SkyWest Airlines Finds a Bold Solution to Pilot Shortage — Launch a New Carrier

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and many U.S. regional airlines are desperate for an inventive solution to their pilot woes. While some are pitching a potential — but unlikely — increase in the mandatory pilot retirement age to paying regional crews the same as their mainline counterparts, SkyWest Airlines has another bold answer: start a new airline.

The Utah-based carrier applied for certification of its new SkyWest Charter subsidiary to the U.S. Department of Transportation on June 17 in an application released publicly on June 21. The new airline would allow them to serve smaller cities, by connecting "underserved cities" across the country with frequent flights "to the national transportation system," according to the application.

Many cities that fit this description are threatened with losing air service amid a national pilot shortage — SkyWest Airlines is exiting 29 small markets — and the re