United Express

United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which nine individually owned regional airlines operate short and medium haul feeder flights.

On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged to form United Continental Holdings, the holding company for the newly merged United Airlines. As Continental and United merged, Continental Connection and Continental Express has gradually adopted the United Express brand name, bringing the number of operators to twelve and the number of aircraft to over 550. The first aircraft painted into the new United Express livery was an Embraer ERJ-145 operated by ExpressJet.

As of November 30, 2011, after United had received its Single Operating Certificate following its merger with Continental Airlines, nearly 550 aircraft fly under the United Express brand.

History

United Express Logo (1985–1993)

United Express Logo (1993–1997)

United Express Logo (1997–2010)

A United Express Jetstream 31 in the 1993-1997 livery

A United Express CRJ-700 in the final pre-Continental livery

Major airlines in the United States had long maintained relationships with regional carriers which fed passengers from small markets to larger cities. The Airline Deregulation Act spurred industry consolidation both vertically and horizontally, and as the hub system became more pronounced, airlines formalized these relationships through code sharing, shared branding, and listing regional partners in computer reservations systems. On May 1, 1985, United formally partnered with Air Wisconsin, Aspen Airways, and WestAir as United Express, feeding its hubs at Chicago-O'Hare, Denver-Stapleton, and San Francisco International Airports. Air Wisconsin and Aspen would merge in 1991.

In 1988, Presidential Airways became a United Express carrier for United’s new hub at Washington Dulles International Airport, but soon floundered. In response, WestAir formed an eastern division to serve Dulles.^[1] WestAir itself experienced turmoil; in 1991 it spun off the new division into an independent company, Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA), which years later would go on to become Independence Air.

In 1992, Great Lakes Airlines became a United Express partner, followed by Trans States Airlines the following year. In 1997, as United officially designated Los Angeles International Airport one of its hubs, SkyWest Airlines became a United Express partner as well. Great Lakes left the United Express system in 2001, although it continues to codeshare some routes with United.

In 1993, Trans States Airlines started United Feeder Service, to operate British Aerospace BAe ATP aircraft for United Airlines. The aircraft, originally owned by Air Wisconsin, were transferred and subsequently owned by United. UFS operated routes to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) from close markets in the U.S. Upper Midwest. UFS was eliminated from the United Express carrier network in 1999, and disappeared.

When United declared for Chapter 11 reorganization in 2002, it pressured its regional partners for reduced fees. In 2004, ACA canceled its contract and reinvented itself as low-cost carrier Independence Air. The next year, Air Wisconsin unsuccessfully bid to retain its flying contract, thought it did retain some ground-handling United Express operations. To compensate, United initiated new service agreements with Colgan Air, Trans States subsidiary GoJet Airlines, and Republic Airways Holdings subsidiaries Chautauqua Airlines and Shuttle America.

In 2005, United announced that service levels on major United Express routes would be upgraded to a new product called explus. Routes with explus service offer first class seats and meal service on larger, 70-seat Embraer 170 and 66-seat Bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft.^[2] Expanding the traditional regional partner role, United started to use the airplanes configured with explus amenities instead of, or alongside with, mainline jets on routes linking large cities, such as Chicago to Houston.

United announced a new Express focus city at San Antonio International Airport in 2006, but the experiment was short-lived.

United decided to cancel Dash 8 and CRJ200 service with Mesa Airlines in November 2009.^[3] On November 16, 2009 it was announced that ExpressJet would begin operating Embraer ERJ 145 beginning in the spring of 2010.^[4] Dash 8 and Mesa Airlines CRJ200 service stopped.

All Continental Express and Continental Connection service officially merged into United Express in late 2011.

On April 1, 2012, Pinnacle Airlines Corp. filed for bankruptcy and announced it would draw down its Colgan Air operation. In May, United reached a deal with Republic Airways Holdings for its subsidiary Republic Airlines to fly the Q400 in Colgan’s place. The eight-year capacity purchase agreement includes all 28 aircraft previously operated by Colgan as well as four currently flown by Republic for Frontier Airlines.

In August 2015, United announced the start of a new subsidiary, United Ground Express, to provide ground operation service in select airports within its domestic network.^[5]

By September 2016, Republic Airlines' Q400s were phased out of service, replacing them with 50 more Embraer E175s.^[6]

Destinations

Further information: United Express destinations

Bus service

United Express also has a bus service from Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) near Allentown, Pennsylvania to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).^[7] Continental Airlines, which later merged into United, previously operated flights from Allentown to Newark but switched to a bus service in 1995 due to constant delays from air traffic control.^[8] It is 79 miles (127 km) long. As of 1997 the service was eight times daily.^[9] By February 2010 the bus was the only form of service offered by Continental after it cancelled its Allentown to Cleveland Hopkins Airport flights.^[8]

Operators and fleet

United Express Bombardier CRJ-700 operated by GoJet at O'Hare International Airport

United Express Embraer ERJ 145 at Hermanos Serdán International Airport (PBC); Puebla, Mexico

United Express ERJ-145 operated by ExpressJet at Billings Logan International Airport

As of October 2016, the combined United Express branded fleet currently consists of the following regional aircraft:^[10]^[11]

**United Express Fleet**
Airline	IATA Service	ICAO Code	Call Sign	Parent	Aircraft	Number in Fleet	Orders	Passengers
Airline	IATA Service	ICAO Code	Call Sign	Parent	Aircraft	Number in Fleet	Orders	F	Y+	Y	Total
Cape Air	9K	KAP	Cair	Hyannis Air Service, Inc.	ATR 42	2	—	—	—	46	46
CommutAir	C5	UCA	CommutAir	Champlain Enterprises, Inc.	Bombardier Q200	16	—	—	—	37	37
					Bombardier Q300	5	—	—	—	50	50
					Embraer ERJ-145	6	34	—	—	50	50
ExpressJet	EV	ASQ	Acey	SkyWest, Inc.	Embraer ERJ-135	5	—	—	—	37	37
ExpressJet	EV	ASQ	Acey	SkyWest, Inc.	Embraer ERJ-145	149	—	—	—	50	50
GoJet Airlines	G7	GJS	Lindbergh	Trans States Holdings	Bombardier CRJ-700	25	—	6	16	48	70
Mesa Airlines	YV	ASH	Air Shuttle	Mesa Air Group	Bombardier CRJ-700	20	—	6	16	48	70
Mesa Airlines	YV	ASH	Air Shuttle	Mesa Air Group	Embraer E-175	48	—	12	16	48	76
Republic Airlines	YX	RPA	Brickyard	Republic Airways Holdings	Embraer E-170	29	—	6	16	48	70
Republic Airlines	YX	RPA	Brickyard	Republic Airways Holdings	Embraer E-175	16	24	12	16	48	76
Shuttle America	S5	TCF	Mercury	Republic Airways Holdings	Embraer E-170	9	—	6	16	48	70
SkyWest Airlines	OO	SKW	SkyWest	SkyWest, Inc.	Bombardier CRJ-200	50	—	—	—	50	50
					Bombardier CRJ-700	49	—	6	16	48	70
					Embraer E-175	49	16	12	16	48	76
Trans States Airlines	AX	LOF	Waterski	Trans States Holdings	Embraer ERJ-145	35	—	—	—	50	50
					Total	518

Accidents and incidents

On December 26, 1989, United Express Flight 2415 operated by North Pacific Airlines, a BAe Jetstream 31 crashed on approach to Tri-Cities Airport near Pasco, Washington. The four passengers and two crew members on board were killed. The crew executed an excessively steep and unstabilized ILS approach. That approach, along with improper air traffic control commands and aircraft icing, caused the aircraft to stall and crash short of the runway.^[12]
On January 7, 1994, United Express Flight 6291 operated by Atlantic Coast Airlines, a BAe Jetstream 41 crashed on approach to Port Columbus International Airport. Five passengers and three crew members were killed and three passengers survived the accident. The NTSB report concluded the aircraft was never properly stabilized for the approach to 28L. The aircraft slowed to a stall, which was not recognised by the flight crew in a timely manner. The subsequent stall recovery was performed contrary to the Airplane Flight Manual procedure, which resulted in the aircraft impacting the ground less than 2 miles from the runway.
On November 19, 1996, United Express Flight 5925 operated by Great Lakes Airlines, a Beechcraft 1900 collided with a King Air during landing at Quincy Regional Airport. The ten passengers and two crew members on board were killed. The pilots of the King Air were blamed for failing to effectively monitor both the common frequency and to scan for traffic.^[13]

References

↑ "Ridgelines: iHistory – The Story of an Airline (1989–2004)".
↑ "United Express features".
↑ "Mesa Air Group, Inc. Announces Update on CRJ-200s Operating at United Airlines". November 6, 2009.
↑ "United Airlines Announces New Partnership With ExpressJet". November 16, 2009.
↑ "United Airlines Launches United Ground Express". August 10, 2015.
↑ "ANALYSIS: United Express to Eliminate Q400 fleet; Add More E175s". September 17, 2014.
↑ "United." Lehigh Valley International Airport. Retrieved on October 27, 2016. "Non Stop to:[...]Newark"
1 2 Karp, Gregory (2010-05-04). "Airlines merger could halt bus flight". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
↑ Wade, Betsy (1997-12-14). "PRACTICAL TRAVELER; When the Plane Is Really a Bus". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
↑ United Airlines - Seat maps and aircraft information – United Airlines. United.com. Retrieved on 2014-10-21.
↑ "United Airlines Fleet Plan April 2015". united.com. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
↑ Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
↑ Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network

External links

United's official United Express page
United's official United Express Fleet page

United Continental Holdings

Current airlines

United Airlines

Current marketing brands

Former airlines

Former marketing brands

Former holding companies

Frequent flyer services

People

Legal issues

United Airlines
accidents and incidents

1933 Boeing 247 mid-air explosion
Trip 4 (1935)
Trip 34 (1936)
Flight 521 (1947)
Flight 608 (1947)
Flight 624 (1948)
Flight 610 (1951)
Flight 615 (1951)
Flight 409 (1955)
Flight 629 (1955)
1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision
Flight 736 (1958)
1960 New York mid-air collision
Flight 859 (1961)
Flight 297 (1962)
Flight 823 (1964)
Flight 389 (1965)
Flight 227 (1965)
Flight 266 (1969)
Flight 553 (1972)
Flight 2860 (1977)
Flight 173 (1978)
Flight 2885 (1983)
Flight 811 (1989)
Flight 232 (1989)
Flight 585 (1991)
Flight 826 (1997)
Flight 175 (2001)
Flight 93 (2001)

Continental Airlines
accidents and incidents

Flight 11 (1962)
Flight 12 (1965)
Continental Micronesia Flight 614 (1980)
Flight 1713 (1987)
Flight 55 (2000)
Flight 1883 (2006)
Flight 1404 (2008)

Facilities

Willis Tower (Chicago)
77 West Wacker Drive (Chicago)
1600 Smith Street (Houston)
600 Jefferson (Houston)

Former Continental facilities	American General Center

List of airline holding companies

United Express, Continental Express, and Continental Connection carriers

Current

United Express	Cape Air CommutAir ExpressJet GoJet Airlines Mesa Airlines Republic Airlines Shuttle America SkyWest Airlines Trans States Airlines

Former

United Express	Air Wisconsin Aspen Airways Atlantic Coast Airlines Atlantic Southeast Airlines Chautauqua Airlines Colgan Air Great Lakes Airlines North Pacific Airlines Presidential Airways Silver Airways WestAir

Continental Express	Britt Airways Trans-Colorado Airlines

Continental Connection	Colgan Air Gulfstream International Airlines Presidential Airways RegionsAir

Airlines of the United States

Mainline	Alaska Airlines Allegiant Air American Airlines Delta Air Lines Frontier Airlines Hawaiian Airlines JetBlue National Airlines Southwest Airlines Spirit Airlines Sun Country Airlines United Airlines Virgin America

Regional	Air Wisconsin Cape Air CommutAir Compass Airlines Corporate Flight Management Endeavor Air Envoy Air ExpressJet GoJet Airlines Great Lakes Airlines Horizon Air Island Air Mesa Airlines PenAir Piedmont Airlines PSA Airlines Ravn Alaska Republic Airlines Shuttle America Silver Airways SkyWest Airlines Trans States Airlines

Commuter	Air Choice One Air Flamenco Air Grand Canyon Air Sunshine Bering Air Boutique Air Everts Air Frontier Flying Service Gem Air Grand Canyon Airlines Grant Aviation Griffing Flying Service Hageland Aviation Services Island Airways JetSuiteX Kenmore Air Key Lime Air Makani Kai Air Mokulele Airlines New England Airlines Penobscot Island Air Reliant Air San Juan Airlines Scenic Airlines Seaborne Airlines Servant Air Southern Airways Express Surf Air Taquan Air Tradewind Aviation Ultimate Air Shuttle Utah Airways ViaAir Vieques Air Link Warbelow's Air Ventures Wings of Alaska Wright Air Service

Cargo	ABX Air Air Cargo Carriers Air Transport International AirNet Express Alaska Central Express Aloha Air Cargo Alpine Air Express Ameriflight Amerijet International Ameristar Jet Charter Asia Pacific Airlines Atlas Air Baron Aviation Services Bemidji Airlines Castle Aviation Centurion Air Cargo Corporate Air CSA Air Empire Airlines Everts Air Cargo Express One International FedEx Express Flight Alaska Flight Express Florida West Freight Runners Express Kalitta Air Kalitta Charters II Lynden Air Cargo Martinaire Merlin Airways Mid-Atlantic Freight Northern Air Cargo Polar Air Cargo Royal Air Freight Ryan Air Services Sky Lease Cargo Southern Air Tepper Aviation Transair UPS Airlines USA Jet Airlines West Air Wiggins Airways

Charter	Air Charter Bahamas Berry Aviation Bighorn Airways Charter Air Transport Choice Airways Delta Private Jets Dynamic Airways Eastern Air Lines Elite Airways ExcelAire Great Lakes Air Gryphon Airlines IBC Airways JetSuite L-3 Flight International Aviation Liberty Jet Management Miami Air International NetJets Omni Air International Orange Air Pacific Coast Jet Pentastar Aviation Phoenix Air PlaneSense Presidential Airways Rediske Air Sierra Pacific Airlines Skymax Superior Aviation Swift Air Talkeetna Air Taxi Tropic Ocean Airways Twin Cities Air Service Vision Airlines World Atlantic Airlines XOJET Xtra Airways

Air Ambulance	AirMed International Air Methods Critical Air Medicine LIFESTAR

Government	Comco Janet JPATS

List of airline holding companies List of defunct airlines of the United States

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