Did you know Delta Air Lines has its own regional carrier?

Delta Air Lines ' wholly owned subsidiary Endeavor Air deploys a fleet of Bombardier CRJ900 and CRJ700 aircraft on numerous short-haul routes throughout the northeastern, southeastern, and midwestern regions of the United States.

The airline also serves a handful of international destinations within Canada and The Bahamas. Endeavor Air is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with crew domiciles in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis, and New York City (JFK & LGA).

Endeavor Air: The beginning

Endeavor Air was founded in 1985 by Michael J. Brady. We can trace Michael J. Brady's aviation entrepreneurial feats back to Atlanta, where he had formally managed and created several other airlines.

Endeavor Air was founded initially as Express Airlines 1. Brady's initial vision was to create a small portfolio of regional airlines that would operate under a singular parent company named Phoenix Airline Services. Shortly after its establishment, Express Airlines 1 secured its first code-share agreement with Republic Airlines.

On June 1, 1985, Express Airlines I began operating flights on behalf of Republic Airlines as Republic Express. The carrier's initial fleet featured three 19-seat British Aerospace Jetstream 3100s.

Initially, Express Airlines 1 flew from Republic's Memphis hub to Columbus and Greenville, Mississippi, and Monroe, Louisiana.

By the end of 1985, Express Airlines 1 had grown exponentially. The airline acquired two 33-seat Saab 340s to complement its growing fleet of BAe Jetstream 31s, in addition to feeding Republic Airlines' secondary hub at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.

Becoming a Northwest Airlink carrier

On October 1, 1986, Northwest Airlines acquired Republic Airlines. After Northwest purchased Republic Airlines, Republic Express became "Northwest Airlink."

Therefore, Express Airlines I began operating as a Northwest Airlink carrier. Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Express Airlines 1 enjoyed steady growth with expansion to over 50 destinations throughout Northwests' southern and midwestern domestic network.

According to OAG, an airline flight database guide, in the mid-1990s, the following carriers operated as Northwest Airlink, alongside Express Airline 1:

• Mesaba Airlines
• Northeast Express Regional Airlines
• Precision Airlines

The airline suffered its first tragedy on December 1, 1993, when one of its BAe Jetstream 31s crashed upon its final approach to Chisholm-Hibbing Airport in Hibbing, Minnesota.

The accident killed all 16 passengers and 2 crew members aboard the aircraft. In the mid-1900s, Express Airlines 1's executive leadership team transitioned the airline's fleet exclusively to the Saab 340.

Express Airlines 1 was purchased in 1997

In April 1997, Northwest Airlines purchased Express Airlines 1 from Phoenix Airline Services for nearly $33 million. By the summer of 1997, Express Airlines 1 became a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines.

Northwest decided to purchase Express Airlines 1 to lower operating costs and streamline the Northwest Airlink regional operation. Later that year, Express Airlines 1 shifted all of its flying away from the Minneapolis hub in favor of the Memphis hub.

By the turn of the century, Northwest had drastically changed Express Airlines 1 and the greater Airlink brand's fleet strategy to better align with its competitors.

Numerous other regional airlines were transitioning their aging fleets from turboprops to more fuel-efficient jetliners. Express Airlines 1 was chosen to be the CRJ program launch customer for the Northwest Airlink brand.

In April 2000, Express Airlines 1 took delivery of its first jetliner, 1 CRJ200, which was delivered new to Express Airlines I.

Pinnacle Airlines

On May 8, 2002, Northwest renamed Express Airlines 1 to Pinnacle Airlines. By the late 2000s, Northwest had allowed Pinnacle Airlines to seek business from other mainline carriers.

In the spring of 2007, Pinnacle Airlines landed a 10-year code-share deal with Delta Air Lines to operate 16 CRJ900 aircraft as Delta Connection.

By late 2007, Pinnacle Airlines began its Delta Connection operation out of Delta Air Lines' hub at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

On October 29, 2008, Delta Air Lines purchased Northwest Airlines. Subsequently, Northwest Airlink became Delta Connection.

Leading up to Delta's purchase of Northwest, Northwest Airlink operated a diverse fleet of turboprops and jet aircraft. According to Planespotters.net, Northwest Airlink operated a fleet of the following aircraft:

• 32 Embraer E175
• 16 CRJ200
• 34 CRJ900
• 49 Saab 340

Merger mania

Throughout the 2000s, the US legacy carriers, affectionately dubbed the “The Big Six,” faced rising costs and increased competition.

Each carrier took at least one trip through Chapter 11 Bankruptcy court and emerged as a leaner and more nimble carrier. Delta, Northwest, and their regional partners were not immune to these industry headwinds.

This era of American commercial aviation also faced significant consolidation. Our “Big Six” eventually became what we know today as the “US3”; American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

The Delta-Northwest merger

The Delta-Northwest merger created significant challenges for all parties involved, including both regional carrier brands. One of the largest challenges the merged carrier faced was the integration of two completely different route networks.

Notably, both carriers had hubs in very different areas of the country. Prior to Delta's purchase of Northwest, Delta Air Lines operated passenger hubs at the following airports:

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
• Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)

After the Delta-Northwest merger, Pinnacle Airlines continued operating as a Delta Connection carrier but faced some financial headwinds. In the spring of 2012, Pinnacle Airlines Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Over a year later, Pinnacle Airlines emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and agreed to fly exclusively for Delta Air Lines as part of Delta's purchase of Pinnacle Airlines. Delta changed Pinnacle's name to Endeavor Air following the bankruptcy court exit.

Today's Endeavor Air

According to Planespotters.net, Endeavor Air currently operates a fleet of 141 aircraft. 18 CRJ700s in addition to 123 CRJ900 aircraft.

Most of Endeavor Air's flights are 4 hours or less, as the CRJ700 and 900 can only sustain a range of roughly 1,600-2,000 nautical miles.

Endeavor Air’s official website states that the regional carrier employs 5,000 people. Specifically, the company employs 1,600 flight attendants and 1,500 pilots, accounting for more than half of the company's entire workforce.

Both work groups operate under a collective bargaining agreement with their respective unions. AFA-CWA, The Association of Flight Attendants, represents the flight attendants.

ALPA, Air Line Pilots Association, International represents the pilot work group. Since Endeavor Air is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, Delta offers a "flow" program for its Endeavor Air pilots.

After a full year of service as a Captain, Endeavor Air regional pilots may be eligible to go directly to Delta mainline and become a pilot.

Shortest and Longest Flights

Data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, displays that Endeavor Air's shortest flight in December 2024 covered just 66 nautical miles.

The short hop from Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport to Rochester International Airport in Rochester, MN, takes an average of 36 minutes.

December's longest Endeavor Air flight, from New York City's LaGuardia Airport to Tulsa International Airport covered 1,231 nautical miles. This flight was scheduled to take 4 hours.

Fleet Details

The CRJ700 is the shorter version of its 900 series counterpart. The 700 series can accommodate 69 customers in a three-class configuration.

Each Endeavor Air-operated CRJ700 has 9 first-class seats, 16 Delta Comfort + seats, and 44 main-cabin seats. The first 3 rows on the CRJ700 are home to Delta's first-class product. Endeavor Air’s CRJ900 fleet features two different configurations.

The CRJ 900 Atmosphere seats 70 passengers, and the classic CRJ900 can accommodate 76 passengers. Endeavor Air’s classic CRJ900 hosts a more dense configuration: 12 first-class seats and 64 economy seats, whereas the Atmosphere configuration has only 58 economy seats.

However, both configurations of the CRJ900 have 12 first-class seats. Like the Atmosphere, the classic’s seating configuration also features a 4 abreast economy cabin and a 3 abreast first class cabin.

A better Atmosphere

From December 2019 to October 2020, Endeavor Air took delivery of 7 CRJ900 Atmospheres.

The newer Atmosphere configured cabins offer a wide range of customer and cabin crew-friendly updates, such as larger overhead bins, softer lighting, and more modern-looking windows.

The Atmosphere’s redesigned galley was created with a more open concept to allow for a more user-friendly experience for the flight attendants.