Should Major Carriers Be More Transparent About Their Relationships With Regional Airlines?
Photo Credit: An American Eagle SkyWest airlines Bombardier CRJ-700 airplane at Phoenix Airport (PHX) in Arizona. Adobe Stock / Markus Mainka
Skift Take
PSA Airlines has been in the news lately. But do travelers have any idea what PSA is? Is this a problem? Should passengers have a better idea what regional airline they're flying? Or doesn't it matter?
Earlier this week, in a Skift Take, I recommended customers avoid PSA Airlines until the carrier could solve problems with its crew scheduling system. The regional airline, which operates as American Eagle, canceled more than 1,000 flights over several days because it could not fix its technological issues.
When I wrote the line, I realized its absurdness. Many customers don't know they're flying a regional airline. They buy tickets on American's website, and when they reach the airport, they check in at American's ticketing counters. Later, they board an airplane that says "American" on it, with the operating carrier — PSA in this case — in small print.
If you read this newsletter, you may know more than average travelers. But even you probably get confused. Maybe you know you're flying a regional. But which? Perhaps one day you're on Envoy Air. Another you're on Compass Airlines. Still another you're flying SkyWest or PSA. Who can keep track?
