SkyWest Airlines is a specialized regional carrier that is headquartered in St. George, UT. According to most FAA sources, SkyWest Airlines is a major airline. However, they operate on a regional airline and belong to the RAA (Regional Airline Association). SkyWest operates to 180 cities in various states and provinces, as well as five cities in Mexico and the Bahamas. SkyWest Airlines has partnerships with the following commercial carriers: Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways Express, Delta, and American Airlines. In 2013, SkyWest carried nearly 30 million passengers.

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The Good

Partners
Boarding
Flight statistics
Time in business

SkyWest is a regional airline that operates flights on behalf of the major airlines they partner with. Because of this, they do not perform any reservation or ticketing functions. Instead the major airlines they partner with sells the tickets and the connecting flights may be a SkyWest plane. Their partnering airlines selling the tickets are: • United Airlines (as United Express) • Delta Air Lines (as Delta Connection) • American Airlines (as American Eagle) • Alaska Airlines (as Alaska Airlines operated by SkyWest Airlines) This means that all ticket prices will be what those airlines generally charge. SkyWest does not compete with the other airline prices and instead allows them to set the price and is not involved in the ticketing process. Similarly to the ticket prices, SkyWest does not have their own baggage policy but follows the baggage requirements of their partnering airlines. For flights with Delta that use SkyWest to connect, they follow Delta baggage prices. This is true for all of their partnering airlines. In addition to the restrictions of these airlines, SkyWest has their own restrictions in baggage. They do not accept: • Kayaks • Windsurf equipment • Hang gliders • Extra-large or giant pet kennels These items are prohibited on SkyWest flights due to equipment size or other operational constraints. They also do not allow any items classified as a pressurized gas/liquid, oil-based paints, explosives, poisons, magnetic materials, flammable items, or corrosive, etc. The boarding process on SkyWest Airlines is the boarding process of whichever partnering airline the flight is connecting with. Seats are assigned, and the check-in and boarding process depends on the major airline of the flight. If the tickets are purchased through American Airlines, then it is the check-in and boarding process of American Airlines that will take place on that SkyWest flight. SkyWest flies 1,700 daily flights to hundreds of locations each day. They have great on-time performance when compared to the top airlines. Their on-time percentage for their daily flights is 85% on time, late is 6%, very late is 2%, and excessively late is 5%. This is a similar performance to many of the top airlines that SkyWest partners with. This shows that when taking a connecting flight of SkyWest while on a major airline flight, the on-time performance will be consistent with that that is expected of that major airline. When looking at the most active routes of SkyWest, they did not receive as high of ratings as some of the top airlines. They had many flights with scores of 2-3 stars instead of the 4-5 stars seen by some airlines. Their top flights include: • Yuma to Phoenix (4.1 stars, 90% on time) • Los Angeles to San Diego (3.1 stars, 84% on time) • Milwaukee to Chicago (2.9 stars, 84% on time) Their active routes are short connecting flights, which is mainly what SkyWest flies. Passengers want these short flights to not arrive late for their next flight. Based on these numbers it seems that SkyWest does fairly well at keeping their passengers on time. The first flight of SkyWest took place in 1972. For the past 43 years they have been a regional airline partnering with major airlines in their connecting flights. Compared to those larger airline partners, SkyWest is a newer company. Many of the larger airlines have been around for over 80 years, almost double SkyWest. They have 347 aircrafts in operation and in 2014 carried 27.9 million passengers. SkyWest has a Safety First motto and state that they have some of the most thoroughly trained and experience pilots in the industry. They are known for their "industry-leading workforce, exceptional leadership team, and continued solid operational and economic performance". SkyWest is headquartered in St. George, Utah and flies to many destinations across the United States. Their mission is to be the airline of choice, the employer of choice, and the investment of choice. They do this by partnering with some of the top airlines available such as United, Delta, and American Airlines.

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The Bad

Destinations
Lack of information

SkyWest partners with a number of different airlines to serve as their connecting flights. Through these airlines, SkyWest flies to 205 cities. This includes 44 states, Washington D.C., 6 Canadian Provinces, and 11 Mexican cities and the Bahamas. The number of destinations for each airline that SkyWest partners with are as follows: • United: 163 • Delta: 128 • American: 25 • Alaska: 19 • Shared: 102 Because SkyWest partners with these larger airlines, they are able to reach a large number of destinations domestically. They don't have hardly any international flights however which makes them a small airline compared to other top airline and their destinations. While their partnered airlines travel across the world, SkyWest only assists with connecting flights domestically. They are large for how many cities they fly to in the United States, but small when compared with international destinations. SkyWest had very little information about their in-flight services available on their website. They do have the standard complimentary snacks and beverages as well as available beverages that are not complimentary. Beyond this, not much is known about the in-flight services. However, because they specialize in short connecting flights, not much entertainment or food will most likely be offered by the airline, or needed by the passenger.

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The Bottom Line

Overall, we do not recommend SkyWest. Their lack of transparency was the biggest red flag. We also found many poor customer reviews during our research. We suggest shopping around when you purchase your ticket, as you might get stuck on a CRJ 200 flight, which are not always the best for comfort.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

4.3

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53 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

42%

4 grade

45%

3 grade

13%

2 grade

1 grade

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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Service

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Trustworthiness

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Aubrey Dallas, TX

This airline has good quality for the prices, I feel like the pilots drive safer and the snacks are the best. Even if it costs me an extra $50 I usually will choose SkyWest because I get so scared from all the turbulence on other airlines.

4 years ago

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Paula Pili Provo, UT

I have to be honest the first time I saw Sky West DBA I was anxious I wanted to change my flights I’m glad I didn’t because it’s actually not bad at all. Pretty roomy and everyone super friendly Even though I’m claustrophobic I was fine!

4 years ago

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Eddie Rios Ogden, UT

SkyWest is a great airline. It ensures great counter service, easy reservations, and makes my flight experience excellent with the help of their flight crews. They care about timeliness and offer great routes to popular destinations. Can't go wrong with Skywest Airlines.

6 years ago

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Reese Pleasant Grove, UT

I have flown on SkyWest many times and they have awesome local service, especially , Salt Lake City, Utah to St. George, Utah. they are a smaller airline, but when I used them they have all of the services and options that the big airlines have.

7 years ago

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Michelle Rios Ogden, UT

I have flown SkyWest a few times when visiting my husband when we were stationed apart. They were one of the only airlines that offered affordable flights into Yuma, AZ. Though the flights were typically short and on smaller planes, the flight attendant was always nice and provided comfort when passengers felt a little unsure during turbulence. SkyWest helped me to get to my husband and for that I thank you!

6 years ago

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kristin Gneiting Pleasant Grove, UT

I just flew Sky West from San Francisco to Salt Lake City. It was a smaller plane with just 2 seats on one side and 3 on the other. I bought the ticket because of the price and expected a discount airline. I was so surprised though with the amount of leg room on the plane. It arrived actually 15 minutes earlier than expected and I was very pleased with the SkyWest staff making me very comfortable.

7 years ago

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BeauCarl South Jordan, UT

Skywest is a great small carrier option especially for regional flights without as many passengers, boarding is much faster, overall you save a lot of time compared to the major airlines flying Skywest. I prefer flying with Skywest over the big carriers.

6 years ago

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Steve Midway, UT

I have flown on numerous short flights that are operated by SkyWest. They do a great job with their logistics and seem to always be on time. Great customer service too on my flights. Not sure if you can book directly with them, but if you can, I recommend it.

6 years ago

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Laurel Dalton Herriman, UT

SkyWest is the perfect airline. They make traveling so family-friendly for passengers of all ages. I also appreciate their affordable pricing.

4 years ago Edited January 26, 2022

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fernandopessoa Herriman, UT

Have flown Skywest quite a few times and have had a positive experience every time. Planes are typically smaller which I like because you get more individualized attention.

6 years ago

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David T Draper, UT

I have never had any problems with Skywest. They provide a great service for a regional airline. Their prices aren't always the best, but the service is good.

6 years ago

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Tori smith Mesa, AZ

My brother in law flies for them! Super good airline. They make sure everyone is comfortable and happy

6 years ago

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Darren Cardwell Riverton, UT

Enjoyable flight on smaller jet with decent room and usually quick flights to smaller out of the way places.

8 years ago

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Hallieford Orem, UT

We love Skywest for their red eye flight options. I was super impressed by the service and cleanliness on the aircraft!

6 years ago

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Reckholdt Magna, UT

I have flown sky west a few times for more local flights and had great experiences. Customer service has been great.

6 years ago

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Sandra Douglas Evanston, WY

Enjoyed my flight. I was the only one on the plane from Salt Lake City to Gillette, WY and was treated like a queen.

6 years ago

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Sara Smith Riverton, UT

Smaller plane but still provided a great flying time and on time, did not have any delays or issues.

6 years ago

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Sage Robertson Cedar City, UT

SkyWest has awesome prices and their planes are always really clean. Their customer service is great as well.

7 years ago

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Mazi Marcel Womack Cedar City, UT

I have never been disappointed with SkyWest Airlines. Their planes are always super clean and their prices are great!

7 years ago

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Teagan hickman Seattle, WA

We love Skywest... always have had the best service and so quick and easy to get our bags and such

6 years ago

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PessoaJ Herriman, UT

I really like Skywest. I Have had only positive experiences with them. Service has been great too!

6 years ago

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Grossarth Family Herriman, UT

Like the smaller flights and the kindness of the staff.

4 years ago