Delta Connection
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Delta Connection is the name under which seven regional airlines operate short and medium haul routes for mainline carrier, Delta Air Lines.
SkyWest, Air Midwest, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Comair, Chautauqua Airlines, Freedom Airlines and Shuttle America are the Delta Connection feeder carriers. Comair is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) was a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, but in 2005 it was sold to SkyWest. American Eagle codeshares with Delta Connection for flights operating from Los Angeles International Airport to various destinations in California. Mainline carriers often use regional airlines to operate services in order to increase frequency, serve routes that would not sustain larger planes, serve routes using cheaper labor, or for other competitive reasons.
Delta Air Lines is one of the only mainline carriers in the world to own their own flight school, called Delta Connection Academy. The academy is located in Sanford, Florida on the grounds of the Orlando Sanford International Airport. The school serves all the Delta Connection carriers above, and has been known to train pilots for over 30 other airlines in the world. The school currently issues more FAA certificates than any other Part 141 school in the country.
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[edit] History
Delta Connection began in 1984 as a means of expanding the Delta network to smaller markets via partnerships with regional airlines.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) began Delta Connection service on March 1, 1984, from the Atlanta hub, with a substantial later presence at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. ASA was a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines under the Delta Connection, Inc., holding company from May 11, 1999, to September 7, 2005, when it was purchased by SkyWest, Inc.
Ransome Airlines operated Delta Connection flights from March 1, 1984, to June 1, 1986, when it was purchased by Pan Am.
Comair began Delta Connection service on September 1, 1984. In January, 2000, Comair became a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines under the Delta Connection, Inc., holding company.
Rio Airways operated Delta Connection flights from the Dallas/Fort Worth hub from June 1, 1984, to December 14, 1986, when the airline declared bankruptcy.
Business Express operated Delta Connection flights in the northeastern US and Canada from June 1, 1986 to March 15, 2000. The company was purchased by AMR Corporation in 1999 and integrated into the American Eagle Airlines system in 2000.
Trans States Airlines operated Delta Connection flights from March 1998 to March 31, 2000, mainly from the Boston and New York focus cities.
American Eagle has provided code-share service from Los Angeles to cities in California since January 18, 2002. The agreement allows Delta to sell seats on certain American Eagle flights and to give Delta passengers SkyMiles frequent flier credit on designated flights.
On November 2, 2004 Atlantic Coast Airlines ended service as a Delta Connection Carrier. Atlantic Coast Airlines reinvented itself as a low fare carrier called Independence Air based at Washington Dulles Airport. Independence Air and its parent company Flyi was not a great success. Despite popularity with passengers, it was very unprofitable. Flyi filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and soon after officially shut down on January 5, 2006
On December 22, 2004, Delta Air Lines announced that Republic Airways would order and operate 16 Embraer 170 aircraft under the Delta Connection banner. Since then, it has been announced that Republic Airways subsidiary, Shuttle America, would operate the flights. The initial flight took place on September 1, 2005.
On May 4, 2005, Delta Air Lines announced that Mesa Air Group subsidiary Freedom Airlines would operate up to 30 Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft under the Delta Connection banner beginning in October 2005. Shortly after the announcement, the decision was made for Freedom to operate the Embraer 145 for Delta Connection instead of the CRJ.
Mesa Air Group subsidiary Air Midwest will begin operating Delta Connection flights in the fall of 2006 from New York's JFK Airport to Hartford/Windsor Locks and Providence using Beechcraft 1900D aircraft.
[edit] Fleets
| Type | Number | Equip. Code |
| ATR 72-210 | 12 | AT7 |
| Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-200 | 109 | CRJ |
| Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-700 | 35 | CR7 |
| Type | Number | Equip. Code |
| Embraer ERJ-145LR | 30 | ERJ |
| Type | Fleet | Seats | Aircraft Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadair CRJ-100/200 | 100 | 40 or 50 seats | |
| Canadair CRJ-700ER | 50 | 70 |
| Type | Number | Equip. Code |
| DeHavilland Canada Dash 8-100 | 12 | DH8 |
| Embraer ERJ-145 | 30 | ERJ |
| Type | Number | Equip. Code |
| Embraer ERJ170 | 16 | E70 |
| Type | Number | Equip. Code |
| Embraer Brasilia EMB-120ER | 12 | EM2 |
| Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-200 | 57 | CRJ |
| Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-700 | 2 | CR7 |
| Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-900 | 3 | CR9 |
[edit] Incidents and accidents
- On 27 August, 2006, at 6:07 AM Eastern Time, a Delta branded flight operated by Comair, Delta Air Lines Flight 5191, crashed after takeoff at Lexington, Kentucky's Blue Grass Airport, with 47 passengers and three crew members on board. One survivor was reported.
[edit] See Also
[edit] External links
- Comair
- Atlantic Southeast Airlines
- Skywest Airlines
- Chautauqua
- Freedom Airlines
- Shuttle America
- Delta Air Lines
- Delta Connection Academy
| Delta Connection Carriers | ||
| Atlantic Southeast Airlines • Chautauqua Airlines • Comair • Freedom Airlines • Shuttle America • SkyWest Former Carriers: Air Midwest • Atlantic Coast Airlines • Business Express • Ransome Airlines • Rio Airways • Trans States Airlines | ||
