Issue Summary

In the giant U.S. airline market, small planes play a big role. Just how big? Regional carriers—including those wholly owned by larger carriers— operate more than 40% of all U.S. commercial airline departures, carrying about a fifth of all U.S. passengers, according to the Regional Airline Association (RAA). That’s equivalent to about 160m passengers annually. At Chicago O’Hare, for example, more than half of all departing flights are on sub-100-seat aircraft flown by regional carriers. Some two-thirds of all commercial airports in the U.S., meanwhile, have no mainline service whatsoever—just regional planes.