Originally Posted by
friend
Heard rumors skywest will purchase horizon in a few months, any truth to that?
According to some of the "uber-senior" captains here, Skywest made a semi-serious effort to buy Horizon back in the mid-80's. The deal fell through but the "Skywest buying Horizon" rumor seems to rise from the dead every four or five years. I'd say that such a deal is at least plausible. Horizon is in the process of winding down Q400 operations, leaving us with a fleet of 30-40 E175's (an aircraft type also owned and operated by Skywest). It's also possible that Air Group management doesn't want to be in the regional airline business any longer. Why not outsource regional flying to one carrier?
There's also an argument to be made for keeping Horizon around as a separate entity. To put it simply, senior Air Group management are "control freaks". They like the ability to play us against Skywest. Maybe we get sold, maybe not, but it will come down to an economic decision, not an emotional one. The pilots will be the LAST to know.