American Airlines just can’t quit the CRJ-200. The carrier on Monday announced that it intends to partner with regional airline Air Wisconsin beginning next March, effectively bringing back a jet banished by the airline – much to the delight of frequent American fliers – amid the pandemic.
Air Wisconsin Will Base up to 60 CRJ-200s at ORD
According to a Securities and Exchange Commission report, Air Wisconsin will initially base up to 40 Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft at American’s megahub at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). The five-year contract, known as a capacity purchase agreement, states that Air Wisconsin will provide up to 60 CRJ-200 aircraft. American will add these aircraft to its network through October 2023.
The carrier says that although it will initially focus on O’Hare, future expansion is possible at other key hubs in the American network. Additionally, the agreement leaves open the possibility of adding 70-seat CRJ-700s to the Air Wisconsin fleet in the future.
Monday’s announcement was the latest development in a series of steps United is taking to distance itself from all-economy, 50-seat regional jets. Air Wisconsin’s partnership with American will leave SkyWest Airlines as the sole United Express CRJ-200 operator.
Air Wisconsin’s Storied History
Headquartered at Wisconsin’s Appleton International Airport (ATW), Air Wisconsin currently operates United Express flights out of its hubs at O’Hare and Washington Dulles (IAD).
The carrier began operations in 1965 between Appleton and O’Hare using two 9-seat de Havilland Doves. Air Wisconsin has operated many different aircraft types over the nearly six decades since, such as the BAe 146, the de Havilland Canada Dash 8, Short 330s and 360s, and Fairchild Swearingen Metros.
Although Air Wisconsin has been an exclusive United Express carrier since 2018, it hasn’t always been that way. It became a pioneer in the regional airline industry in the 1980s when Air Wisconsin began operating feeder flights for United Airlines. It has also operated flights for US Airways Express, American Eagle, and even AirTran Airways for a short period from late 2003 through mid-2004.
Could the Agreement Lead to Reinstatement of Air Service to Smaller Communities?
While frequent fliers of American Airlines may not be thrilled about the return of an aircraft once deemed “the Nickelback of the Skies,” it no doubt provides some hope to smaller communities that have recently lost service amid the pilot shortage currently impacting the industry.
While nothing is certain, it is entirely possible that cities such as Toledo, Ohio (TOL) and Dubuque, Iowa (DBQ), along with Ithaca (ITH) and Islip, New York (ISP), could see a return of American Airlines service as a result of the Air Wisconsin agreement.
With a Chicago hub, could Air Wisconsin once again connect Essential Air Service (EAS) communities that have lost service since 2020 to America’s airline network? It’s something worth watching in the months and years to come.
And we can all agree that air service with the Nickelback of the Skies is much better than no air service at all.
For better or for worse, Monday’s announcement ensures that the much-maligned CRJ-200 will remain a stalwart of regional aviation in the United States – at least for now.
