The biggest aviation market in the world—the United States—has a thriving airline industry. While popular transatlantic and transcontinental flights by big mainstream jets definitely form an integral part of the sector, a significant portion of US flights are carried out by regional airlines connecting several smaller airports and communities. 63% of airports served only by regional services The Regional Airline Association (RAA), which advocates for North American regional airlines and promotes a safe, reliable, and strong regional airline industry, has released a report detailing interesting figures about regional air travel in the United States.
While there are many airports that rely heavily on regional carriers and some that have a more balanced mix of regional and national-level flights, around 63% of US airports are served only by regional services. Chip Childs, RAA Chairman and SkyWest, Inc. President and CEO, commented on the published report, “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 air service. Without regional airlines, 63% of our country’s airports would not have commercial air service.” Heavy reliance on regional carriers The influence and importance of regional services do not end with these 63% airports.
A state-wise break up reveals that many continue to rely heavily on regional flying. According to the report, 634 US airports have regional air services, and 31% of scheduled passenger departures in the country were operated by regional airlines in 2023. Among the states that have over 70% of the total air service by regional airlines include West Virginia, Alaska, and Vermont.
Then there are others, like Kansas, Maine, South Dakota, Mississippi, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Virginia, Indiana, and Wisconsin where regional airlines account for 50-70% of the air service. The RAA report highlights that major network airlines serve about one-third of the country directly. As such, regional airlines are, indeed, vital for connectivity for many communities, as many passengers rely on regional airlines to connect them to major US hubs for their onward journeys.
Many players Regional operations in the United States are carried out by many airlines. Their fleets vary from tiny turboprops to larger Embraer jets. Some of the carriers serving the most number of domestic flights using turboprop aircraft include Air Excursions, Bering Air, Grant Aviation, Mokulele Airlines, and Cape Air.
Most of these regional carriers are based in the state of Alaska. Regional subsidies of major US airlines also connect several smaller airports in the country. However, these airlines mostly prefer subcontracting their regional operations , outsourcing them to smaller carriers like Envoy Air, Mesa, PSA Airlines, and Air Wisconsin.
Carriers, such as American Eagle, Delta Connection, and United Express are all operated by third-party airlines. This helps bigger airlines avoid having their fleet become more complex and keep operations simpler than having their own dedicated regional fleet. Most major airlines are also increasingly modernizing their jet fleets, with smaller 50-seater aircraft being phased out gradually.
.
