Mesa Airlines

History

Mesa began operations as Mesa Air Shuttle in Farmington, New Mexico, in 1980. From 1989 through 1998, Mesa Airlines operated as a conglomeration of up to eight separate airlines. For the history of the acquisition and expansion of Mesa Airlines during this time see Mesa Air Group. The following history section details the history of the individual airlines that comprised Mesa Airlines during this time frame.

Mesa Airlines

The original Mesa Air Shuttle was a flight division of JB Aviation in Farmington, New Mexico, and operated a single route from Farmington to Albuquerque using a Piper Saratoga aircraft. In 1981, as the first Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) was discontinuing its flights between the two cities, Mesa obtained a twin-engine Piper Navajo Chieftain and increased service on the route. In 1982, the original owners sold the company to Larry and Janie Risley. The Risleys quickly expanded the carrier by acquiring a fleet of 14-passenger seat Beechcraft Model 99 commuter turboprops and adding service throughout New Mexico and surrounding states with a hub at Albuquerque. In 1985, larger 19-passenger seat Beechcraft 1900s were acquired which replaced the Beechcraft Model 99s and became the backbone of Mesa's fleet. By 1987, up to 47 daily departures were operating from Albuquerque to 18 cities. Also in 1987, a Denver hub was created when Mesa acquired Centennial Airlines which operated several routes from Denver into Wyoming. After an initial route from Farmington and Gallup to Phoenix began in 1985, Phoenix was expanded into a hub in 1989 with new routes throughout Arizona. In 1990, most Denver flights were incorporated into the United Express division which Mesa had acquired from Aspen Airways. In 1992, when Mesa established a codeshare with America West Airlines, its Phoenix hub was turned over to the America West Express division. A minor hub was also operated at Farmington in the late 1980s with up to 22 daily flights connecting Albuquerque, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City to Durango, Cortez, and Telluride, CO. For a brief time in 1995 and 1996, the Mesa Airlines operation at Albuquerque, the United Express operation in Denver, and the America West Express operation in Phoenix were all known as operated by Mountain West Airlines. In 1997 and 1998, routes from Little Rock to Nashville and Wichita and from Nashville to Tupelo were added, first as Mesa Airlines, then later as US Airways Express.

In 1997, Mesa established a small hub at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport, using two Bombardier CRJ200 regional jet aircraft, providing service from Fort Worth to San Antonio, Austin, and Houston Hobby, as well as new routes from Colorado Springs to Nashville and San Antonio. The venture was short-lived, and these routes were all eliminated during a corporate restructuring. The Albuquerque hub was merged into Air Midwest in 2001 but operated as a codeshare for Mesa Airlines until the hub was dissolved at the end of 2007.

In 1998, Mesa moved its headquarters from Farmington, New Mexico, to Phoenix, Arizona.

Skyway Airlines

The Skyway Airlines division was Mesa's first foray into the Midwest. Skyway was formed in 1989 when Mesa established a codeshare agreement with Midwest Express and a Milwaukee hub. From Milwaukee, Mesa served 25 cities in nine states in the upper Midwest region, using Beechcraft 1900 aircraft. Upon the expiration of the codeshare in 1994, it was not renewed. Midwest Express kept the Skyway Airlines name and routes, forming Astral Airways to fill the void as Mesa ceased service in Milwaukee. Mesa reallocated the aircraft and crews to start Superior Airlines in its Columbus hub for America West Express.

FloridaGulf Airlines

The FloridaGulf Airlines division was formed in 1991 after Mesa's acquisition of Air Midwest. Air Midwest's CEO, Robert Priddy, was chosen to start up the operation. It operated under a codeshare agreement with USAir and was a USAir Express carrier. It started with a Tampa hub, providing service to Florida and the southeast United States using Beechcraft 1900 aircraft. Additional hubs in Orlando, and New Orleans were established. In 1993, the airline expanded into the Northeast, with a hub in Boston and eventually Philadelphia. In 1994, six Embraer EMB 120 aircraft were added. It also had a hub and a field maintenance unit in Jacksonville, Florida. By the time it was merged into Air Midwest, in 1997, it was operating 44 Beechcraft 1900D and 9 Embraer EMB 120 aircraft serving 49 destinations.

Superior Airlines

After Midwest Express notified Mesa they would not be renewing the contract to operate their Skyway Airlines division, Mesa allocated the aircraft and crews to form Superior Airlines in 1994. Superior initially competed against their former Midwest Express partner as America West Express and also provided service from the new America West Columbus hub. Superior operated America West Express flights to compete against their former partner from Milwaukee to Flint, Lansing, Columbus, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Des Moines, and Cedar Rapids, as well as from Rockford to Detroit. Within 18 months Mesa redirected Superior and its Beechcraft 1900D fleet to focus exclusively on the Columbus hub. By 2000 the aircraft and crews, which consisted of CRJ200s (CL-65s), were being operated by Mesa Airlines itself. America West Airlines closed its Columbus hub in 2003 and Mesa again reallocated the assets this time to its newly reacquired United Express operation.

CalPac (California Pacific)

Mesa created CalPac (California Pacific) in 1992, establishing a second United Express carrier with a Los Angeles hub along with WestAir. It utilized Beechcraft 1900D and Embraer EMB 120 aircraft to serve 12 destinations. In 1995, the airline division was merged into Mesa's United Express operation.

Liberty Express Airlines

In 1994, Mesa acquired Pittsburgh-based Crown Airways. Using the acquired assets, Mesa established Liberty Express with its hub in Pittsburgh and a codeshare with US Airways. In 1997, it was merged into Air Midwest, operating 14 Beechcraft 1900D aircraft serving 17 destinations.

Desert Sun Airlines

The Desert Sun Airlines division was created in 1995 to inaugurate Mesa's first jet service utilizing Fokker 70 aircraft. It operated as America West Express from a Phoenix hub. The first two cities to receive jet service were Spokane and Des Moines. In 1996, the division was merged into Mesa's America West Express operation, and the Fokker 70 aircraft were replaced by Bombardier CRJ aircraft as they were introduced. There was also a previous Desert Sun Airlines not affiliated with Mesa that operated scheduled passenger commuter service in southern California during the mid-1980s with Beechcraft 99 turboprops and Piper Chieftain prop aircraft.

go!

In 2006, Mesa formed go! in the Hawaiian Islands, using five Bombardier CRJ aircraft from its Honolulu hub. It established a code share with Mokulele Airlines, which served airports that cannot accept jet aircraft and provide point-to-point service in between the islands with Cessna Caravan turboprops. The codeshare with Mokulele was later replaced by one with Island Air, which was itself later replaced by a joint venture with Mokulele dubbed go! Mokulele. The airline ceased operations in Hawaii on April 1, 2014.

Mesa's go! was involved in multiple lawsuits with Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Airlines and was also investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration for an incident on February 13, 2008, where both pilots fell asleep during a regularly scheduled 36-minute flight between Honolulu and Hilo. go!'s flight 1002 overshot Hilo Airport by 15 miles (24 km), remaining 21,000 feet (6,400 m) in the air as they missed the destination. Air traffic controllers were unable to reach the two pilots for 25 minutes, after which contact was re-established and the aircraft returned for a safe landing in Hilo.

Mesa's go! was also blamed for the March 31, 2008 shutdown of Aloha Airlines due to "predatory fares".

Kunpeng Airlines

Kunpeng Airlines was formed as a joint venture between Mesa Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines of China. They began flying in October 2007 with three Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft and currently have five in China . The airline originally expected to operate 20 CRJs prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and plan to expand at a rate of 20 aircraft per year for the next 5 years. All pilots would have been based in Beijing or Xi'an and the airline initially was to fly to 16 regional airports. Mesa intended to replace the outgoing CRJ200s with larger regional jets such as the CRJ700 and CRJ900. Kunpeng has recently decided to delay the delivery of CRJ200 in favor of brand new Embraer 190. All of the Mesa aircraft are being returned.

Furthermore, as of June 2009, Mesa no longer has a financial interest in Kunpeng Airlines, as Shenzhen Airlines purchased Mesa's interest in the original joint venture.

Merger with Republic Airways

On April 7, 2025, Republic Airways Holdings announced that it would acquire Mesa in an all-stock merger. Under the terms of the agreement, Republic shareholders will own approximately 88% of the merged company, while Mesa shareholders will retain between 6% and 12%. The merger closed November 25, 2025.

Following the merger, the combined company will operate approximately 310 Embraer 170/175 aircraft and more than 1,250 daily departures. Republic will continue operating under agreements with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines, while Mesa will fly under a 10-year agreement with United.

Prior to the merger, Mesa had scaled back its operations to about 60 Embraer 175 aircraft, all of which were leased from United. The merger would leave Republic and SkyWest Airlines as the two largest remaining independent regional airlines in the United States.

Operations

Mesa operates flights as United Express, a mainline airline marketing sub-brand using United Express liveried fleet of Embraer 175 aircraft under a revenue-guarantee code-sharing agreement. Its hubs are at Houston–Intercontinental and Washington–Dulles.

Former airline divisions & codeshares

DHL Aviation, for cargo/freight operations (2020-2023)

American Eagle (2014–2023)

US Airways Express (2007–2014)

America West Express (1992–2007)

Air Midwest (1991–2008)

CalPac (California Pacific) (1993–1995)

Desert Sun Airlines (1995–1996)

FloridaGulf Airlines (1991–1997)

Go! (2005–2014)

Liberty Express Airlines (1994–1997)

Mountain West Airlines (1995–1996)

Skyway Airlines (1989–1994)

Superior Airlines (1994–1995)

Crew bases

Mesa operates three crew bases at Dulles International Airport near Washington D.C., George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, and Louisville International Airport.

Fleet

Current fleet

As of March 2025, the Mesa Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:

In September 2013, Mesa Airlines announced an agreement with United Airlines which extended the operation of 20 CRJ700s through 2020. The agreement included an order of 30 United-owned Embraer 175s that was operated under contract by Mesa Airlines. Mesa Airlines later announced an agreement with United Airlines to add 18 Embraer 175 aircraft to Mesa's United Express fleet. Mesa operated 48 Embraer aircraft for United Airlines. In October 2013, the company announced an agreement for the addition of 15 new aircraft scheduled for delivery in 2016, which increased to 18. Mesa currently operates 80 Embraer 175 aircraft under the United Express brand.

On 8 January 2025, it was reported that Mesa Airlines had entered into a sale-leaseback agreement with United Airlines to purchase and then leaseback 18 units of Embraer 175 aircraft, in a deal that would raise $230 million for the regional carrier. The deal involved the transfer of eight E175s by the end of December 2024, with the remaining 10 aircraft in early 2025.

Mesa operated its final CRJ-900 revenue flight on February 28, 2025, concluding a phased retirement that began in late 2024. As of March 1, 2025, Mesa Airlines maintains an exclusively Embraer 175 fleet.

Historical fleet

Bombardier CRJ-900

CATPASS 200, a Beechcraft King Air 200 with a modified 13-passenger cabin

Piper Chieftain – second aircraft operated from 1981 through 1983. Briefly operated from Farmington to Denver, Durango, and Grand Junction, CO and to Vernal, UT

Destinations

Mesa operates for United Express in the following destinations – some routes may only be seasonal.

Past destinations

Mesa's destinations as an independent carrier in the southwest (1980–2007) included the following:

Albuquerque hub

Alamogordo, NM

Angel Fire, NM

Carlsbad, NM

Clovis, NM

Colorado Springs, CO

Durango, CO

Farmington, NM

Gallup, NM

Hobbs, NM

Las Cruces, NM

Los Alamos, NM

Pueblo, CO

Roswell, NM

Ruidoso, NM

Santa Fe, NM

Silver City, NM

Taos, NM

Telluride, CO

Farmington, NM hub

Albuquerque, NM

Cortez, CO

Denver, CO

Durango, CO

Gallup, NM

Grand Junction, CO

Phoenix, AZ

Pueblo, CO

Controversies

Flight attendants

In February 2012 the contract between flight attendants and Mesa Airlines expired and became eligible for negotiation between the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) and Mesa.

Flight attendants have been at the core of Mesa's operations since its agreements were reached with US Airways and their United Express operation were reached and for years before. Throughout the years many of them became frustrated with stagnant wages and non-competitive retention offerings leading to its current contract negotiations which began in 2012.

Negotiations had stalled several times in the years following 2012 in mediation and talks directly with the company after the company had only offered negligible pay increases, unaffordable health insurance, and significantly fewer incentives for flight attendants with longevity compared to other regional airlines.

In January 2017, contract negotiations in front of the National Mediation Board again came to a halt. The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), after over five years of failed negotiations, announced that the members of the union would be coming together for a strike vote in order to either accelerate negotiations or begin using the AFA's patented method of striking – CHAOS – in order to interrupt operations with both American Airlines and United Airlines in anticipation that the two legacy carriers will place pressure on Mesa to offer livable wages and individual benefits comparable to other airlines.

On March 29, 2017, the AFA released a statement saying that Mesa Airlines Flight Attendants voted "Yes" to a strike vote overwhelmingly by a vote of 99.56%, the highest "yes" vote in at least 20 years for the AFA, and potentially in the history of the union since its founding in 1945.

In response Mesa Airlines CEO Jonathan Ornstein stated "We're going to continue to negotiate on good faith and come to an agreement that the company can afford" and that it "takes reasonableness on both parties."

Heather Stevenson, union president for Mesa, said "We're out of options" as well as "Five years of 'Please' and 'Thank you' and 'Could you do better?' hasn't done anything." She also stated "...management can choose a different outcome by seriously negotiating a contract. Mesa Airlines is an important partner in the highly-profitable American Airlines and United Airlines networks."

Pilots

On March 2, 2017, the Air Line Pilots Association, International union representing all of Mesa Airlines pilots filed a lawsuit after wages had stagnated and ceased to increase in any amount for almost ten years and the company had allegedly bypassed the Railway Labor Act by implementing bonus and incentive programs without reaching an agreement beforehand with the ALPA.

The goal of the pilots is similar to the at-the-time objective of the flight attendants, which is to be paid a standard and comparable wage to other regional airlines that can substantiate necessities such as food and shelter.

Incidents

On June 29, 1990, Flight 22, a Cessna 208 Caravan en route from El Paso, Texas, to Ruidoso, New Mexico, lost engine power and landed on New Mexico State Road 220 about four miles short of the Sierra Blanca Regional Airport. There were no injuries and the only visible damage was to the sheet metal on the right wingtip.

On February 13, 2008, the pilots of a go! Bombardier CRJ200 fell asleep and overshot their destination airport by 26 nautical miles (48 km; 30 mi) before air traffic control was able to make contact with the aircraft. The incident happened on the third consecutive day during which the pilots had been required to start duty at 05:40 am. The captain suffered from an undiagnosed severe sleep apnea. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident as follows: "The captain and first officer inadvertently falling asleep during the cruise phase of flight. Contributing to the incident were the captain's undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea and the flight crew's recent work schedules, which included several consecutive days of early-morning start times."

On September 29, 2015, American Airlines Flight 5786, which was operated by Mesa Airlines under the American Eagle brand, encountered a wing strike during landing on a day with calm winds. The plane landed and taxied to the gate without further incident. No injuries were reported.

On January 11, 2019, American Eagle Flight 5766, en route from Dallas-Fort Worth, slid off the runway after landing in icy and snowy conditions. The Bombardier CRJ900 was the first flight to attempt to land at Columbia Municipal Airport after the ground crew cleared the runway of ice and snow. Reports state the runway was still very slick with ice.