It is always sad when we lose another airline.
Delta will shut down its subsidiary Comair as of September 30th. The writing has been on the wall for a long while. Comair primarily operates 50-seat regional jets, an aircraft type that many carriers are scaling down.
Comair was founded in 1977. It became a Delta Connection carrier in 1984, and Delta acquired full ownership in 1999.
Part of the reason for the loss of Comair is the decreasing popularity of the smaller regional jets, which have the reputation for being cramped and uncomfortable. We have to say we prefer the slightly larger 70 seaters for comfort, but not every market can support these aircraft.
Comair was the first regional carrier to start using the Canadair Regional Jet, and was at one point the largest regional jet operator in the world. Once fuel prices began to rise, airlines started reducing their dependence on these aircraft.
So, what is the future for short routes? There has not been a resurgence in the demand for 40-70 seater turboprops in the United States. Despite the fact these aircraft are cheaper and more fuel efficient than regional jets, if slower, airlines aren’t buying. So, the future is less service in some markets.
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- I-Team: Comair shutting down? (wcpo.com)
- Delta to Shrink Its Fleet of Small Jets, Significantly Improve Customer Experience with New Pilot Agreement (crankyflier.com)
- RAA 2012: Regional airlines poised for massive fleet renewal (flightglobal.com)
- Pssst-Wanna Buy A Regional Jet Cheap? (aviationqueen.wordpress.com)
- Brazil’s Embraer jets are sized right for U.S. market (travel.usatoday.com)
- Delta partner to fly nonstop between Love Field and Atlanta (aviationblog.dallasnews.com)
