SkyWest Drops Flights to 29 Small Cities as Pilot Shortage Worsens

SkyWest Airlines notified the U.S. Department of Transportation on Thursday of its intent to end flights to 29 cities within 90 days. All of the destinations are served under the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which provides subsidies to airlines to fly to smaller destinations that cannot support commercial flights on their own.

The regional carrier, which operates to the 29 cities for United Airlines, blamed the worsening pilot shortage for dropping the routes.

Only one of the affected destinations —