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123-827: Horizon Air is an American regional airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington , within the Seattle metropolitan area . It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Alaska Air Group and it is paid by fellow group member Alaska Airlines to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by Alaska Airlines. Planes operated by Horizon are co-branded as Alaska HORIZON in order to differentiate Horizon's planes from those operated by Alaska's other regional airline partner, SkyWest Airlines . Horizon Air started operations in September 1981,

246-560: A motion for discovery , requesting searches of the hard drives of the office and home computers of union officials. Additionally, Northwest requested searches of the home computers of rank-and-file employees, including Kevin Griffin and Frank Reed. On February 8, Minnesota District Court Judge Boylan approved the request and issued the discovery order. The order required all 43 named defendants , officers and rank-and-file members to turn over both home and office computer equipment to

369-602: A 34-year hiatus, and strengthened its presence in the southwestern United States. It also began flying to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, and Scandinavia. On May 21, 1984, shareholders in Northwest approved the creation of NWA Inc., a Delaware corporation that became the holding company of Northwest. On October 1, 1986 , Northwest merged with Republic Airlines , also based in Minneapolis-St. Paul. It

492-577: A capacity purchase agreement (CPA) business model, which had by that time become the regional airline industry standard. Under the CPA, Horizon operates and maintains its aircraft, while Alaska Airlines is responsible for scheduling, marketing and pricing all flights. As part of the change to the new business model, the Horizon Air brand was retired and all Horizon planes were repainted with a co-branded "Alaska HORIZON " livery . Alaska Airlines entered into

615-473: A court injunction and the refusal of the mediation board to release them from bargaining which would have allowed the setting of a strike deadline. The attendants had been working under imposed pay cuts and work rules since July 2006 when a previous tentative agreement was rejected by 55 percent of the voting members. Prior to the May 2007 agreement, union leaders had expressed concern that its defeat could prompt

738-604: A deal to acquire Horizon Air in November 1986. The year before, Alaska had undergone a major corporate restructuring with the airline now being owned by the Alaska Air Group , an airline holding company . Under the agreement, the Alaska Air Group became the owner of Horizon Air after approval by the Transportation Department in late December. The Alaska Air Group continued to operate Horizon as

861-414: A decade long downturn, mainline air carriers started to hire pilots, mostly from regional carriers which offer low wages and limited opportunities for advancement. More experienced regional carrier pilots moved to higher paying mainlines. Horizon responded with drastically increased pay for flight crews and worked with Alaska, its sister airline, to create more opportunities for advancement. As a result, there

984-511: A few routes outside this hub system, such as flights from the west coast to Honolulu. In the mid-1980s, Northwest operated the only U.S. flag carrier service to Glasgow , Oslo, and Stockholm , as well as service to Copenhagen (the latter three cities are due to Minneapolis's large Nordic population ). However, this was later withdrawn after several years. From April 2000, Northwest operated non-stop flights from Detroit to Milan and Rome , both were later withdrawn (from 2003 to 2005 Rome

1107-424: A form of a virtual airline , with the regional airline paid to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by a partner mainline airline. This practice allows the mainline carrier to use outsourced labor at smaller stations, to reduce costs. In 2011, 61% of all advertised flights for American, Delta, United and US Airways were operated by their regional brands. This figure

1230-474: A group headed by Richard Lilly, a businessman from St. Paul, Minnesota , purchased the airline. In 1933 Northwest was selected to fly the "Northern Transcontinental Route" to Seattle , Washington. It adopted the name Northwest Airlines the following year after the Air Mail scandal . Northwest Airways, Inc. changed its name to Northwest Airlines, Inc. and the airline was incorporated under its new name in

1353-404: A land-based internet service, covering all routes served by the airline. The service is fee-based for all passengers, depending on the length of the flight. In November 2023, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Horizon and Alaska Airlines on behalf of the passengers on board Flight 2059, alleging that that the passengers' lives were put at risk by an off-duty pilot who was allowed to ride in

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1476-531: A larger carrier, similar to their American counterparts. Some of these airlines and brands include: The trend of branding regional airlines to match the mainline airlines, has led to just three major sub-brands in the United States: American Eagle , Delta Connection and United Express . They are the post-deregulation survivors of the multiple bankruptcies and mergers of the major, legacy, mainline airlines. These regional brands are

1599-521: A mainline or flagship airline's aircraft, while in actuality they are far from it. Sub-branding is pretty consistent throughout the airline industry of the United States, with all the regional airlines, mainline airlines, and the regional airline holding companies, as well as the mainline airlines holding companies participating. On Feb 12th, 2010, a year after the crash of Colgan flight 3407 , Frontline premiered its WGA Award-winning exposé on

1722-422: A new era of major airlines expanding to operate networks with large footprints. The development of long-range aircraft operated by flag carriers like British Overseas Airways Corporation and Trans-Canada Airlines further normalized the capability of "far and wide" air travel among the traveling public. "Regional airline" is a flexible term whose meaning has changed substantially over time. What it means today

1845-512: A new scheme prominently featuring "Alaska" across the fuselage and the Eskimo on the tail. The planes continue to include a small Horizon logo on the sides of the aircraft, which now appears in Alaska's dark blue color. On March 5, 2019, Horizon introduced a themed livery in celebration of Horizon's heritage. Bombardier Q400 #N421QX featured stripes down the side in the traditional Horizon colors and

1968-527: A new vision for regional mobility, based on services built out of small general aviation aircraft and VLJs (very light jets) with advanced automation. This vision failed to materialize due to its primary focus on rural mobility and a lack of clear and viable business case. With the introduction of air taxi services and very light jets , city pair links to smaller communities lacking regional connections could become more common. This opportunities could become commercially viable with advanced air mobility and

2091-409: A period of turmoil in 2017. Amid unprecedented growth (spurred by the addition of the new aircraft), Horizon experienced a severe pilot shortage, forcing the airline to cancel hundreds of flights and delay delivery of new aircraft. The pilot shortage was part of a broader problem affecting all regional airlines, but hit Horizon particularly hard. After the airline industry started to rebound in 2013 after

2214-749: A reputation for refusing to adopt industry-wide fare increases that had been accepted by other airlines. This changed in March 2005, when Northwest adopted fare hikes in response to rising oil prices. Due to competition from low-cost carriers such as Southwest Airlines and the impact of paying living wages in a new contract with employees represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) labor union , Northwest began to make cutbacks in early 2001 to preserve profits and executive salaries. Two small rounds of employee layoffs and other cutbacks were implemented in

2337-480: A separately branded airline, with a codesharing agreement with its new sister airline, Alaska, while ending its codeshare with United Airlines. In 1988, Horizon signed a code share agreement with Northwest Airlines . International service was expanded in May 1989 with flights to Vancouver and Victoria in British Columbia , using both Dash 8-100 and Fairchild Metroliner turboprop aircraft. Horizon

2460-549: A share which sealed the deal. Northwest Airlines became a minority owner of Midwest Airlines in the fourth quarter of 2007. On September 25, 2007, Northwest Airlines received DOT approval to begin service to Shanghai from its Detroit hub beginning March 25, 2009. American, Continental, Delta, and US Airways also received new or additional China route authority to Shanghai or Beijing, and United received authority to serve Guangzhou. On April 14, 2008, Northwest Airlines announced that it would be merging with Delta Air Lines to form

2583-702: A similar capacity purchase agreement with SkyWest Airlines in May 2011. As part of the agreement, Alaska Air Group managers agreed to sell Horizon's fleet of five Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet aircraft to SkyWest, which used the aircraft to operate six West Coast routes as "Alaska SkyWest ". The move left Horizon with a fleet consisting of a single type of aircraft; the Bombardier Q400 turboprop. Horizon announced in April 2016 that it would expand its fleet and once again operate regional jets, placing an order for 30 Embraer 175 airplanes. The airline experienced

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2706-408: A strong entrepreneurial sector of independents. They are based on business models ranging from the traditional full service airline to low cost carriers . Innovations include one where the passenger is required to join a membership club before being allowed to fly. Some examples of European regional airlines include: India has many regional carriers operating currently. Some of these operate under

2829-401: A time it adopted the slogan "Northwest Orient: The Fan-Jet Airline". Nonstop transpacific flights became feasible with the introduction of the 707-320B/C. Northwest bought its first Boeing 747s in 1970 and soon began retiring its smaller 707s. In addition to operating the 747's on transpacific flights, Northwest briefly flew them on its busiest domestic routes as well. For years Northwest was

2952-420: Is a regional jet operated in a three-class configuration (first class, premium class, and main cabin) with a total of 76 all leather, reclining seats. The premium class and main cabin sections of the aircraft have two seats either side of the aisle, while the first class section has a single seat on one side of the aisle and two seats on the other. Horizon Air has previously operated the following aircraft: At

3075-619: Is an influx of new, young pilots with less experience. In response to the crisis, Alaska shifted some of its flights from Horizon to its other regional partner, SkyWest Airlines. It was a move that Horizon's CEO described as "disheartening." Because of the shift, SkyWest ordered additional Embraer 175 airplanes that it will fly for Alaska. At the end of the troubled year, Horizon's CEO Dave Campbell announced that he would step down effective January 5, 2018, for personal reasons. Gary Beck became CEO in January 2018. In November 2019, former retiree of

3198-673: Is common in the U.S. to incorrectly associate aircraft size with the Department of Transportation's designation of major, national, and regional airline. The only corollary is the Regional Airline Association, an industry trade group, defines "regional airlines" generally as "...operat(ing) short and medium haul scheduled airline service connecting smaller communities with larger cities and connecting hubs. The airlines' fleet primarily consists of 19 to 68 seat turboprops and 30 to 100 seat regional jets." To be clear there

3321-602: Is different than how it has been used in the past. For instance, in the United States, around 1960, the term “regional carrier” denoted the smaller eight of the 12 largest carriers, then known as trunk carriers (or trunk airlines or simply trunks). At the time the four biggest airlines in the United States were known as the Big Four, comprising American , United , TWA and Eastern Air Lines . The other eight trunk carriers were Braniff , Capital , Continental , Delta , National , Northeast , Northwest and Western . Since, at

3444-500: Is fully owned by American Airlines Group and does business as American Eagle . Many of these large regional airlines have joined the lobbying group Regional Airline Association . This association lobbies purely for the financial interest of the corporate bodies it constitutes, not the employees of those airlines. In Canada there are a number of regional airlines. Some of them focus on Canadian Arctic and First Nations communities, while others operate regional flights on behalf of

3567-428: Is no distinction in the Department of Transportation definition of major, national and regional airlines by aircraft size. The definition is based on revenue. The clash of definitions has led to confusion in the media and the public. Beginning around 1985, a number of trends have become apparent. Regional aircraft are getting larger, faster, and are flying longer ranges. Additionally, the vast majority of regionals within

3690-464: Is served on all flights. Horizon's aircraft are equipped with a First Class cabin and Premium Class cabin and offer a similar onboard experience to that of Alaska, with complimentary meals in First Class and complimentary alcoholic beverages in both classes. Horizon's aircraft are equipped with an in-flight Wi-Fi and streaming entertainment system. Alaska and Horizon use Gogo Inflight Internet ,

3813-504: The Air Line Pilots Association, International ) and shut down the airline for more than two weeks. The airline sustained heavy losses as a result, and ended 1998 in the red, after being profitable since 1993. On January 5, 2000, Northwest Airlines filed a federal lawsuit against the flight attendants' union and a number of rank-and-file employees. Along with its January 5 complaint, Northwest Airlines filed

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3936-687: The Civil Aeronautics Board from 1943 to 1950 include: A history and study of regional airlines was published by the Smithsonian Institution Press in 1994 under the title Commuter Airlines of the United States , by R.E.G. Davies and I. E. Quastler . Since the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, the US federal government has continued support of the regional airline sector to ensure many of

4059-491: The Delta Flight Museum following its retirement by Delta in 2015. Northwest was purchased in a 1989 leveraged buyout by an investment group headed by Al Checchi , Fred Malek and Gary Wilson , with KLM, and many others. To pay off the debt incurred, the new management sold many of the airline's aircraft to leasing companies, and sold property around the world, including land in central Tokyo. The expense of

4182-465: The Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. In October 2009 Delta Air Lines hired a real estate broker to put the 108-acre (44 ha) former Northwest Airlines headquarters complex for sale or lease. During that month the facility had a taxable value of $ 13.7 million. The airline marketed 36 acres (15 ha) of the former NWA facility that is located along Interstate 494 separately from the main part of

4305-778: The Republic of China nearly ready to collapse, and its government evacuated to the island of Formosa ( Taiwan ). Northwest Airlines added Songshan Airport in Taipei , the new capital city of the Republic of China , as a stop on the Tokyo-Okinawa-Manila route on June 3, 1950, with ongoing interchange service to Hong Kong operated by Hong Kong Airways . With transpacific flights established, Northwest began branding as Northwest Orient Airlines between 1947 and 1986, although its registered corporate name remained "Northwest Airlines." NWA continuously upgraded equipment on

4428-654: The U.S. Post Office Department . The airline was originally based in Detroit, Michigan . The fledgling airline established a mail route between Minneapolis and Chicago , using open-cockpit biplanes such as the Curtiss Oriole and the Waco JYM . From 1928 the enclosed cabin six-passenger Hamilton H-45 and H-47 were used. Northwest Airlines began carrying passengers in 1927; in 1928 Northwest started its first international route with service to Winnipeg . In 1929,

4551-685: The United States Department of Transportation for nonstop service between its WorldGateway hub in Detroit to Shanghai (beginning in 2007 on Boeing 747-400s ) and to Beijing (beginning in 2010 on Boeing 787 Dreamliners ). The airline faced off against Delta Air Lines (which proposed Atlanta to Shanghai and Beijing), American Airlines (Chicago/O'Hare–Beijing), Continental Airlines (Newark–Shanghai), US Airways (Philadelphia–Beijing), United Airlines (Los Angeles–Shanghai and San Francisco–Guangzhou), and MAXjet (Seattle–Shanghai) in

4674-410: The aircraft livery for the company they are operating flights for. These airlines can be subsidiaries of the major airline or fly under a code sharing agreement or operating through capacity purchase agreements, with the mainline parent company financing the aircraft for the regional airline, and then placing the aircraft with the regional for very little cost. An example would be Envoy Air , which

4797-485: The "bowling shoe" by employees, featured colors of red, white, gray, and very dark blue. Also in 1989, Northwest became the launch customer of the Boeing 747-400 and became one of only two airlines in the United States to operate it until its merger with Delta in 2009 . The first aircraft it purchased was the first 747-400 to be built; it was later involved in a loss-of-control incident in 2002 and placed on display at

4920-425: The 19 passenger Embraer/FMA CBA 123 Vector and the 34 seat Dornier 328 were undertaken, but met little financial success, partly due to economic downturn in the airline industry resulting from the outbreak of hostilities when Iraq invaded Kuwait . Many of the regional airlines operating turboprop equipment such as Delta 's regional sister Comair airlines in the United States set the course for bypassing entirely

5043-515: The 36-passenger seat Martin 2-0-2 . In 1931, Northwest sponsored Charles and Anne Lindbergh on a pioneering test flight to Japan via Alaska, scouting what would become known as the Northwest Airlines' Great Circle route that could save 2,000 miles (3,000 km) on a New York to Tokyo flight. Northwest began to bolster the infrastructure on the domestic leg of this route during World War II when it flew soldiers and supplies from

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5166-508: The Dash 8 series of turboprops. Throughout its history, Horizon has either operated as a standalone carrier or as a regional affiliate of Alaska Airlines, except between 2004 and 2007 when it operated Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft on behalf of Frontier Airlines . In late 2010, Horizon's parent company, the Alaska Air Group, made the decision to no longer operate Horizon as a separate regional airline. Starting on January 1, 2011, Horizon shifted to

5289-600: The National Mediation Board to recess talks indefinitely, resulting in the loss of a $ 182 million bankruptcy claim the attendants had against Northwest. With the new agreement, the $ 182 million claim was to eventually be sold for cash with an estimated pre-tax value of $ 15,000 to $ 18,000 per flight attendant. Previous to the recent agreements, Northwest provided employees with stock in exchange for concessions. For example, in 1993 Northwest pilots, ground workers, and flight attendants received stock and seats on

5412-410: The Northwest name for flights. The official final flight was Northwest Airlines Flight 2470 from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. As of 2006, Northwest Airlines Cargo was the largest cargo carrier among U.S. combination passenger and cargo airlines. NWA Cargo's fleet of dedicated Boeing 747 freighter aircraft flew from some key cities in the United States and East Asia, as well as Amsterdam, connecting with

5535-647: The Northwestern United States to Alaska. It was at this point that Northwest began painting its airliners' tails bright red as a visual aid in the often harsh weather conditions. The airline's experience with the sub-arctic climate led the U.S. government to designate Northwest as the main airline over the North Pacific following the war. In the spring of 1947, Northwest began stationing employees at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, flying them from

5658-491: The State of Minnesota. In 1939 Northwest had five daily flights from Chicago to Minneapolis ; three continued west to Seattle through North Dakota and Montana . Northwest also served Winnipeg, Manitoba , and Portland, Oregon , by spurs from its transcontinental route. By the spring of 1948, Northwest was operating three different aircraft types: the 44-passenger seat Douglas DC-4 , the 21-passenger seat Douglas DC-3 and

5781-506: The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on September 14, 2005. With Northwest's filing, four of the six largest U.S. carriers were operating under bankruptcy protection. Northwest joined Delta Air Lines (which filed just minutes before), United Airlines , and US Airways in bankruptcy. All four carriers subsequently emerged from bankruptcy protection. Northwest common stock shares dropped more than 50% for

5904-763: The United States via Alaska on its Great Circle route. On July 15, 1947, Northwest was the first airline to begin direct service between the United States and Japan, using a Douglas DC-4 airliner named The Manila . (All pre-war airline service to East Asia had been via Hawaii and the Philippines.) The flight to Japan originated at Wold-Chamberlain Field in Minneapolis and stopped at Blatchford Field in Edmonton , Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage , and Shemya AAF in

6027-606: The United States with more than ten aircraft within their fleet, have lost their individual identities and now serve only as feeders, to Alaska Airlines , American Airlines , Delta Air Lines , or United Airlines major hubs. Regional aircraft in the US have been getting slightly more comfortable with the addition of better ergonomically designed aircraft cabins , and the addition of varying travel classes aboard these aircraft. From small, less than 50-seat "single-class cabin" turboprop , to turbofan regional jet equipment, present day regional airlines provide aircraft such as

6150-429: The United States, are: Mainline carrier-owned Independent contractors The evolution and chronological history of the commuter side of the regional airline industry can be defined by a number of dates prior to the end of the era of airline regulation by the Civil Aeronautics Board of the United States. Among these significant dates are: List of Commuter Airlines in 1977 Prior to Airline Deregulation: Some of

6273-633: The West Coast, and, starting in 1958–59, Georgia and Florida from Chicago. On June 1, 1959, Northwest accepted its first turboprop , the L-188 Electra , from the Lockheed Corporation . Northwest Airlines started flying the three-engine Boeing 727-100 in November 1964; many stretched B727-251s followed. After airline deregulation in 1978 Northwest began nonstop flights to other Asian cities, returned to China in 1984 after

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6396-418: The accounting company Ernst & Young for "purposes of examining and copying information and communications contained on the computer hard drives ." The order permitted the discovery of all data, including e-mail communications. After conducting discovery, Northwest Airlines fired over a dozen employees in early March, stating that they had engaged in a sickout . The Union filed grievances claiming none of

6519-471: The advent of jet airliners and high-speed, long-range air service, commercial aviation was structured similarly to rail transport networks. In this era, technological limitations on air navigation and propeller-driven aircraft performance imposed strict constraints on the potential length of each flight; some routes covered less than 100 miles (160 km). As such, airlines structured their services along point-to-point routes with many stops between

6642-404: The airline hub. Initially these tie ups tended to use small 15 -19 seat aircraft, which did not have a reputation of passenger comfort, or safe reliable operations, by small often under capitalized tiny airline operators. To create a common tie and what appeared to be seamless to the air traveler, major carriers marketed in advertising and soon had much smaller airlines paint their small and what

6765-598: The airline is the only reasonable link to a larger town. Examples of this are PenAir , which links the remote Aleutian Islands to Anchorage, Alaska , and Mokulele Airlines , which operates in the Hawaiian islands. As an affiliated airline , contracting with a major airline , operating under their brand name (for example, Endeavor Air operates flights under the Delta Connection brand name for Delta Air Lines ), and filling two roles: delivering passengers to

6888-549: The airline's first brand new aircraft, the de Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 twin turboprop. Late in 1985, Horizon entered into an agreement to purchase their chief competitor in Washington, Cascade Airways , but by early 1986 were released from the agreement. Merger talks between the two had begun in late 1982. In January 1986, the airline became an international carrier when it began service to Calgary, Alberta , in association with Cascade Airways . Alaska Airlines struck

7011-621: The airline. A single Fokker F28 twin jet, purchased in July 1984 from an African carrier, was the first jet owned by Horizon Air (however, the first jet operated by Horizon was a wet leased Douglas DC-9-10 ). An initial public offering occurred in 1985 to secure operating capital, which after only one profitable year since founding, was needed to keep the airline afloat. That summer, Horizon entered into its first codeshare agreement with United Airlines , and on September 8, Horizon signed an agreement with de Havilland Canada to begin purchasing

7134-433: The board of directors in exchange for pay cuts. As part of the agreement, Northwest was to buy back these preferred shares in 2003 but refused to do so, citing financial distress. In the summer of 2007, Northwest was engaged in a labor conflict with its pilots over a large number of end of the month flight cancellations. The pilots claimed that Northwest did not have sufficient pilots to fly its schedule; Northwest accused

7257-575: The board, including removing pillows, peanuts, pretzels, in-flight entertainment on domestic flights, and newspapers and magazines. Over 50 McDonnell Douglas DC-9 , Boeing 757 , Boeing 747 , and Airbus A320 family aircraft were withdrawn from use in an attempt to lower overall capacity and save money. Some of these aircraft were returned to service. Following many years of a pioneering and close partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Northwest, along with partners KLM and Continental Airlines , joined SkyTeam , an alliance of ten airlines from around

7380-455: The buyout was so great that in 1993, following several years of losses due to industry overcapacity and a traffic downturn following the Gulf War , Northwest threatened bankruptcy to force three years of wage cuts upon its employee groups. Northwest subsequently made its first profit since 1989 on the backs of its workers. Also in 1993, Northwest began its strategic alliance with KLM , which

7503-594: The carrier's cargo hub in Anchorage, Alaska ( Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport ), facilitating the quick transfer of cargo between large cities on both sides of the Pacific. NWA Cargo also transports freight aboard the passenger fleet of Northwest Airlines to more than 250 cities worldwide. Delta announced that the NWA Cargo hub will be shut down by the end of 2009. As of early 2008, NWA's largest cargo client

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7626-593: The cockpit and who attempted to shut off the engines during flight on October 22, 2023, and seeking an injunction that would require the airlines to "conduct reasonable examinations" of all employees with access to the cockpit immediately prior to boarding. In July 2024, Horizon was sued by a flight attendant for the airline, who alleged that she was "repeatedly and severely" sexually harassed by two Horizon pilots from September 2023 through February of 2024 and that Horizon's human resources department "took no action" to protect her. Regional airline Decades before

7749-468: The company Joe Sprague returned to Horizon Air as president. Horizon's 45 destinations are located in the U.S. states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. As of September 2024, Horizon Air operates the following aircraft: The Embraer 175

7872-489: The company would begin to trade on the NYSE under the ticker NWA. Initial trading on a "when-issued" basis began on May 21, 2007, and regular trading began on May 31, 2007. Also on May 18, 2007, Northwest Airlines was cleared by a federal bankruptcy judge to emerge from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection on May 31, 2007, ending Northwest's 20 months of difficulty trying to slash costs. On July 16, 2007, Northwest Airlines applied to

7995-406: The company. After numerous negotiation sessions, no agreement was reached, and the company began hiring permanent replacement workers. In mid-October, after permanently hiring about 500 non-union workers, Northwest made a final offer to the union. The offer would have saved 500 union jobs and offered four weeks of severance pay to terminated employees. This offer was worse than the original declined by

8118-534: The demand of long-range passenger traffic, new and small airlines found niches flying between short and under-served routes to-and-from major airports and more rural destinations. Through the 1960s and 1970s, war surplus designs (notably, the Douglas DC-3 ) were replaced by higher-performance turboprop or jet -powered designs like the Fokker F27 Friendship and BAC One-Eleven . This extended

8241-536: The domestic network necessary to feed its well-established Pacific routes. Lacking a significant presence in Europe, in 1993 it began a strategic alliance with KLM and a jointly coordinated European hub at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol . Before its merger with Delta, Northwest was the world's sixth-largest airline in domestic and international scheduled passenger miles flown and the US's sixth-largest airline in domestic passenger miles flown. In addition to operating one of

8364-524: The employees' sick calls were false. The effect on intra-airline email use was marked: postings critical of Northwest Airlines by employees dwindled, and the majority of messages after the search were posted anonymously . On August 20, 2005, after months of negotiations, an impasse declared by the NMB and a 30-day cooling off period , the over 4,750 Northwest aircraft mechanics , janitors, and aircraft cleaners represented by AMFA went on strike against

8487-415: The engine nacelle. This became the standard for Horizon's brand livery as well as the current Alaska Airlines livery. Prior to this change, the underside of the nacelle was painted "Horizon White". On January 25, 2011, Horizon Air announced it was retiring its public brand and adopting the trademark Eskimo of its sister company, Alaska Airlines, on its fleet. Horizon's Bombardier Q400 fleet was repainted with

8610-517: The first clear-air turbulence forecasting system in 1957, important since the airline flew many northern routes over turbulence-prone mountain areas. Northwest remained a leader in turbulence prediction, providing TPAWS (turbulence prediction and warning services) to other airlines. During the regulated era, Northwest's domestic network was mainly along the northern transcontinental route through Chicago, Minneapolis, and Seattle; New York and Detroit were added in 1945. Northwest also served Hawaii from

8733-508: The former Republic Airlines headquarters building, located on the property of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport , as well as Building J located in Eagan. Before the headquarters were in Eagan, they were on the grounds of Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport. A recurring issue in Northwest's history was its troubled labor relations. In 1998, Northwest walked away from the bargaining table, locked out its pilots (represented by

8856-407: The front of the airplane. The first Dash 8-100, N811PH was dedicated as the "Great Cities of Seattle/Tacoma" and the second airplane, N812PH was the "Great City of Portland". N824PH was dedicated as the "Great Cities of Pullman/Moscow" on one side and the "Great Cities of Moscow/Pullman" on the other side. N363PH (Q200) was the first airplane to incorporate the "deep bing cherry red" on the underside of

8979-553: The government's UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme) . Note:- Alliance Air is still a state-owned airline, whereas Air India is private. Australia has an association for regional airline, the Regional Aviation of Australia. More than 2 million passengers and 23 million kg of cargo are involved each year. Post airline deregulation, airlines sought added market share and to do this they sought partnerships with regional and small airlines to feed traffic into

9102-416: The higher capacity CRJ700 , CRJ900 , CRJ1000 series of aircraft and the somewhat larger fuselage Embraer E-Jets . Some of these newer aircraft are capable of flying longer distances with comfort levels that rival and surpass the regional airline equipment of the past. In the early 1990s, much more advanced turboprop-powered, fuel efficient, and passenger friendly DC-3 type replacement projects such as

9225-532: The industry entitled "Flying Cheap". In the program, reporter Miles O'Brien questioned how the impact of low salaries are having on pilot psyches and how safe this could be for the flying public. When asked to respond to the question, Roger Cohen, president of the Regional Airline Association, told Frontline that, "...there are many other people who earn less money than that and work more days in these communities that can afford it and do it and do it responsibly." The Small Aircraft Transportation System outlined

9348-461: The introduction of electric aircraft. In some parts of the world, regional airlines face competition from high-speed rail and also coach (bus) services with airlines sometimes replacing feeder services through air rail alliances and contracts with bus companies (e.g., Landline between Philadelphia International Airport and Atlantic City International Airport ). In North America , regional airlines are operated primarily to bring passengers to

9471-746: The largest domestic route networks in the U.S., Northwest carried more passengers across the Pacific Ocean (5.1 million in 2004) than any other U.S. carrier, and carried more domestic air cargo than any other American passenger airline. Regional and commuter airline flights for Northwest were operated under the name Northwest Airlink by Big Sky Airlines , Eugene Aviation Services, Express Airlines I /II, Fischer Brothers Aviation , Mesaba Airlines , Northeast Express Regional Airlines , Pacific Island Aviation , Pinnacle Airlines , Precision Airlines , Simmons Airlines and Compass Airlines via respective code sharing agreements. Northwest Airlines

9594-848: The largest foreign airline serving Japan. In 1951, Northwest became involved with the founding of Japan Air Lines (JAL) by leasing airliners and crewmembers to the new airline. In 1952, United States and Japan ratified a regional bilateral aviation treaty, under which Northwest and Pan American World Airways became the two U.S. airlines in Tokyo. These carriers also received fifth freedom rights to carry passengers from and via Tokyo to other Asian destinations such as Seoul , Busan , Taipei , Kaohsiung , Manila , Beijing , Shanghai , Guangzhou , Hong Kong , Bangkok , Kuala Lumpur and Singapore . Northwest also flew passenger routes from Japan to Guam and Saipan , U.S. possessions in Micronesia . Northwest's meteorologists, led by Dan Sowa, pioneered

9717-415: The late 1990s and early 2000s, Northwest enjoyed profits and focused on improving technology to increase convenience and reduce costs. The airline offered airport self-service check-in kiosks starting in 1997 and had more than any other airline. Northwest was the first large U.S. airline to offer internet check-in to passengers, with service from December 2000. During the early 2000s decade, Northwest acquired

9840-635: The lesser known smaller brands used by the regional airlines and their parent companies were: European regional airlines serve the intra-continental sector in Europe . They connect cities to major airports and to other cities, avoiding the need for passengers to make transfers. For example, BA CityFlyer a regional subsidiary of British Airways uses the basic Chatham Dockyard Union Flag livery of its parent company and flies between domestic and European cities. Some of Europe's regional airlines are subsidiaries of national air carriers, though there remains

9963-679: The livery of Air France . NLM 's KLM style branding does however pre-date the Air France efforts though by a number of years. The success of the "rebranding" or "pseudo branding" of a much smaller airline into the name recognition of a much larger one soon became clear as passenger numbers soared at Air Alpes, and it was soon decided to paint other aircraft such as the Fokker F-27 into full Air France colours as well. Many airline passengers find sub-branding very confusing, while many other airline passengers are content to think they are on

10086-680: The mainline airline's sub-brand livery. For example, United Express regional airline partner CommutAir branded its entire fleet as United Express. On the other hand, regional airline Gulfstream International Airlines did not brand their aircraft. When Colgan Air was still operating, they branded a handful of aircraft as Colgan Air, but most were branded as Continental Connection , US Airways Express or United Express , with whom it had contractual agreements. 21st century regional airlines are commonly organized in one of two ways. Operating as an independent airline under their own brand, mostly providing service to small and isolated towns, for whom

10209-410: The mainline airlines, in terms of revenue, many would be designated major airline carrier status based on the only actual definition of "major airline," in the United States, the definition from the U.S. Department of Transportation. This definition is based solely on annual revenue and not on any other criterion such as average aircraft seating capacity, pilot pay, or number of aircraft in the fleet. It

10332-439: The major airline's hubs from surrounding towns, and increasing frequency of service on mainline routes during times when demand does not warrant use of large aircraft, known as commuter flights . One of the first independently owned and managed airlines in the world that rebranded its aircraft to match a larger airline's brand was Air Alpes of France. During 1974, Air Alpes painted its newly delivered short range regional jets in

10455-667: The major airlines. Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines (often abbreviated as NWA ) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 until it merged with Delta Air Lines in 2010. The merger made Delta the largest airline in the world until the American Airlines–US Airways merger in 2013. Northwest was headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota , near Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport . After World War II , it became dominant in

10578-501: The major hubs, where they will connect for longer-distance flights on the national airlines also known as flagship carriers . The smallest regional carriers have become known as feeder airlines. The separate corporate structure allows the company to operate under different pay schedules, typically paying much less than their mainline owners. Many large North American airlines, have established operational relationships with one or more regional airline companies. Their aircraft often use

10701-538: The merger, the airline dropped Orient from its branding. One major reason for the merger was that Northwest's unique position as a domestic and transpacific carrier had been challenged in 1985 when United Airlines acquired the Pacific Division of Pan Am . Northwest continued to use the pre-merger Northwest Orient livery (minus the word "Orient") until a new livery and identity (designed by Landor Associates ) were adopted in 1989. The new livery, nicknamed

10824-478: The months before the September 11 attacks . Following the attacks, Northwest was forced to make dramatic changes to its business structure through major employee layoffs and other cost-cutting measures. The retirement of costly and aging aircraft such as the Boeing 727 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40 were accelerated as new aircraft went into service. In addition, the airline pursued options to reduce costs across

10947-585: The north and several destinations in Florida in the south including Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa. On July 8, 1960, Northwest placed the Douglas DC-8 into service, offering the shortest flight times to East Asia, but within a year the airline was negotiating the sale of the five DC-8s. Northwest retired the last of its Boeing 377 Stratocruisers that September. The airline purchased several Boeing 720 Bs in 1961, and 1963 several new Boeing 707 -320Bs; for

11070-403: The offer. On October 9, 2006, AMFA leadership and Northwest reached an agreement. Under the settlement, all AMFA workers still on strike as of that date were converted to lay-off status with five weeks of severance pay (ten weeks if they resigned from Northwest). However, these employees had a right-of-recall to their old jobs. The settlement was approved on November 6, 2006. On May 30, 2007, it

11193-415: The originating and terminating air terminals. This system of air transportation effectively forced most airlines to be "regional" in nature, but the lack of distinction among carriers soon began to change with the 1929 launch of Transcontinental Air Transport (T-A-T) in the United States. T-A-T's transcontinental "Lindbergh Line" became America's first contiguous coast-to-coast air service, and it ushered in

11316-433: The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Northwest then served these routes via Tokyo. The airline sought government approval to restore nonstop Detroit–Shanghai service in March 2007 but lost its bid to United 's Washington –Beijing route; however, before their merger with Delta Air Lines , Northwest received tentative authority to restart nonstop Detroit–Shanghai service starting March 25, 2009. Through

11439-556: The pilots of calling in sick to create the problem. Following the Republic merger in 1986, Northwest primarily operated on a hub and spoke route system with hubs in Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Tokyo. Under the KLM joint venture started in 1993, the two carriers established an Amsterdam hub where transatlantic routes operated by Northwest linked with European, African, and Asian routes operated by KLM. Northwest also operated

11562-407: The property, as the airline considered the property to be excess. Terry Kingston, the executive director of the real estate brokerage firm Cushman & Wakefield , stated that there had been some interest in the Northwest Airlines property from other parties. Northwest was the only occupant of the four-story headquarters building. Employees remaining in the Minneapolis area were moved to Building C,

11685-494: The range of the regionals dramatically, causing a wave of consolidations between the now overlapping airlines. In the United States, regional airlines were an important building block of today's passenger air system. The U.S. Government encouraged the forming of regional airlines to provide services from smaller communities to larger towns, where air passengers could connect to a larger network. The original regional airlines (then known as " Local service carriers ") sanctioned by

11808-787: The regional turboprops as they became the first to transition to an all-jet regional jet fleet. To a lesser extent in Europe and the United Kingdom this transition, to notably the Embraer or Canadair designs, was well advanced by the late 1990s. This evolution towards jet equipment, brought the independent regional airlines into direct competition with the major airlines, forcing additional consolidation. To improve on their market penetration, larger airline holding companies rely on operators of smaller aircraft to provide service or added frequency service to some airports. Such airlines, often operating in code-share arrangements with mainline airlines, often completely repaint [1] their aircraft fleet in

11931-533: The route competition. On August 12, 2007, Northwest Airlines became a passive investor in the purchase of Midwest Airlines by TPG Capital . The airline stated that while it was an investor, it would not participate in any management or control of Midwest Airlines . However, on August 14, 2007, AirTran Airways raised their offer for Midwest to $ 16.25 a share, 25 cents more than the TPG offer. But soon after on August 17, 2007, TPG Capital raised their offer to $ 17.00

12054-526: The second time in three days following the news, largely because the stock is generally cancelled as part of the bankruptcy process. In the following weeks, Northwest Airlink carriers Mesaba Airlines and Pinnacle Airlines both announced that Northwest Airlines had missed payments to them for their Airlink flying. Northwest also announced plans to shrink its Airlink fleet by over 45 aircraft. Mesaba Aviation filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on October 13, 2005. Northwest announced on May 18, 2007, that shares of

12177-471: The smaller and more isolated rural communities remain connected to air services. This is encouraged with the Essential Air Service program that subsidizes airline service to smaller U.S. communities and suburban centers, aiming to maintain year-round service. Although regional airlines in the United States are often viewed as small, not particularly lucrative "no name" subsidiaries of

12300-553: The start of the carrier, Horizon livery had a painted sunrise with a small beach with capitalized words saying "Horizon". Until 2011, the Horizon Air livery was very similar to that of its parent, Alaska Airlines, except for a dark red (rather than blue) cheatline , and the tail featured a stylized sunset logo, rather than an Eskimo . Two E175s are currently painted in special liveries. Some Dash 8-100s and Q200s (no longer in service with Horizon Air) had names of various destinations preceded by "Great City of" or "Great Cities of" printed on

12423-452: The sunset logo on the tail. The aircraft made its inaugural flight from Yakima to Seattle, the route of Horizon's first ever flight. Flight time permitting, passengers in the main cabin are offered a complimentary small snack (cookie, nuts or a snack mix) and a beverage. Horizon, like its parent airline Alaska, focuses on serving and selling items produced on and inspired by the West Coast. Coffee from Portland-based Stumptown Coffee Roasters

12546-530: The term has been stretched beyond the point of utility. For instance, in a 1983 article about PBA, Provincetown-Boston Airlines , both Air New England and Air Florida are described as regional airlines. At the time, Air New England was a recently-failed turboprop operator in the northeast USA, while Air Florida was a jet carrier flying from Florida to the northeast, to Latin America and Europe. The two airlines had little in common. As flag carriers grew to fill

12669-466: The time, none of these eight had a network approaching the scale of the Big Four, they were known as the regional carriers. This was despite the existence, at the time, of 13 smaller United States scheduled carriers known as local service carriers whose service was arguably far more regional than the “regional” trunks. So when reading historical sources, it’s important to understand that the term "regional airline" has migrated greatly over time. Sometimes

12792-468: The trans-Pacific market with a hub in Tokyo, Japan (initially Haneda Airport , later Narita International Airport ). In response to United Airlines ' 1985 acquisition of Pan Am 's Pacific routes, Northwest paid $ 884 million to purchase Republic Airlines and then established fortress hubs at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Memphis International Airport . With this merger, NWA established

12915-440: The transpacific routes. On June 22, 1949, Northwest received its first double-decker Boeing 377 "Stratocruiser" , enabling more comfortable accommodations and faster transpacific flights. The Stratocruiser began flying from the West Coast to Honolulu in 1950 and to Tokyo via Alaska on September 27, 1952. 　 In 1954, Northwest Orient purchased Douglas DC-6Bs and started flying them to Tokyo and Manila. In January 1960, Northwest

13038-493: The union, which would have saved over 2,000 jobs and offered 16 weeks of severance pay. On October 20, 2005, AMFA announced that it would not allow its members to vote on the offer, citing that parts of the contract would violate the union's commitment to its members. Finally, in late December 2005, Northwest made what it termed its "final offer" to the union. The agreement would have terminated all striking workers and given them rights to unemployment compensation. The union voted down

13161-582: The western Aleutian Islands . The flight continued from Tokyo to Lunghwa Airport in Shanghai and then to Nichols Field at Manila . A flight between Tokyo and Seoul ( Gimpo Airport ) began on October 20, 1947, and Naha Airport in Okinawa began to be a stop on the Tokyo to Manila route on November 16, 1947. Northwest service to Shanghai was suspended in May 1949 because of the civil war in China, with

13284-464: The world's largest airline. The merger was approved on October 29, 2008. The CEO during the merger of Delta and Northwest was Richard Anderson who was Northwest Airlines CEO from 2001 to 2004. The combined airline uses the Delta name and branding. On October 1, 2009, Northwest WorldPerks merged into SkyMiles . On January 31, 2010, Delta completed the merge of the reservation systems and discontinued using

13407-486: The world, on September 15, 2004. This was partially a result of Air France merging with KLM, forming the Air France-KLM group. Northwest continued to hemorrhage money, however. Despite far-reaching money-saving initiatives, the industry-wide history of inflated executive compensation forced Northwest to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the first time in its 79-year history. The filing took place in

13530-731: Was DHL International. In December 2007, NWA announced that DHL International would terminate its cargo agreement with the airline effective late 2008. According to NWA Chief Financial Officer Dave Davis, the loss of its largest cargo client would bring significant changes to the division. Further changes to the NWA Cargo division continued into 2009 as it was merged into the Delta Cargo service. NWA Cargo ended all operations on December 28, 2009. On July 30, 2010, Northwest pleaded guilty to one count of felony price fixing for fixing prices for cargo shipping via NWA Cargo. Immediately before Northwest ceased being an independent airline, its headquarters

13653-564: Was also a minority owner of Midwest Airlines , holding a 40% stake in the company. Northwest Airlines was founded on September 1, 1926, by Colonel Lewis Brittin, under the name Northwest Airways , a reference to the historical name for the Midwestern United States that derived from the Northwest Territory . Like other early airlines, Northwest's focus was not in hauling passengers, but in flying mail for

13776-528: Was announced that the flight attendants narrowly agreed to concessions and became the last major workgroup at Northwest to agree to new contract terms. The deal was approved by a vote of 2,966 to 2,862. Union leaders said that 90.5 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. The new contract would provide Northwest with $ 1.9 billion in annual cuts through 2011. Negotiations with attendants had been ongoing and contentious for several years. The flight attendants were unable to strike during negotiations because of

13899-525: Was followed a week later by Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco to Seattle. The general offices of Horizon Air were operated out of an old house behind Sea-Tac Airport. Horizon acquired Air Oregon on June 17, 1982, after both airlines were losing hundreds of thousands of dollars monthly, in order to consolidate and reduce their operating deficit. Horizon agreed to purchase Transwestern Airlines of Utah in September 1983, once again to try to reduce operating deficit of

14022-408: Was formed in May 1981 by Milt Kuolt , Joe Clark , and Bruce McCaw, with initial plans to fly to Hawaii but later changed to serve Washington state. The airline started operations on September 1, 1981, with three Fairchild F-27 aircraft. Its headquarters were in an area that is now within SeaTac, Washington . Horizon Air's first route connected Yakima to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport and

14145-502: Was in Building A, a facility in Eagan , Minnesota, near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the intersection of I-35E and Interstate 494 . The 266,899-square-foot (24,795.7 m ) building in the complex, which housed about 1,000 Northwest employees, was built in 1985. The building had a large "N" painted on the roof. After Delta and Northwest merged, Delta moved the Eagan headquarters employees to other offices in

14268-401: Was often described as puddle-jumper aircraft, in the image and branding colors of the much larger mainline partner. This was to give the appearance of reliability. Over time these regional aircraft grew in size as airline hubs expanded and competition dwindled among the major carriers. Below is a list of many of the regional brands that evolved when regional airlines were advertised to look like

14391-592: Was only 40% in 2000. The formerly small regional airlines have grown substantially, through mergers or by the use of a holding company, as pioneered by AMR Corporation in 1982. AMR created the AMR Eagle Holding Corporation which unified its wholly owned American Eagle Airlines and Executive Airlines under one division, but still maintained the regional airlines' operating certificates and personnel separate from each other and American Airlines . The most significant regional airlines in

14514-403: Was operating transcontinental Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop service nonstop between New York City and Seattle with these flights being part of the airline's service between New York City and Asia with Douglas DC-7C aircraft being operated on the transpacific legs from Seattle and was also operating Electra propjet flights between Minneapolis/St. Paul, Milwaukee and Chicago Midway Airport in

14637-489: Was purchased by the Alaska Air Group in November 1986, and continued to fly as a separately branded airline until 2011, when it shifted to the current capacity purchase agreement business model. The airline is headquartered in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, not far from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , and the airline's primary maintenance base is at Portland International Airport . Horizon also considers Seattle–Tacoma and Portland airports to be its hubs . Horizon Air

14760-435: Was served only during the summer season). In 2009, under the banner of Delta , service to Rome was then resumed for the summer season. In 1991, Northwest began service to Australia, after United and Qantas began non-stop flights to the continental U.S. using the newly introduced, long-range 747-400. Northwest routed its Sydney–New York flight through Osaka, which raised Japanese protest because less than 30% of passengers on

14883-424: Was the largest airline merger at the time and caused operational issues which led the combined carrier to have an on-time performance of just 42 percent in its early days. Through the merger, NWA adopted Republic's three-hub domestic network centered around Detroit, Memphis, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. The combined airline became particularly strong in the first two cities, with a market share of over 80% in each. After

15006-563: Was the largest airline partnership at that time. This partnership eventually became the Wings Alliance , but the alliance never grew beyond the two airlines. Northwest gradually pulled out of its minor European destinations and focused on domestic and Asian markets. On May 1, 1996, Northwest inaugurated the first-ever nonstop service from North America to China, Detroit – Beijing . Nonstop Detroit–Shanghai service followed in April 2000. These nonstop services were suspended in 2002 due to

15129-631: Was the launch customer for the Dornier 328 turboprop, intending to replace the Metroliners with this new aircraft which promised speed and comfort on par with jetliners. In recognition of the order, Dornier painted its second prototype of the 328 in Horizon colors. Twelve aircraft were delivered between November 1993 and November 1995, but they were quickly phased out in late 1997, along with the remaining Metroliners, in favor of fleet standardization to

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