SkyWest Airlines history

By 1974 the company had large debts and considered declaring bankruptcy.

Sidney J. Atkin, Ralph Atkin's brother and the majority whip in the Utah legislature, helped the firm gain a state grant in 1975.

In 1976 the firm made a modest profit--its first.

In 1977 the company signed its first interline agreement with American Airlines, which allowed passengers to be ticketed to their final destination in just one check-in procedure.

Third, and maybe most important, SkyWest in 1978 acquired its first Fairchild Metroliner II, worth $1.4 million, far more than its earlier planes, which cost about $150,000 apiece.

Pocatello became SkyWest's main market in the early 1980s. For example, in 1980 SkyWest began flying three daily flights into Pocatello, Idaho, after Western Airlines left that city.

Like other airlines, SkyWest also had been hurt by President Reagan's 1981 firing of the air traffic controllers after the illegal strike by the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Association.

The same year SkyWest replaced Frontier Airlines at Vernal, Utah, and Rock Springs, Wyoming, and in September 1982 took over the route to Idaho Falls from departing Republic Airlines.

By 1983 the company had purchased a total of seven Metros, and it still had five smaller Navajo Chieftans and even smaller Cessna 207s for charters.

In August 1984 SkyWest began flying from Las Vegas into Palm Springs, California, its first ventures into the highly competitive Southern California market.

SkyWest operated the two firms separately until the merger was completed in 1985.

Brasilia service was started on February 1, 1986 in Palm Springs.

Capacity increase is slowed to 15%, which is down from the 40% growth in 1987.

In fiscal year 1988, however, SkyWest lost $2.3 million, its first loss in several years.

SkyWest founder Ralph Atkin retired in 1991 as board chairman and CEO; Jerry Atkin replaced his uncle in those positions.

Some stock analysts in 1993 encouraged investors to consider the rising stocks of regional airlines, such as SkyWest, since the major airlines were losing a lot of money.

In 1994 SkyWest replaced Delta after the major airline canceled its jet flights from Salt Lake City to five low-volume cities: Casper, Wyoming; Butte, Montana; Burbank, California; and Rapid City and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Only about three percent of SkyWest passengers connected with Continental flights in 1996, however, far less than the approximately 48 percent interline passengers who connected with Delta flights the same year.

SkyWest announced a marketing agreement with United Airlines effective October 1, 1997, in which SkyWest began operating as United Express.

Company executives planned to add 30 more Embraer Brasilias by October 1, 1998 to handle its new West Coast lines.

Until 2005, SkyWest, Inc. was the holding company of SkyWest Airlines, its sole subsidiary at the time.

On July 11, 2012, SkyWest, Inc. signed an agreement with Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation to purchase 100 Mitsubishi Regional Jets with an option for up to 100 more.

On May 21, 2013, SkyWest, Inc. came to an agreement with Embraer to purchase 100 E-175 Regional Jets, with an option for up to 100 more.

SkyWest, Inc. announces an agreement with Embraer for the purchase of 100 new E175 dual-class jet aircraft, with 40 firm deliveries anticipated in 2014-15.

17, SkyWest announced they would begin transitioning to an all-jet fleet by removing the 30-seat EMB 120 Brasilia from service by summer 2015.

The SkyWest team achieves multiple operating milestones, including 30 consecutive days with zero controllable cancellations and 191 total such days in 2016.

On December 18, 2018, SkyWest, Inc. announced that it would sell ExpressJet Airlines to ManaAir, LLC, another airline holding company with ties to United Airlines, ExpressJet's sole client.