United Express

Embraer 175 operated byRepublic Airways
Founded	1985; 40 years ago (1985)
Hubs	Chicago–O'Hare Denver Houston–Intercontinental Los Angeles Newark San Francisco Washington–Dulles
Frequent-flyer program	MileagePlus
Alliance	Star Alliance (affiliate)
Fleet size	461
Parent company	United Airlines Holdings
Headquarters	Chicago,Illinois
Website	united.com

United Express is a regional airline network that supportsUnited Airlines operations, primarily by serving smaller cities and connecting traffic to United's main hubs. Representing six percent of United's total capacity for 2024, United Express operates through partnerships with regional carriers, includingCommuteAir,GoJet,Mesa Airlines,Republic Airways, andSkyWest. These carriers operate under capacity purchase agreements, where United contracts for flight services, pays fixed and performance-based fees, and covers additional costs like fuel and landing fees. The regional carriers operate United-branded flights following schedules set by the airline, while United manages pricing, revenue, and loyalty programs for passengers.^[1]

As of September 2025^[update], the combined United Express-branded fleet consists of the following regional jet aircraft:^[2][3]

In addition to the aircraft in the table above, United owned or leased the following regional aircraft as of December 31, 2024: 6 Bombardier CRJ550, 38 ERJ 145XR aircraft that are temporarily out of service, and 8 Bombardier CRJ700 awaiting conversion to CRJ550.^[2]

Major airlines in the United States had long maintained relationships with regional carriers which fed passengers from small markets to larger cities. TheAirline Deregulation Act of 1978 spurred industry consolidation, and as the hub system became more pronounced, airlines formalized these relationships throughcode sharing,co-branding and listing regional partners' flights incomputer reservations systems.

On May 1, 1985, United formally partnered withAir Wisconsin,Horizon Air, andWestAir as United Express, feeding its hubs atChicago–O'Hare,Seattle/Tacoma, andSan Francisco, respectively.Aspen Airways joined in 1986 the hub atDenver–Stapleton. Horizon Air was bought byAlaska Airlines in 1987 at which time Horizon's contract with United was cancelled and a new carrier,North Pacific Airlines (NPA), was established by WestAir to service the Seattle hub as well as hubs at Portland, Spokane, and Boise. Aspen was dismantled in 1990 being sold to Air Wisconsin and Mesa Airlines. NPA was merged into its parent, WestAir, in 1991.San Juan Airlines of Seattle and SouthCentral Air of Anchorage, Alaska, also operated as United Express from 1987 through 1989.

In 1988,Presidential Airways became a United Express carrier for United's new hub atWashington–Dulles, but quickly floundered. In response, WestAir formed an eastern division to serve Dulles.^[4] WestAir itself experienced turmoil; in 1991 it spun off the new division into an independent company, Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA), which years later would go on to becomeIndependence Air.

In 1990,Mesa Airlines took over all of the United Express routes from Denver formerly operated by Aspen Airways except the Denver to Aspen route which went to Air Wisconsin. Mesa also added a number of new routes from Denver as well. In 1992 Mesa created a new division calledCalifornia Pacific Airlines to begin new United Express service from the Los Angeles hub. In 1995 Mesa took over all United Express routes at the Seattle and Portland hubs formerly operated by WestAir. Mesa Airlines contract operating as United Express was cancelled in 1998 at which time Air Wisconsin and Great Lakes Airlines took over the Denver routes while SkyWest took over the Los Angeles, Seattle, and Portland routes.

In 1992,Great Lakes Airlines became a United Express partner, followed byTrans States Airlines the following year. In 1997, as United officially designatedLos Angeles one of its hubs,SkyWest Airlines became a United Express partner as well. Great Lakes left the United Express system in early 2002, although it continued to do codeshare flights until they ceased operations in 2018.

In 1993, Trans States Airlines started United Feeder Service (UFS), to operate British AerospaceBAe ATP aircraft for United Airlines. The aircraft, originally owned byAir Wisconsin, were transferred and subsequently owned by United. UFS operated routes to Chicago–O'Hare from close markets in the U.S.Upper Midwest. UFS was eliminated from the United Express carrier network in 1999 and disappeared.

When United declared forChapter 11 reorganization in 2002, it pressured its regional partners for reduced fees. In 2004, ACA canceled its contract and attempted to reinvent itself aslow-cost carrier calledIndependence Air, but ceased operations only 18 months later. The next year, Air Wisconsin unsuccessfully bid to retain its flying contract, though it did retain some ground-handling United Express operations. To compensate, United initiated new service agreements withColgan Air, Trans States subsidiaryGoJet Airlines, andRepublic Airways Holdings subsidiariesChautauqua Airlines andShuttle America.Mesa Airlines was also reinstated into the United Express system.

In 2005, United announced that service levels on major United Express routes would be upgraded to a new product called explus. Routes with explus service offer First Class seats and meal service on larger, 70-seatEmbraer 170s and 66-seatBombardier CRJ700s.^[5] Expanding the traditional regional partner role, United started to use the airplanes configured with explus amenities instead of, or alongside with, mainline jets on routes linking large cities, such as Chicago to Houston.

United announced a new Expressfocus city inSan Antonio in 2006, but the experiment was short-lived. Trans States was the carrier operating the San Antonio operation.

United decided to cancel Dash 8 and CRJ200 service withMesa Airlines in November 2009.^[6] On November 16, 2009, it was announced thatExpressJet would begin operatingEmbraer ERJ 145s beginning in the spring of 2010.^[7] Mesa Airlines continued service using CRJ700 regional jets and added theEmbraer 175 in 2015.

All Continental Express and Continental Connection service officially merged into United Express in late 2010 including that ofCape Air which was operating as Continental Connection on behalf ofContinental Micronesia in Guam.Silver Airways was also a Continental Connection carrier that converted to United Express using turbo prop aircraft. Silver operated throughout Florida as well as routes from Washington Dulles Airport however their affiliation as United Express ended in 2013.

On April 1, 2012,Pinnacle Airlines Corp. filed for bankruptcy and announced it would draw down itsColgan Air operation. In May, United reached a deal withRepublic Airways Holdings for its subsidiaryRepublic Airways to fly the Q400 in Colgan's place. The eight-year capacity purchase agreement included all 28 aircraft previously operated by Colgan as well as four currently flown by Republic forFrontier Airlines.

In August 2015, United announced the start of a new subsidiary, United Ground Express (UGS), to provide ground operation service in select airports within its domestic network. UGS has grown to serve 60 United line stations and three hubs.^[8][9]

By September 2016,Republic Airways’ Q400s were phased out of service, replacing them with 50 more Embraer 175s.^[10]

On February 27, 2017, United Airlines announced the return of their partnership withAir Wisconsin as a United Express carrier. They would be flying a fleet of 65 Bombardier CRJ200s beginning second-half 2017.

In September 2017, the Q300 was phased out,^[11] and in January 2018, the Q200 was phased out.^[12] These were the final prop aircraft in the United Express system within the United States.

On April 16, 2018, United Airlines announced the end of its partnership withCape Air. Services ended on May 31, 2018, which marked the end of United Express operations inGuam, along with the retirement of the last turboprop aircraft in the United Express fleet.^[13]

In March 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic,Trans States Airlines announced that it would be ceasing operations on April 1, 2020, ending its operations as United Express.^[14]

On July 30, 2020, it was announced thatUnited Airlines had decided to end its contract withExpressJet and transferred these operations toCommuteAir. ExpressJet continued its operations until September 30, 2020, and CommuteAir became the sole operator of the United Express Embraer ERJ 145 fleet.^[15][16]

In August 2022, Air Wisconsin announced that it would again be leaving the United Express brand and transferring exclusively toAmerican Eagle. The transition started in March 2023.^[17]

United selected SpaceX'sStarlink as its in-flight internet connectivity provider for mainline and two-class regional aircraft in September 2024. This high-speed, low latency satellite internet service will enable live streaming, cloud-based work applications, and gaming, with complimentary access provided to all passengers.^[18]

United Airlines entered into asale-leaseback agreement withMesa Airlines in late 2024 under which United would purchase 18Embraer 175 aircraft from Mesa for $230 million, then lease those aircraft back to Mesa. The deal involved the transfer of eight E175s by the end of December 2024, with the remaining ten aircraft in early 2025.^[19]

Historical regional jet fleet

Historical turboprop fleet

The United Express brand, through its various regional and commuter airline partners, operated a variety of twin turboprop aircraft over the years including the following types.

• On February 2, 1988, United Express Flight 3749 from Denver to Durango, CO, operated by Aspen Airways using a Convair 580 aircraft, drifted off a snow-packed runway at night while landing atDurango-La Plata County Airport and crashed into a snowbank. No injuries were reported among the 38 passengers and three crew members on board.^[21]
• On December 26, 1989,United Express Flight 2415 operated byNorth Pacific Airlines, aBAe Jetstream 31, crashed on approach toTri-Cities Airport near Pasco, Washington. The four passengers and two crew members on board were killed. The crew executed an excessively steep and unstabilizedinstrument landing system (ILS) approach. That approach, along with improper air traffic control commands and aircraft icing, caused the aircraft to stall and crash short of the runway.^[22]
• On January 7, 1994,United Express Flight 6291 operated byAtlantic Coast Airlines, aBAe Jetstream 41 crashed on approach toPort Columbus International Airport. Two passengers and three crew members were killed, while three passengers (a Taiwanese family) survived the accident. The NTSB report concluded the aircraft was never properly stabilized for the approach to runway 28L. The aircraft slowed to a stall, which was not recognized by the flight crew in a timely manner. The subsequent stall recovery was performed contrary to the Airplane Flight Manual procedure, which resulted in the aircraft impacting the ground less than 2 miles from the runway. Furthermore, after investigating the backgrounds of the cockpit crew, theNTSB concluded that Atlantic Coast shouldn't have paired an inexperienced first officer with a captain who had a history of failed check rides.
• On November 19, 1996,United Express Flight 5925 operated byGreat Lakes Airlines, aBeechcraft 1900C collided with aKing Air during landing atQuincy Regional Airport. The ten passengers and two crew members on board were killed. The pilots of the King Air were blamed for failing to effectively monitor both the common frequency and to scan for traffic.^[23]
• On April 9, 2017, passenger Dr. David Dao was dragged off ofUnited Express Flight 3411 by law enforcement. He had been selected to be deplaned to make room for deadheading crew, but had refused to give up his seat, stating that he needed to see patients the following day.^[24] He suffered a concussion, lost teeth, and a broken nose.^[25] The airline later faced criticism and backlash for how the incident was handled.
• On March 4, 2019,United Express Flight 4933 operated byCommuteAir, aEmbraer ERJ 145, landed in a snow-covered grassy area to the right of the runway atPresque Isle International Airport and was severely damaged; two passengers and thefirst officer suffered minor injuries. The accident was attributed to an inadequately reported ILS misalignment combined with "confirmation bias" and fatigue that led the first officer to continue the approach despite being unable to see the runway due to blowing snow.^[26]
• On February 12, 2025, United Express flight 4427 operated byGoJet Airlines slid off a taxiway while landing atSt. Louis Lambert International Airport. No injuries were reported among the 27 people on board including crew. Runway 11-29 was temporarily closed after the incident before later reopening.^[27]

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