SkyWest Airlines is a North American regional airline headquartered in St. George, Utah. It primarily serves as a feeder airline to and from airports in smaller markets in the United States and Canada for three major carriers:

• United Airlines as United Express, out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Denver International Airport (DEN), and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD).
• Delta Air Lines as Delta Connection, out of Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) (until Delta closes the latter hub as announced in 2004).
• Continental Airlines as Continental Connection, out of George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) near Houston, Texas.

It operates a fleet consisting of the Embraer EMB-120, as well as the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) 200 LR and 700 ER in its United Express and Delta Connection operations.

History

Frustrated by the limited extent of existing air service, Ralph Atkin, a St. George, Utah lawyer, purchased Dixie Airlines to shuttle businessmen to Salt Lake City in 1972. After early struggles, it began steady expansion across the Western US. It became the eleventh largest regional carrier in 1984 when it acquired Sun Aire of Palm Springs, California, and had its initial public offering in 1986.

In 1985 it began codesharing as Western Express, a feeder service for Western Airlines at their Salt Lake City hub, later acquired by Delta. In 1995 it began operating flights for Continental out of LAX, a relationship dropped two years later when Skywest began flying for United. Skywest's United Express flights out of LAX, SFO, and DEN became its largest operation by the late 1990s, but the partnership with Continental was revived in 2003 out of IAH.

Destinations

• Continental Connection
  • Houston
    • College Station, Texas
    • Tyler, Texas
    • Texarkana, Texas
    • Monroe, Louisianna
    • Waco, Texas
    • Kileen, Texas
    • Abiliene, Texas
    • San Angelo, Texas
    • Victoria, Texas

• Delta Connection
  • Dallas/Fort Worth
    • New Orleans, Louisiana
    • Austin, Texas
    • San Angelo, Texas
    • Memphis, Tennessee

• United Express
  • San Francisco
    • Chico, California
    • Eureka, California
    • Redding, California
    • Reno, Nevada

External link

• SkyWest Airlines