Is this the next stage for feeder flying
 

Silver Airways looks golden to Tupelo airport to replace Delta Air Lines - The Washington Post

How can they buy a ticket on Delta.com If they are not going to be flying on a delta or delta connection flight? It looks like this is Delta's way of getting around the all jet service. I have not looked into it here in MSP but it would not surprise me if you can buy a ticket for great lakes on delta.com also. This makes me wonder if there is going to be a third tier of flying. Delta will do the very large cities and long flight the regional will do medium to large cites and the small prop regional will do the EAS flying saying they are not a connection or express but they get the benefit of buying their tickets on a majors website.

As of now, you cannot book a Great Lakes ticket on Delta.com, however I think that is supposed to change! You know you can book a KLM ticket on Delta.com too right? Maybe the Dutch are going to take over flying from DL too? lol

Isn't this how it already works? that there already is a "3rd tier" in many places (EAS)?, lowest bidder and in some cases, your "ticket" on a major buys you a seat on a great lakes (I've done this, well, company paid for the ticket, but basic idea...). What's new here, except another major joining in on the slaughter?

"CodeShare"

I was wondering about this too. What are the incentives for Delta other than feed?

Exacly how it's done, Lakes does codes shares with other airlines, so does the majority of the airlines in the world.

Delta is in a revenue sharing Joint Venture with KLM/AF/Alitalia, & has 50% of the flying(it can drop below that, but that's getting too deep). AF/KLM/Alitalia split the other 50% of the flying. That's why you can be booked on a DL flight & KLM flight on the same record locator.

How can it be a code share if they do not paint their planes in delta colors. I do not know about silver but I am guessing they do not paint their planes in major colors.

I just realized some might take offence to the third tier airline in my original post. I do not mean third tier as in even crappier then other regional's. I meant as another level of flying for the major carrier. This "tier" does not fly as a connection/express carrier. Great lakes for example flies into MSP and brings them to a terminal that you almost guarantee that they will jump on a Delta plane. These were all routes that XJ used to fly and delta pulled out so they could be an all jet fleet. It just seems like this is a way around it. I wonder if Great lakes shares any rev with Delta on these routes?

SkyWest runs Brasilias our of SLC for Delta in silver fuselages with "SkyWest" on the tail. Been doing it for many, many years.