American Airlines is set to add shorter, regional flights to and from O’Hare International Airport, as the airline industry faces a pilot shortage largely affecting regional service.
American, which has a major hub at O’Hare, is partnering with regional airline Air Wisconsin, which will operate up to 60 planes as American Eagle flights beginning in March. Most of the new flights are expected to serve Chicago, the carrier said.
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The agreement with Air Wisconsin will mean the end of a similar agreement between the regional carrier and Chicago-based United Airlines. United spokesman Charles Hobart said the decision was in line with the airline’s decision to move toward larger single-aisle planes for domestic flights, but Air Wisconsin was still expected to fly regional service for United into 2023.
At an investor event in summer 2021, United said the share of domestic flights on regional jets could drop from 42% in 2019 to about 4% by 2026.
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Regional carriers often serve smaller cities on behalf of major airlines, and can connect them to large hubs like O’Hare. The majority of flights departing from O’Hare in recent years were operated by regional carriers, according to data from the Regional Airline Association.
The airline industry has been contending with a pilot shortage that loomed since before the pandemic, and that was expected to mean challenges for regional carriers.
During an appearance in Chicago in May, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said more than 100 regional planes were grounded because pilots weren’t available to fly them. In a July earnings call, he said the only staff shortfall the airline continued to experience was among regional pilots.
American Airlines has six other regional carriers, including three that are subsidiaries of its parent company.
American Airlines does not yet have an exact number of the new flights operated by Air Wisconsin that would serve O’Hare or a list of destinations they will fly to, spokeswoman Gianna Urgo said. The new flights will be added to the schedule in the coming months.
The companies did not disclose the cost of the partnership.
