides contract ground handling services at airports across the United States.

Business model

[edit]

The vast majority of SkyWest's contracts are fixed-fee, with partner airlines paying a set amount for each flight operated, regardless of the number of passengers carried. The remaining 7% of flights are operated under a pro-rate contract, with SkyWest assuming all costs, setting fares, retaining all revenue from non-connecting passengers, and splitting the fares of connecting passengers on a pro-rated basis with the partner airline. SkyWest currently operates on a pro-rate basis on 68 routes across 10 hubs through agreements with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.[23]

As of early 2021, SkyWest operates in 50 smaller cities that are subsidized under the federal government'sEssential Air Serviceprogram. 36 are served under theUnited Expressbrand and 14 under theDelta Connectionbrand. The state of Wyoming subsidizes Service to four other airports in Wyoming and operates under the United Express brand. All subsidized routes are flown withBombardier CRJ200regional jets.

[edit]

Performance figures for SkyWest Airlines are fully incorporated into the accounts of its parent company,SkyWest, Inc.

Figures that are available for SkyWest Airlines alone (referred to as 'SkyWest Airlines segment' data in the Group accounts), are shown below (as at year ending December 31):

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Revenue (US$m) 1,930 1,828 1,874 1,848 1,935 2,173 2,346 2,479 1,637 2,615 2,900 2,834
Profit before tax (US$m) 106 140 76 182 23 263 307 250 (92) 151 93 40
Number of passengers (m) 40.3 43.7 21.3 36.6 40.1 38.6
Number of aircraft[a] 334 362 348 368 422 470 483 452 509 517 485
Notes/sources [24] [25][24] [26][25] [27][26] [28][27] [29][28] [30][29] [30] [b][31] [32] [33] [34]
  1. ^Number of aircraft in service at year end
  2. ^2020: Activities and income in fiscal 2020 were severely reduced by the impact of thecoronavirus pandemic

Operations

[edit]

Hubs[3]

Crew bases[3]

Maintenance bases[3]

Destinations

[edit]

As of January 2024,SkyWest flies to 250 destinations throughout North America across 47 states, 5 Canadian provinces and 10 Mexican cities.[3]

Fleet

[edit]
ABombardier CRJ200painted in SkyWest livery.
ABombardier CRJ700,owned and operated by SkyWest forUnited Express.
Embraer 175, owned and operated by SkyWest forDelta Connection.

Current fleet

[edit]

SkyWest has the largest fleet of any regional airline in the United States. Since 2015, the airline has exclusively operated jet aircraft. Most SkyWest aircraft are painted in the livery of partner carriers, but SkyWest does have a small number of aircraft in its own livery that can be operated for any partner airline as needed.

SkyWest is a major operator of theBombardier CRJfamily of regional jets, was the launch customer for CRJ200, is largest operator of the CRJ200 and took delivery of the last CRJ ever built, a CRJ900.[35][36][37]

Like most regional airlines in the United States, SkyWest is subject toscope clauserequirements of its mainline carrier partners and their pilot unions; those requirements limit the size of the aircraft flown by a regional airline, measured in seat capacity. This has created three subgroups of aircraft flown by SkyWest: aircraft with no more than 50 seats, no more than 70 seats, and no more than 76 seats.

As of May 2024,the SkyWest Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft, categorized by seating capacity:[38][39]

SkyWest Airlines fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Operated for Notes
F Y+ Y Total
Bombardier CRJ200 73 — — 4 46 50 United Express
16 — — 30 — 30 SkyWest Charter
Bombardier CRJ550 4 15 10 20 20 50 Delta Connection All are transfers of CRJ700 aircraft previously flying for United Express.
Bombardier CRJ700 86 — 9 16 40 65 American Eagle
4 9 12 44 65 Delta Connection
5 9 16 44 69
15 6 16 48 70 United Express To be replaced by Embraer 175 by 2026.[40]
Bombardier CRJ900 12 — 12 20 38 70 Delta Connection 10 jets to be removed from service.
19 44 76
Embraer 175 42 1 12 16 48 76 Alaska Airlines Delivery scheduled for 2025.
20 — 12 20 44 76 American Eagle
37 — 12 20 38 70 Delta Connection
48 1 44 76 Delivery scheduled for 2024.[41]
30 34 12 32 26 70 United Express Deliveries scheduled until 2026.[40][22]
65 — 16 48 76
Fleet total 475 51

Note: the above chart only shows aircraft in scheduled service. It does not include aircraft owned by SkyWest but that are: leased to other operators, removed from service, transitioning between agreements with partners, used as spares, parked, or in the process of being parted out.[39]

Historical fleet

[edit]

SkyWest previously operatedEmbraer EMB 120turboprop aircraft until 2015. The airline also operatedFairchild Metrolinerturboprops.[7]In 1984, SkyWest was operating the largest Metro propjet fleet in the world with 26 aircraft, and by 1991 the Metro fleet had grown to 35 aircraft with 15 Brasilia propjets also being operated.[7]By 1994, the first jet, aBombardier CRJ100,was added to the fleet and by 1996 all of the Metro propjets had been retired as they were progressively replaced with Brasilia aircraft.[7]SkyWest was also the launch customer for the CRJ200 regional jet.

According to the airline's website, at its inception SkyWest was operating all flights in the early 1970s with small propeller-driven, piston-engine aircraft, including:[7]

Accidents and incidents

[edit]
  • January 15, 1987:SkyWest Airlines Flight 1834,aFairchild Metroliner,collided with aMooney M20transporting an instructor and a student, while on a flight betweenPocatello, Idaho,andSalt Lake City,in the vicinity ofKearns, Utah.[42][43]All ten aboard both planes, eight on Flight 1834 and two in the Mooney, were killed. The accident was found to be a navigation error of the student pilot aboard the Mooney.[44][45][46]
  • January 15, 1990: SkyWest Airlines Flight 5855, a Fairchild Metroliner, collided with terrain during an instrument approach toElko, Nevada.There were four serious and nine minor injuries, but no fatalities.[47][48]The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and was written off.[49]
  • February 1, 1991:SkyWest Airlines Flight 5569,a Fairchild Metroliner, was awaiting departure clearance on an active runway atLos Angeles International Airportfor a scheduled flight toPalmdalewhenUSAir Flight 1493,aBoeing 737-300arriving fromColumbus, Ohio,collided with it while it was landing. SkyWest 5569 was directed hold on runway 24L, one minute later, US1493 was cleared to land on 24L by the same controller. The 737 landed on the SkyWest aircraft. The two planes slid down the runway, then off to the side, coming to rest against an unoccupied firehouse, and burst into flames. All twelve on the SkyWest aircraft were killed (ten passengers and two pilots), and 22 of the 89 aboard the 737 perished (20 passengers, 1 pilot, and 1 flight attendant). The cause was found to be air traffic controller error.[50][51][52]
  • May 26, 2007:SkyWest Airlines Flight 5741,anEmbraer EMB 120,was involved in a seriousrunway incursionwhen the plane nearly collided withRepublic AirwaysFlight 4912, anEmbraer 170,on intersecting runways atSan Francisco International Airport.There were no reported injuries to passengers and no reported damage to either aircraft. The cause was found to be air traffic controller error.[53]
  • July 17, 2012: A suspended SkyWest Airlines pilot, Brian Hedgelin, under investigation by police for the recent fatal stabbing of a woman at hisColorado Springsresidence, stole a SkyWest CRJ200 atSt. George Regional Airportin Utah. The aircraft was out of service at the time with no other passengers or crew on board.[54]After apparently scaling the airport perimeter fence, Hedgelin started the aircraft and attempted to taxi from the gate but clipped ajet bridgeand the terminal building, damaging the left wing and causing a fuel leak; he then taxied the aircraft through a fence and into a parking lot, striking several parked cars in the process. Hedgelin fatally shot himself in the aircraft aisle.[55]The stolen aircraft, Canadair CRJ200ERN865AS,was damaged beyond repair and written off.[56]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"IATA – Airline and Airport Code Search".iata.org.RetrievedApril 11,2015.
  2. ^"Federal Aviation Administration – Airline Certificate Information – Detail View".av-info.faa.gov.RetrievedJune 27,2019.
  3. ^abcdef"Fact Sheet".SkyWest Airlines(Press release). March 31, 2024.RetrievedMay 13,2024.
  4. ^Arnoult, Sandra (April 2005)."SkyWest thrives on the Atkin diet".Air Transport World.RetrievedFebruary 10,2012.
  5. ^"List of NASDAQ IPO dates".NASDAQ.RetrievedJune 23,2011.
  6. ^"Western Airlines Route Map".departedflights.com.March 1, 1987.RetrievedAugust 2,2021.
  7. ^abcde"History"(PDF).SkyWest Airlines(Press release). 2017.RetrievedAugust 2,2021.
  8. ^"SkyWest Airlines Route Map".departedflights.com.April 3, 1988.RetrievedAugust 2,2021.
  9. ^Nii, Jenifer K. (August 16, 2005)."SkyWest deal: St. George-based firm buys Delta's ASA".Deseret Morning News.RetrievedAugust 23,2013.
  10. ^"SKYWEST COMPLETES PURCHASE OF ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST AIRLINES"(PDF).SkyWest, Inc.RetrievedAugust 23,2013.
  11. ^"Southwest to end AirTran's codesharing with SkyWest on Sept. 6 | Dallas News".The Dallas Morning News Inc. June 13, 2011.RetrievedJune 5,2018.
  12. ^"Media Room"(PDF).SkyWest.com. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on September 27, 2011.RetrievedApril 3,2012.
  13. ^"FTC transaction granted (Early termination)"(PDF).FTC. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on October 18, 2011.RetrievedJune 24,2011.
  14. ^"Alaska Airlines Announces Routes, Schedule for New Partner".Alaska Airlines. February 25, 2011.RetrievedMarch 24,2011.
  15. ^"SkyWest, Inc. Announces Agreement With American Airlines; Adds Major Code Share Partner | PR Newswire".PR Newswire Association LLC. September 12, 2012.RetrievedJune 5,2018.
  16. ^SkyWest, Inc. (September 6, 2017)."SkyWest, Inc. Announces Order of 25 New Aircraft, New Flying Agreements".PRNewswire.RetrievedSeptember 7,2017.
  17. ^"SkyWest, Inc. Enters into Agreement to Sell ExpressJet Airlines"(PDF).SkyWest Airlines.December 18, 2018.Archived(PDF)from the original on April 15, 2019.
  18. ^Snyder, Brett (December 20, 2018)."There is a Reason United's Purchase of ExpressJet is So Complicated".Cranky Flier.RetrievedJanuary 25,2019.
  19. ^ExpressJet Airlines(January 23, 2019)."ManaAir Announces Completion of ExpressJet Airlines Acquisition".www.prnewswire.com.RetrievedJanuary 25,2019.
  20. ^Hardee, Howard."SkyWest acquires partial ownership of US charter operator Contour Airlines".Flight Global.RetrievedFebruary 2,2024.
  21. ^Ewing, Ryan (February 2, 2024)."SkyWest Acquires Stake in Contour Airlines, Bolsters Charter Presence".AirlineGeeks.com.Firecrown.RetrievedFebruary 2,2024.
  22. ^abWolfsteller, Pilar (March 4, 2024)."SkyWest adds another 20 Embraer E175s to United fleet".Flight Global.RetrievedMarch 5,2024.
  23. ^"SkyWest, Inc. Investor Update"(PDF).inc.skywest.com.RetrievedMarch 19,2018.
  24. ^ab"SkyWest, Inc. Annual Report year ended December 31, 2013 on Form 10-K"(PDF).February 14, 2014.RetrievedMarch 29,2020.
  25. ^ab"SkyWest, Inc. Annual Report year ended December 31, 2014 on Form 10-K"(PDF).February 18, 2015.RetrievedMarch 29,2020.
  26. ^ab"SkyWest, Inc. Annual Report year ended December 31, 2015 on Form 10-K"(PDF).February 26, 2016.RetrievedMarch 29,2020.
  27. ^ab"SkyWest, Inc. Annual Report year ended December 31, 2016 on Form 10-K"(PDF).February 27, 2017.RetrievedMarch 29,2020.
  28. ^ab"SkyWest, Inc. Annual Report year ended December 31, 2017 on Form 10-K"(PDF).February 26, 2018.RetrievedMarch 28,2020.
  29. ^ab"SkyWest, Inc. Annual Report year ended December 31, 2018 on Form 10-K"(PDF).February 21, 2019.RetrievedMarch 28,2020.
  30. ^ab"SkyWest, Inc. Annual Report year ended December 31, 2019 on Form 10-K"(PDF).February 18, 2020.RetrievedMarch 26,2020.
  31. ^"SkyWest, Inc. Annual Report year ended December 31, 2020 on Form 10-K"(PDF).February 16, 2021.RetrievedDecember 28,2021.
  32. ^"SkyWest, Inc. Annual Report year ended December 31, 2021 on Form 10-K"(PDF).February 17, 2022.RetrievedApril 6,2022.
  33. ^"SkyWest, Inc. Annual Report year ended December 31, 2022 on Form 10-K"(PDF).February 16, 2023.RetrievedMay 13,2022.
  34. ^"SkyWest, Inc. Annual Report year ended December 31, 2023 on Form 10-K"(PDF).February 15, 2024.RetrievedMay 13,2022.
  35. ^Swartz, Kenneth I. (May 11, 2021)."30 years marked since maiden flight of Canadair Regional Jet".Skies Mag.RetrievedFebruary 22,2024.
  36. ^Kleps, Kochan (March 1, 2021)."Final Bombardier CRJ Comes off Production Line".Airways Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon August 12, 2021.RetrievedMarch 6,2021.
  37. ^"SkyWest History"(PDF).SkyWest Airlines.2023.RetrievedFebruary 22,2024.
  38. ^"SkyWest Airlines Fleet Details and History".Planespotters.net.April 16, 2024.RetrievedApril 16,2024.
  39. ^ab"SkyWest, Inc. Annual Report, year ended December 31, 2023 on Form 10-K"(PDF).February 15, 2024.RetrievedMarch 5,2024.
  40. ^abHardee, Howard (October 26, 2023)."SkyWest orders 19 new E175s to fly on behalf of United".Flight Global.RetrievedNovember 1,2023.
  41. ^"SkyWest Announces Flying Agreement with Delta for 16 New E175s"(PDF).SkyWest, Inc.August 9, 2021.
  42. ^Finch, Mary (January 15, 1987)."Mid-air collision rains debris over Kearns".Deseret News.(Salt Lake City, Utah). p. A1.
  43. ^Sullivan, Laurie (January 16, 1987)."10 die in mid-air crash near Salt Lake airport".Lewiston Morning Tribune.(Idaho). Associated Press. p. 1A.
  44. ^"Smaller plane drifted into the flight path of Sky West commuter, flight officials say".Deseret News.(Salt Lake City, Utah). January 16, 1987. p. A1.
  45. ^"Plane may have flown into the restricted space, officials say".Lewiston Morning Tribune.(Idaho). Associated Press. January 17, 1987. p. 1A.
  46. ^"ASN Aircraft accident Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II N163SW Kearns, UT".Aviation-safety.net. January 15, 1987.RetrievedOctober 3,2012.
  47. ^West, Brian T. (January 16, 1990)."Crash survivors count blessings".Deseret News.(Salt Lake City, Utah). p. A1.
  48. ^"Few injured in three airliner accidents".Spokane Chronicle.(Washington). Associated Press. January 16, 1990. p. A13.
  49. ^"ASN Aircraft accident Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III N2721M Elko Airport, NV (EKO)".aviation-safety.net.RetrievedNovember 7,2023.
  50. ^Antczak, John (February 2, 1991)."At least 15 killed and 25 hurt as jet, commuter plane collide".Spokesman-Review.(Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. A1.
  51. ^"Controller allowed airplane on runway, then let jet land".Spokesman-Review.(Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. February 3, 1991. p. A11.
  52. ^Malnic, Eric; Wilkinson, Tracy (February 3, 1991)."Controller directed 2 planes to same runway".Eugene Register-Guard.(Oregon). (Los Angeles Times). p. 1A.
  53. ^"National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Incident Final Report: incident number OPS07IA004A".National Transportation Safety Board.November 30, 2007.RetrievedAugust 7,2018.
  54. ^"Criminal Occurrence description".Aviation-safety.net. July 17, 2012.RetrievedJune 5,2018.
  55. ^Sperry, Todd; Ahlers, Mike M. (July 18, 2012)."Police: Suspect in Colorado slaying tried to steal plane in Utah".CNN.RetrievedMay 12,2021.
  56. ^"ASN Aircraft accident Canadair CL-600-2B19 Regional Jet CRJ-200ER N865AS Saint George Municipal Airport, UT (SGU)".aviation-safety.net.Aviation Safety Network.RetrievedMay 12,2021.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related toSkyWest.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SkyWest_Airlines&oldid=1239931875"