SkyWest Airlines

Big-picture snapshot

SkyWest Airlines is the largest regional airline in the United States, operating approximately 487 aircraft across 19 domiciles under codeshare agreements with all four major U.S. carriers — United, Delta, American, and Alaska. It is a subsidiary of SkyWest, Inc. (NYSE: SKYW), headquartered in St. George, Utah, and employs approximately 5,000 active pilots. Russell "Chip" Childs has been CEO of SkyWest, Inc. since January 2016.

For interview purposes, the simplest way to frame SkyWest is this: it is the premier regional airline in the U.S. — the largest, the most financially stable, the only regional that has never furloughed a pilot in 50+ years of operations, and the only major regional with an independent (non-ALPA) pilot group. SkyWest offers rapid captain upgrades (as fast as 1.5 years), 19 domicile options across the country, and flying for all four mainline partners. It generated $4.1 billion in revenue and $428 million in net income in FY2025 — one of the strongest financial performances of any regional carrier in history.

For most pilots, SkyWest is a stepping stone to a mainline career. But the combination of upgrade speed, domicile flexibility, no-furlough history, and financial stability makes it the regional of choice for many aspiring airline pilots.

Company history

• 1972: SkyWest Airlines founded; first flights begin in Utah
• 1986: Began codesharing as Western Express for Western Airlines at its Salt Lake City hub
• 1987: Following Western Airlines' acquisition by Delta, SkyWest became a Delta Connection air carrier
• 1994: SkyWest, Inc. listed on NASDAQ (ticker: SKYW)
• 1997: Began operating as United Express in addition to Delta Connection
• 2005: Acquired Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) — became SkyWest, Inc.'s second airline subsidiary
• 2010: Began American Eagle flying for American Airlines
• 2016: Russell "Chip" Childs became CEO of SkyWest, Inc.
• 2018: ASA merged into ExpressJet Airlines (later shut down 2020)
• 2020: Survived COVID-19 without furloughing a single pilot — maintained its 50+ year no-furlough streak
• 2023: Added Alaska Airlines as fourth mainline partner
• 2025: Ordered 16 new Embraer E175 aircraft plus options for 94 more; $4.1 billion annual revenue; $428 million net income; reached multi-year contract extensions with United (40 E175s) and Delta (13 E175s); ALPA organizing effort underway
• 2026: SAPA agreement expires — union organizing campaign intensifying; continued E175 fleet expansion

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