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Air Wisconsin announced yesterday that it’s realigning the carriers business model to cease flying for American Airlines under the American Eagle regional branding to focus on Essential Air Service (EAS) markets. This would shift flights to a codeshare and interline relationship with American.
The Airline Deregulation Act (ADA) passed in 1978 and removed federal control over airfare, routes, and new airlines entering markets. With deregulation came some small cities losing commercial service. The Essential Air Service (EAS) program was created to guarantee that communities that had certificated air carriers would still maintain a minimum level of service after the ADA.
This is good news for some passengers who are hoping that American replaces these routes with other American Eagle partners (the codeshare statement makes me think that they will not sub for all of them). Air Wisconsin has fleet of 50-seat CRJ-200 aircraft (60 in total) that many frequent travelers have nicknamed “Satan’s Chariot” based on its tight seating layout.
Air Wisconsin says that it will continue to fly routes granted subsidies under the Essential Air Service (EAS) program and will focus more on its charter business. Sports teams, particularly NCAA collegiate sports teams, have increasingly been contracting these flights. The airline has recently settled all remaining debt on its aircraft and is no longer beholden to American Airlines with its newfound financial flexibility.
Robert Binns, President & CEO of Air Wisconsin, said:
This strategic shift underscores our adaptability and commitment to delivering reliable, customized air travel solutions where they are most needed. As we diversify into EAS and grow our charter operations, we remain committed to delivering safe, efficient, and quality service to every community and customer we serve.”
Anthony’s Take: Good for Air Wisconsin to be financially stable enough to stop being beholden to American Airlines. It will be interesting to see what American does on the routes it formerly served.
(Image Credits: Air Wisconsin.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
