Delta Connection

Delta Connection logo

Delta Connection is a regional airline brand name for Delta Air Lines, under which a number of individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul routes. Mainline carriers often use regional airlines to operate services in order to increase frequency, serve routes that would not sustain larger aircraft, or for other competitive reasons. Delta Connection is currently the only regional affiliate structure in the United States to utilize an all-jet fleet after retiring its turboprop services.

History

A Delta Connection Bombardier CRJ-701, operated by SkyWest, landing at Vancouver

A Delta Connection CRJ-100, operated by Comair, landing at Baltimore

Delta Connection was founded 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 their hub in Atlanta, and soon had a substantial 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, the parent company of SkyWest Airlines.

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. Rio Airways operated Delta Connection flights from their hub in Dallas/Fort Worth from June 1, 1984 to December 14, 1986, when the airline declared bankruptcy. Business Express Airlines 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 their focus cities in Boston and New York.

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.

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 ERJ 145 for Delta Connection instead of the CRJ. After a legal battle with Mesa Air Group, Delta and Freedom Airlines terminated their contract on September 1, 2010. On December 21, 2006, it was announced that Big Sky Airlines would become a Delta Connection carrier, using eight Beechcraft 1900 turboprops out of Boston Logan International Airport.

On March 1, 2007, it was announced that ExpressJet would operate 10 Embraer ERJ 145XR aircraft under the Delta Connection banner beginning in June 2007 on flights from Los Angeles International Airport. It was later announced that ExpressJet would operate an additional eight aircraft as Delta Connection. On July 3, 2008, Delta and ExpressJet announced that they had terminated their agreement and that ExpressJet operations as Delta Connection would end by September 1, 2008. On April 30, 2007, it was announced that Pinnacle Airlines would operate 16 Bombardier CRJ-900 under the Delta Connection banner starting in December 2007.

The merger of Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines meant that Northwest's regional brand, Northwest Airlink, would be merged into Delta Connection. The new Delta Connection would include the regional airlines from both the original Delta and Northwest. On November 8, 2008, Delta and Mesaba Airlines, a former fully owned regional subsidiary of Northwest Airlines that operated as Northwest Airlink, announced that the seven CRJ-900 aircraft previously operated by Freedom as well as eight new-order aircraft would be operated for Delta Connection beginning February 12, 2009.

Citing cost reductions, Delta Air Lines sold former Northwest regional subsidiary Mesaba Airlines on July 1, 2010 to Pinnacle Airlines Corp. for $62 million. Its headquarters were moved to Pinnacle's in Memphis on December 26, 2011. Mesaba merged it's operations into Pinnacle on January 4, 2012. The same day, Trans States Holdings purchased Compass Airlines for $20.5 million USD. It has maintained both regional operations with the airlines as of January 1, 2012.

Delta announced that it will add in-flight WiFi to 223 Delta Connection aircraft beginning in 2011.

Regional carrier GoJet Airlines, also owned by Trans States Holdings, will begin operations from Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport to cities in the Midwest using 15 CRJ-700 aircraft beginning on January 11, 2012.

Following a merger between Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) and ExpressJet, Delta Connection flights will operate under the latter's name and cease operations as ASA. All routes will remain the same, but the flights will operate as ExpressJet beginning in 2012.

On July 25, 2012 Delta announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Comair would cease all operations on September 28, 2012 at midnight.

Operators

Delta Connection Fleet

Airline	IATA Service	ICAO Code	Call Sign	Aircraft	Passengers			Total	Parent
					F	Y+	Y
ExpressJet	EV	ASQ	Acey	Bombardier CRJ-200 Bombardier CRJ-700 Bombardier CRJ-900	0 9 12	0 8 12	50 48 52	50 65 76	SkyWest, Inc.
GoJet Airlines	G7	GJS	Lindbergh	Bombardier CRJ-700	9	8	48	65	Trans States Holdings
Pinnacle Airlines	9E	FLG	Flagship	Bombardier CRJ-200 Bombardier CRJ-900	0 12	0 12	50 52	50 76	Pinnacle Airlines Corp.
Chautauqua Airlines	RP	CHQ	Chautauqua	Embraer ERJ-145	0	0	50	50	Republic Airways Holdings
Shuttle America	S5	TCF	Mercury	Embraer 170 Embraer 175	9 12	12 12	48 52	69 76	Republic Airways Holdings
Compass Airlines	CP	CPZ	Compass Rose	Embraer 170 Embraer 175LR	9 12	12 12	48 52	69 76	Trans States Holdings
SkyWest Airlines	OO	SKW	SkyWest	Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia Bombardier CRJ-200 Bombardier CRJ-700 Bombardier CRJ-900	0 0 9 12	0 0 8 12	28 50 48 52	28 50 65 76	SkyWest, Inc.

Destinations

Main article: Delta Connection destinations

Fleets

Delta Connection Bombardier CRJ-200 operated by ExpressJet

Delta Connection Embraer 175 operated by Compass Airlines

Delta Connection Bombardier CRJ-100 operated by Comair

Delta Connection Embraer 175 operated by Shuttle America

Delta Connection Bombardier CRJ-200 operated by SkyWest Airlines

Aircraft	Total	Notes
Chautauqua Airlines
Embraer ERJ 145	26
Compass Airlines
Embraer 170	6
Embraer 175	36
ExpressJet Airlines
Bombardier CRJ-200ER	92
Bombardier CRJ-700ER	42
Bombardier CRJ-900ER	18
GoJet Airlines
Bombardier CRJ-700ER	22
Pinnacle Airlines
Bombardier CRJ-200ER	140
Bombardier CRJ-900ER	55
Shuttle America
Embraer 170	10
Embraer 175	16
SkyWest Airlines
Bombardier CRJ-100ER	4
Bombardier CRJ-200ER	49
Bombardier CRJ-700ER	17
Bombardier CRJ-900ER	28
Total Aircraft
Bombardier CRJ-100ER	4
Bombardier CRJ-200ER	271
Bombardier CRJ-700ER	81
Bombardier CRJ-900ER	101
Embraer ERJ 145	26
Embraer 170	16
Embraer 175	52
Total	551

Academy

Delta Connection Academy is an airline flight school, formerly wholly owned by Delta Air Lines.^{[citation needed]} 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.

Incidents and accidents

• On August 21, 1995, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529, an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, crashed near Carrollton, Georgia. Officials determined that a propeller blade loss and inability to feather the remaining blades caused the accident, which killed 8 of the 28 passengers and crew on board.
• On January 9, 1997, Delta Connection/Comair Flight 3272, an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, crashed near Monroe, Michigan. The flight, which originated from Cincinnati, Ohio, was on approach to Detroit. All 29 passengers and crew were killed when the plane crashed 18 miles from the airport. Officials say that ice buildup may have been a factor in the crash.
• On 27 August 2006, Delta Connection/Comair Flight 5191, a Bombardier CRJ-100, crashed after takeoff at Lexington, Kentucky's Blue Grass Airport, with 47 passengers and three crew members on board. Only the first officer survived.

External links

• Delta Connection
• Northwest Airlines site
• Pinnacle Airlines site
• Mesaba Aviation site
• Compass Airlines site