A recent report published by the Regional Airline Association (RAA) shows that about 63% of airports in the United States are served only by regional services. In 2023, regional services made up 31% of scheduled passenger departures. In total, 634 airports are connected to regional operations.
Some states rely heavily on these services. The report outlines that more than 70% of air service in West Virginia, Alaska, and Vermont is provided by regional carriers. Several other states have a percentage of regional flights between 50% and 70%.
Chip Childs, President and CEO of SkyWest Airlines and Chairman of the RAA, said,
“The data between these pages reinforces our values. Air service is a strong thread that ties our nation together as a whole, and its importance to economic vitality and social well-being is especially pronounced at the 426 airports in our country that rely on regional airlines exclusively for service.”
Often times, the regional carriers operating throughout the country are unknown by most people. For example, many passengers who book flights with the ‘Big Three’ carriers, United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, often do not realize that some flights are not operated by these airlines. Rather, the big carriers outsource to smaller regional carriers, some of which are subsidiaries.
Photo: Carlos Yudica | Shutterstock
Beyond the larger regional carriers like SkyWest, Envoy Air, and Republic Air, there are operators that are wholly independent and do not carry a mainline carrier brand. For example, Cape Air is one of the largest operators in the US, which first began operating in New England, and has since expanded.
1
Cape Air
Founded in 1989
Cape Air’s first flight was from Boston to Provincetown 35 years ago. Since then, the airline has expanded its operations to five main regions:
- Cape Cod & The islands
- Northeast
- Midwest
- Montana
- Caribbean
Since its first flight and its expansion, Cape Air has set up hubs at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in the Northeast. In the Midwest, where Cape Air began operations in 2013, the carrier has hubs in St. Louis, CHicago, and Nashville.
Photo: Cape Air
Montana was also added to Cape Air’s route network in 2013, and today, the carrier serves five rural communities in the state. In Montana, Cape Air uses Billings as a hub.
Cape Air’s fleet comprises nearly 100 aircraft. In 2019, the carrier added the Tecnam P2012 Traveller to its operations, and today, has 30 of the type. The Cessna 402 continues to be the most-used aircraft, as Cape Air has 64 of the type. It also has four Britten-Norman Islanders.
2
Mokulele Airlines
Founded in 1994
Mokulele Airlines turns 30 this year. In 1994, Rebecca “Kawehi” Inaba started Mokulele Flight Service. In doing so, Inaba was the first Native Hawaiian woman to have started an airline.
Inaba’s ambition to start Mokulele came from watching her father pilot for Aloha Airlines. But when Mokulele was first started, it was to offer sightseeing tours of the Big Island and Maui. About 20 years later, Mokulele underwent a significant change.
Photo: Mokulele Airlines
As of November 2023, Mokulele operated more than 100 daily flights to nine airports on four islands:
- Oahu: HNL
- Molokai: Hoolehua and Kalaupapa Airports
- Maui: Kapalua, Kahului, and Hana
- Hawaii (Big Island): Kona and Waimea-Kohala
Today, Mokulele is owned by Southern Airways Express.
3
Southern Airways Express
Founded in 2013
Southern Airways is one of the youngest operators in the US. Founded just over 11 years ago, the operator now serves almost 40 cities and boasts a fleet of more than 40 aircraft. Based in Palm Beach, the airline uses three main aircraft types for its operations.
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
The commuter airline has the following mantra, “Every Passenger, Every Day, Every Flight.” When Southern was first started, like Southwest Airlines, it was an idea sketched on a napkin. Today, the Southern Airways Corporation is one of the largest commuter airlines in the country, carrying hundreds of thousands of passengers annually.
Southern’s growth has been very rapid and this is not limited to the number of planes or passengers served. The airline has interline partnerships with American, United, and Alaska Airlines.
4
Harbour Air
Founded in 1982
Though Harbour Air is not an American operator, the small company operates flights to Seattle. Founded in 1982, Harbour Air had two de Havilland Beaver seaplanes. Its plan was to offer private charters to log buyers.
Photo: Harbour Air Seaplanes
The airline’s operational model was a quick success, and saw increased demand on commuter and touring services. More than four decades after its launch, Harbour Air has expanded into an airline group. The brands in the group are :
- Harbour Air Seaplanes
- Whistler Air
- Saltspring Air
From an original team of two pilots, the group now has more than 400 staff members. Its fleet consists of more than 40 aircraft, and more than half a million passengers are carried annually.
5
Kenmore Air
Founded in 1946
Kenmore Air is similar to Harbour Air and operates inthwest, specifically the Pacific Nor in Kenmore. Most of its operations are on seaplane aircraft, but some flights are on regular aircraft. Kenmore has both commercial and charter operations in the nearby Seattle area, using Seattle Lake Union/ Kenmore Air Seaplane Base in downtown Seattle, as its hub.
Photo: Kenmore Air
Kenmore Air operates three different aircraft types:
- deHavilland Canada DHC-2 Beavers
- deHavilland Canada DHC-3 Otters
- Cessna 208s
The first two aircraft are used for seaplane flights, while the Cessna 208 is used for flights on land.