Green Airlines

Rankings / Regional airlines

Regional airlines

Regional airlines fly the shorter flights under the names of the big airlines: United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle. They report their own fuel to BTS, and it's counted, with their passengers, in the figures of the airline whose name is on the ticket. Each profile shows the regional's own seat-miles per gallon, which isn't graded against the mainline airlines because small jets on short flights burn more fuel per seat.

Each page below shows how big the regional is, how its aircraft and flights have changed since 2000, and which airlines it flew for. Where a regional flew for one airline, we show our estimate of the split by year, based on the airports it serves. The methodology explains how we check it.

Flying in 2025

A small twin-engine propeller plane in flight
Air Wisconsin 0.4 million passengers in 2025, with 50 seats per flight.
A twin turboprop airliner lifting off from a runway
CommuteAir 3.6 million passengers in 2025, with 50 seats per flight.
A rain-soaked airport apron with a jet parked in the distance
Endeavor Air 14.9 million passengers in 2025, with 74 seats per flight.
A passenger jet on the taxiway behind a stop sign
Envoy Air 19.1 million passengers in 2025, with 73 seats per flight.
A twin-engine turboprop on approach seen from below
GoJet Airlines 3.1 million passengers in 2025, with 50 seats per flight.
A small passenger jet climbing under a dark sky
Mesa Airlines 5.1 million passengers in 2025, with 74 seats per flight.
Twin-engine commuter turboprops parked on an airport apron
Piedmont Airlines 6.2 million passengers in 2025, with 50 seats per flight.
A jet docked at a snowy jet bridge
PSA Airlines 14.0 million passengers in 2025, with 72 seats per flight.
A small passenger jet banking after take-off against a blue sky
Republic Airways 21.3 million passengers in 2025, with 75 seats per flight.
A regional jet facing the camera on a runway
SkyWest Airlines 45.9 million passengers in 2025, with 68 seats per flight.

No longer flying

A regional jet climbing against a grey sky
2000 to 2011
Atlantic Southeast Airlines 14.3 million passengers in its last year.
A passenger jet in silhouette against a red sunset
2002 to 2014
Chautauqua Airlines 3.3 million passengers in its last year.
A twin-engine turboprop on approach against a cloudy sky
2002 to 2012
Colgan Air 2.2 million passengers in its last year.
A passenger jet lifting off a runway into the sunrise
2000 to 2012
Comair 2.8 million passengers in its last year.
A passenger jet flying over misty hills
2007 to 2020
Compass Airlines 0.8 million passengers in its last year.
A single-engine turboprop in flight against blue sky
2000 to 2012
Executive Airlines 1.2 million passengers in its last year.
A regional jet climbing away against a pale sky
2000 to 2020
ExpressJet 1.7 million passengers in its last year.
A turboprop airliner seen from directly below
2003 to 2010
Freedom Airlines 0.8 million passengers in its last year.
A passenger jet flying above white clouds
2002 to 2005
Independence Air 5.3 million passengers in its last year.
A twin turboprop airliner in silhouette against the setting sun
2000 to 2011
Mesaba Airlines 5.7 million passengers in its last year.
A passenger jet at a gate on a clear winter morning
2002 to 2016
Shuttle America 4.5 million passengers in its last year.
A twin turboprop airliner flying head on against a blue sky
2000 to 2020
Trans States Airlines 0.6 million passengers in its last year.

Smaller airlines in the data

These carriers flew scheduled passengers but were too small for a page of their own. Some filed fuel themselves, many did not, and none had enough volume to rank.

Show the 40 smaller carriers
AirlineFirst yearLast yearBiggest year (million seat-miles)
Ryan International Airlines20032004954
Skybus Airlines20072008941
North American Airlines20002008855
Allegheny Airlines20022004786
Eastern Airlines20202021774
Tower Air20002000696
Lynx Aviation20082010613
Pan American Airways20002004495
MAXjet20062007446
Great Lakes Airlines20022017400
Skyway Airlines20022008382
Air Midwest20022007353
USAir Shuttle20002000345
Silver Airways20032025341
Pro Air20002000326
Chicago Express Airlines20012004304
CFM20192025250
Legend Airlines20002000248
EOS Airlines20062008240
Peninsula Airways20022019218
Vision Airlines20112014187
Key Lime Air20212025150
NEW PACIFIC AIRLINES20022024145
Hyannis Air Service20032025130
Island Air Hawaii20042017126
Boston-Maine Airways20052006110
Big Sky Airlines20032007106
Frontier Flying Service2002200899
National Air Cargo Group d/ba National Airlines2016201895
Caribbean Sun Airlines2004200680
Via Airlines2017202575
Seaborne Virgin Islands2014201774
Elite Airways2017201872
Grand Canyon Airlines2004200669
Regions Air2003200666
Hageland Aviation Service2010201964
Southern Airways Express2021202464
Boutique Air2017202063
ExpressJet2018201859
Reeve Aleutian Airways2000200056