You ExpressJet guys sure seem to be emboldened by the votes at Eagle and Republic. Let me bring you back down to reality a bit. Eagle and Republic are both profitable, ExpressJet is not (cue all the conspiracy theories about fuzzy math and intentionally trying to tank ExpressJet). Have you met United? They are the most greedy airline out there, all about the bottom dollar. They aren't about to renegotiate contracts that benefit ExpressJet and not them. They want the 50 seaters gone, they don't want to pay more for them. It's all a pipe dream for you lifers over at ExpressJet because you have nowhere else to go or you would have got out already...SkyWest isn't going to keep this around for much longer. Hell, as you guys retire planes OO is pulling them out of the desert and putting them into service and making money with them. Got two sitting in TUS right now awaiting incoming inspections, more on the way.

Is ExpressJet just going to completely disappear in the near term? No. But they will be downsized to trim the losses as new aircraft come online with the 175 at SkyWest and Mesa and eventually just be completely shut down. SkyWest gains nothing by continuing to run two separate operations (cue the whipsaw theorists).