"Regional jets: 10 years later"

Thursday, July 17, 2003

Regional jets: 10 years later 
Comair, Delta celebrate strategic -- and revolutionary -- use of planes 
By Alexander Coolidge 
The Cincinnati (OH) Post


Comair Inc. and Delta officials celebrated 10 years of regional jets
Wednesday that have transformed the aviation industry by opening new markets
for airlines and preserving existing ones as the industry confronted the
travel slowdown in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorism attacks. 

Cincinnati-based regional carrier Comair pioneered the use of smaller jets
to grow its business when other similar-sized carriers stuck on small planes
with propellers. The company flew the first 50-seat Bombardier CRJ between
the Queen City and Toronto June 1, 1993. 
 
Officials at Delta Air Lines Inc. in Atlanta, which had a code-share and
marketing alliance with Comair, soon realized they could fly smaller
state-of-the-art jets profitably into smaller cities and generate more
business for their mainline jets at major hubs. Delta bought out Comair in
2000 for $1.8 billion. 

Code-sharing links big and small airlines together through schedule
synchronization. 

Delta Connection, which supports its parent company's hubs and includes
Comair and Atlantic Southeast Airlines, now leads the industry with a fleet
of 243 regional jets. Delta flies a total of 347 small jets through three
other regional airlines. 

"I was one of the skeptics when Comair first broached the idea of regional
jets back in the early 1990s," said Michael Bell, vice president of schedule
development at Delta Air Lines. He made his comments during a panel
discussion of airline officials hosted by Comair at the Cincinnati/Northern
Kentucky International Airport. 

Bell said most of the opportunities for growth then were in mainline service
by major airlines, but Comair worked with Bombadier to produce jets and
routes that could fly more cheaply to smaller markets. As the decade
progressed, other airlines acquired regional jets. More than 1,100 regional
jets are in operation throughout North America. 

"Regional jets have become the link of small communities to the world," said
Steve Ridolphi, president of Bombardier Aerospace Regional Aircraft. "About
half the world's departures are on regional jets." 

Delta Connection's regional jets fly more than 2,600 trips a day to 369
markets. Recent industry estimates show that two-thirds of all airports in
the United States support only regional flying because those markets won't
support larger jet service. 

Randy Rademacher, Comair's president, said his company is playing a dual
role helping its Delta parent maintain a presence and consistent number of
flights in markets that have suffered traffic drops since terrorist attacks
two years ago sent the industry into a tailspin. The service also helps open
new markets for Delta. 

"Since 9-11, the regional jet has been able to back-fill in routes where
traffic is down," he said. "That allows Delta to maintain those routes and
those services to keep customers." 

Comair's fleet of jets, which have 40-70 seats apiece, has grown from about
90 in late 2001 to 143 today. Delta's planes generally have a minimum of 150
seats. 

Rademacher said Comair opened six new markets this year including Erie, Pa.,
Moline, Ill. and Bingingham, N.Y. in addition to providing cheaper route
coverage for Delta as it has reshuffled its schedules. 

Deb McElroy, president of the Regional Airline Association, said the
flexibility offered by small jets is critical to major airlines as they
struggle to cut costs and change their business plans. 

"Regional jets are the key to the viability at major hubs," she said.
"Code-sharing is the lifeblood of the industry."

 Comair essentials 

   .  Major hubs: Cincinnati, Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Orlando. 
   .  Daily Flights: 970 to 114 destinations in the U.S., Canada and the
Bahamas. 
   .  Fleet: 143 regional jets. 


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