But honestly, isn't all growth at someone's expense?

Not is it's true growth. If it's a shuffling of airplanes, then yes, it's at someone's expense. The only planes 9E has seen in the past 7+ years either came from the desert (only to go to Mesaba a couple of months later because we wouldn't sign a crappy contract) or off the assembly line. Looks like all of those are going to either go back to the desert or Skywest/ASA and an airline-to-be-names-later.

Okay, there were the 2 ex-Comair planes we leased while we were getting our -200s painted by that crap paint shop down in Greenville, MS.....

Fundamentally, all growth at the Regional level is either at the expense of mainline or another Regional.

Not true.

There are many communities that welcome new service. What better way to test the water then with a regional jet.

Most of the waters have already been tested. Way more communities are losing service and not gaining it. I could rattle off a few dozen cities in the midwest that no longer have puddle jumper service. None come to mind that have new service.

Truth.

October 2002:
http://i1144.photobucket.com/albums/...hwestfleet.jpg

November 2000:
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/uf/4803/phpv0mBeB.jpeg

Oh wow, nice find! That's amazing and sad to see.

Confused
 

80Ktsclamp,

What were you trying to show with your graphics there? The mainline and regional fleet both grew. Some saabs got traded in for CRJ's. What's the point?

ShyGuy, what is sad to see about the graphics?

Around 150 DC9-10/30/40/50's gone. 727's gone. No mainline replacement. 36 AVROs has grown to 153 76 seaters & 102 65 seaters. Well over 300 50 seat RJs. See the sadness now? ;)

Couldn't agree more. That is very sad. I wish regionals were still regionals. Small props flying from a small city that can't support mainline aircraft to a large hub where they connect with mainline. Now we have regional aircraft flying between hubs that are three hours apart. It's crazy. I thought 80ktsclamp was trying to make a comparison between Nov. 2000 and Oct. 2002 because of the way he/she posted both of them together. That was what I was asking about.