United express

Major United States airlines have long been partnering with regional airlines to ensure that passenger flows at large transit hub airports from smaller local airports are high. The adopted Law on the deregulation of airline operations stimulated the development of the commercial airline industry both vertically and horizontally, and in terms of creating a number of large hubs, entering into partnership agreements between large and small carriers, using joint trademarks ( brands ) between them, creating a number of code -sharing contracts with the general numbering of passenger flights, as well as the use of common modules in airline reservation systems.

By the mid-1980s, the regional partners of United Airlines were Air Wisconsin , Aspen Airways and WestAir , which used Chicago O'Hare International , Denver 's Stapleton International Airport and San Francisco International Airport as hubs. In 1991, Air Wisconsin and Aspen Airways merged.

In 1988, the regional airline Presidential Airways began operating under the United Express brand, using the Washington Dulles International Airport as a hub. In response, another regional carrier, WestAir, created its own Eastern division to operate in the same hub. Both airlines failed commercially; in 1992, WestAir was acquired by the Mesa Airlines region .

In 1992, another regional airline Great Lakes Airlines signed a partnership agreement to use the United Express trademark, and next year Trans States Airlines signed a similar agreement. In 1997, SkyWest Airlines became a regional partner of United Airlines using the Los Angeles International Airport as a hub. In 2001, Great Lakes Airlines withdrew from the United Express partnership program, but continues to operate a number of flights under other code-sharing agreements with United Airlines.

After United Airlines entered bankruptcy in 2002, all regional partner United airlines were notified of the need to reduce passenger fares. In 2004, Atlantic Coast Airlines announced the termination of the code-sharing agreement, its own reorganization and the transfer to the ranks of low-cost airlines under the new name Independence Air . The following year, Air Wisconsin’s attempts to maintain partnerships for passenger transportation ended in failure; the company retained only the agreement for ground handling of aircraft under the United Express brand. To maintain regional traffic, United Airlines entered into new agreements with regional companies Colgan Air , GoJet Airlines (part of Trans States Holdings ), Chautauqua Airlines and Shuttle America (part of Republic Airways Holdings ).

In 2005, United Airlines announced the introduction of a new service called Explus , which provides first-class service and an appropriate level of on-board catering, for 70-seat Embraer E-170s and 66-seat Bombardier CRJ airplanes for significant United Express transportation routes. -700 . Explus will primarily be introduced on passenger routes between major cities such as Chicago and Houston.

In 2006, United Airlines announced planned increases in passenger traffic to San Antonio International Airport , but this program was soon phased out.

As of October 1, 2008, the following airlines operated under the United Express brand ^[1] :

• Official site United Express
• Explus official website (inaccessible link)