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Delta Connection is the name under which seven regional airlines operate routes for mainline carrier, Delta Air Lines.
SkyWest, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Comair, Chautauqua Airlines, Freedom Airlines, Shuttle America, and the American Eagle codeshare flights out of Los Angeles International Airport operate under this name. Comair is a fully owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. 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.
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 hubs.
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. Now, Freedom Airlines will operate the Embraer Regional Jet for Delta Connection instead of the CRJ.
| Type | Number |
| ATR 72 | 12 |
| Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-100/200 | 243 |
| Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-700 | 62 |
External Links
"Delta Connection"