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United Express

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United Express is a brand name under which nine regional airlines operate feeder flights for United Airlines from small markets to United's domestic hub airports. As of April 2006, these carriers are the following:

Airline United flight number range
Chautauqua Airlines UA7775-7874
Colgan Air UA5200-5279
GoJet Airlines UA7875-7924
Mesa Airlines UA7000-7399
Shuttle America UA7500-7774
SkyWest Airlines UA5800-6999
Trans States Airlines UA7950-8099

History

Major airlines in the United States had long maintained relationships with regional carriers which fed passengers from small markets to larger towns. The Airline Deregulation Act spurred industry consolidation both vertically and horizontally, and as the hub system became more pronounced, airlines formalized these relationships through code sharing, shared branding, and listing regional partners in computer reservations systems. By the mid-1980s, United was partners with Air Wisconsin, Aspen Airways, and WestAir, feeding its hubs at Chicago O'Hare, Denver Stapleton, and San Francisco International Airports. Air Wisconsin and Aspen would merge in 1991.

In 1988, Presidential Airways became a United Express carrier for United's new hub at Washington Dulles International Airport, but soon floundered. In response, WestAir formed an eastern division to serve Dulles. WestAir itself experienced turmoil; in 1991 it spun off the new division into an independent company, Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA), and the following year was acquired by Mesa Airlines. In 1992 Great Lakes Airlines became a United Express partner, followed by Trans States Airlines the following year. In 1997, as United officially designated Los Angeles International Airport one of its hubs, SkyWest Airlines left Continental Airlines to become a United Express partner as well.

When United declared bankruptcy in 2002, it pressured its regional partners for reduced fees. In 2004, ACA canceled its contract and reinvented itself as low-cost carrier Independence Air. The next year, Air Wisconsin canceled its contract as well. To compensate, United has initiated new service agreements with Colgan Air, Trans States subsidiary GoJet Airlines, and Republic Airways Holdings subsidiaries Chautauqua Airlines and Shuttle America.

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-seat Embraer 170 and 66-seat Bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft.

New Routes

Denver-Grand Rapids /Los Angeles-Oklahoma City = 1x a day CRJ-700. Los Angeles-Vancouver = 2x a day CRJ-700. Washington Dulles-Birmingham = 1x a day CRJ-200.

Destinations

This list is [Incomplete listsincomplete]; you can help by [http://encycl.opentopia.com/ expanding it].

Operated by Chautauqua Airlines

Service to/from Chicago, Illinois – Chicago O'Hare International Airport: Service to/from Washington, DC – Washington Dulles International Airport:

Operated by Colgan Air

Operated by GoJet Airlines

Operated by Mesa Airlines

Operated by Shuttle America

Operated by

Operated by Trans States Airlines


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