United Airlines will bring back another regional connection using one of its Bombardier jets operated by SkyWest Airlines. The carrier will connect Rhinelander in Wisconsin with Chicago with a short flight expected to last about an hour. United operated this route in 2021 but had to suspend it due to operational reasons.
United’s Chicago-Rhinelander flight
In May 2025, 
United Airlines
will operate a regional service through United Express and flown by a SkyWest Airlines’ Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft between Rhinelander and Chicago O’Hare (ORD). Rhinelander–Oneida County Airport (RHI) serves Rhinelander, a city in Oneida County, Wisconsin.
This will be a seasonal service starting May 22 until September 28. It will initially be a daily roundtrip to and from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, but one more daily service will be added from June 28. Matthew Leitner, the Rhinelander Oneida County Airport Director, was quoted by WXPR as saying,
“It’s really exciting. It’s a very popular service. As I often say, it’s really difficult, extraordinarily difficult, for airports to secure new airline service, especially in this environment, because we’re still kind of reeling from the pilot shortage. It hasn’t fully recovered yet. The phrase I often use is, if we don’t use it, we’re going to lose it. They need that ridership.”
Seasonal service
According to data by aviation analytics company Cirium, United Express has a total of 10 one-way flights between the two destinations in May 2025. This will increase to twice daily in the last week of June, resulting in 35 flights in each direction that month.
The twice-daily service will continue in July and August, with 62 flights in each direction, and in September, it will be back to one daily service, with 36 flights that month.
According to WJFW, the carrier will use a 50-seater Bombardier CRJ200 jet, and the flight from Chicago O’Hare will take approximately an hour to complete. United’s loyalty program, Mileage Plus, will be effective on this service.
Photo: Philip Pilosian | Shutterstock
United first started this service back in 2021, and it had been almost two decades since Rhinelander had a nonstop flight to Chicago O’Hare. This was also when the Rhinelander Oneida County Airport Director underwent renovations that allowed it to accommodate more flights.
Leitner said that it was a successful service, but the pilot shortage due to COVID forced United to suspend this route. Now, with United bringing this flight back, Leitner also highlighted its convenience, adding,
“Rhinelander is a burgeoning community. We’re seeing a lot of growth in small business, you know, consultants, other small businesses, etc. Many of them work online, but when the time comes to travel, if we’re coupled with both Minneapolis, which is a great hub, a very capable hub with a lot of offerings, and Chicago, it really eliminates the necessity to go to another airport.”
50-seater jets
United will use a 50-seater Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft on this route, operated by SkyWest. The airline also flies CRJ550 plane operated by GoJet Airlines, which offers 50 seats with a more premium configuration.
The Bombardier CRJ550 aircraft is actually a converted CRJ700 that serves a specific purpose. While its premium cabin caters to a certain segment of travelers, the fact that it also has fewer seats allows it to have a lower maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) in accordance with clause requirements in pilots’ contracts in the United States.
Photo: MKPhoto12 | Shutterstock
United will also get 11 additional Bombardier CRJ550 aircraft starting this month through SkyWest. The airline made the announcement during its third-quarter 2024 earnings call. It said,
“United signed an agreement with SkyWest to begin operating the CRJ550 as part of the United Express portfolio, with 11 initial aircraft to start entering the fleet in December of this year and opportunity for more in the future.”
But with 50-seater aircraft facing increasing competition from other options for regional flying, how long can they sustain in commercial aviation, particularly in the United States? Simple Flying has tried to analyze that in the article below.
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