Regional airlines profit while majors struggle with falling demand
Regional airlines are enjoying profits and growth at a time when network carriers are cutting back due to declining traffic, USA TODAY reports. Big airlines are relying on regional affiliates to fly more routes, resulting in smaller -- but fuller -- planes. That trend helped the top 20 regional carriers to earn a combined $785 million over the past 12 months, while the five big network carriers lost $4.4 billion. "If good times for regional operators persist and newer jets get larger and capable of flying longer distances, we may one day find ourselves aboard regional jets for all domestic travel," writes travel columnist David Grossman. USA TODAY (11/03)