Originally Posted by Skycap876

The regionals will always have a necessary place in the industry. There are select markets where it is economically unfeasible to operate narrow body aircraft and fulfill capacity.

As much as many of us would like to see a return of the '70s and '80s where main line carriers operate to smaller domestic markets, it just isn't in the economic feasibility of most carriers. What I do see happening is a continued market of ejets but likely with reduced frequency.

I can tell you in our market a metropolis of about 200,000 people, we used to have over 15 flights per day to Chicago O'Hare by various carriers. That is now been reduced to about seven flights per day and has held at that capacity for the last 7 to 8 years.

Also regional operators like Skywest Airlines and Mesa can purchase older equipment at very affordable prices and have the infrastructure to operate them cheaply. It will be interesting to see how the industry changes over the next 5 to 6 years but I don't foresee the regional airline model vanishing.