I recently was booking an
airline reservation from Phoenix (PHX) to Long Beach (LGB), on American
Airlines. As I booked the flight, I
noticed under the flight departure/arrival times, in fine print, “Flight
operated by Mesa Airlines as American Eagle.”
You may remember American Eagle (or other airline affiliates such as
Delta Connection and United Express), as a cramped noisy turbo-prop to a small
city. Not anymore!
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| An American Eagle (operated by Mesa) CRJ-900 at Long Beach, CA (photo by Clint Vallee) |
Curious about Mesa Airlines,
I googled them and found their website.
Mesa Airlines flies Canadair CRJ-900 regional jets (76-79 seats, first
class and coach, depending on configuration) for American Airlines at the
Phoenix and Dallas/Fort Worth hubs. Mesa
also flies for United Airlines at Houston-Intercontinental (Embraer E-175, 76
seats in a mixed class) and Washington-Dulles hubs (Canadair CRJ-700, 64 seats
in a mixed class) The route maps
representing both carriers spans both coasts and Mexico.
The major/legacy airlines have
hired regional airlines that operate smaller aircraft, to fly routes that
cannot be economically served by larger mainline aircraft. In the agreement, the regional airline (which
is a separate airline) will carry the code of the major airline. Planes and flight crew uniforms mimic the
host carrier, but by law, the contract carrier must identify itself as an
independent carrier. You will see, “American
Eagle, operated by SkyWest.”
As the regional jet
revolution began, in the late 1990s, major airlines started adding what they
term as “long thin” routes. One of those
routes, started by American Eagle in the early 2000s, is Los Angeles to
Northwest Arkansas/Bentonville. The
route is 1,400 miles, halfway across the country. Initially started with a Canadair CRJ-700 (70
coach seats), it was the perfect airplane for the route. AA could never serve this route efficiently
with an MD-80 (140 seats) or a 737-800 (150 seats), the CRJ-700 was the perfect
size. The route continues to be flown by
AA Eagle with an E-175 jet with 76 seats in a first class and coach configuration.
With regional jets, franchise
flying has become a significant part of the major/legacy carrier
operations. It is quite common now days,
to fly virtually coast to coast on regional jets. Purchase a ticket on United Airlines from
Tucson to Charleston, SC, both flights will likely be operated by United
Airlines franchise carriers dba United Express.
Caveat Emptor! Your next trip on Alaska, American, Delta, or
United may actually be on another airline.
Be sure you know who you are flying!
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| A Delta Connection CRJ-700 operated by SkyWest bound for Salt Lake City |
