Great Lakes Airlines
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airline |
| Founded | April 5, 1977 in Spencer, Iowa, United States |
| Founder | Doug Voss, Ivan Simpson |
| Defunct | September 1, 2018 |
| Fate | Ceased operations due to pilot shortages and operational difficulties |
| Headquarters | Cheyenne , United States |
Area served | United States (primarily regional and Essential Air Service markets) |
| Products | Scheduled and charter domestic flights |
| Parent | Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. |
| Website | greatlakesav |
Great Lakes Airlines was a regional air carrier based in Cheyenne, Wyoming, operating primarily out of Denver International Airport. Established in 1977 by Doug Voss and Ivan Simpson, the airline provided both scheduled and charter domestic flights throughout the United States.
Between 1992 and 2002, Great Lakes Airlines functioned as a significant United Express feeder, linking more than 100 destinations. Its business model heavily involved participation in the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, through which it received $58.3 million in federal funding as of November 2013 to maintain air connectivity to rural airports.
Although supported by a broad route network and federal subsidies, Great Lakes Airlines discontinued its scheduled passenger services on March 26, 2018, attributing the decision to pilot shortages. The airline continued limited operations supporting Aerodynamics Inc. flights until September 1, 2018. Its fleet featured aircraft such as the Beechcraft 1900D and Embraer EMB 120, serving specialized regional markets with an emphasis on connectivity.
Operating under the corporate entity Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., the airline combined strategic management with a mission to serve underserved communities. However, competitive challenges and operational difficulties eventually led to its shutdown.
History
Founded by entrepreneurs Doug Voss and Ivan Simpson, the airline began its operations on April 5, 1977, under the name Spirit Lake Airways. It reorganized and commenced scheduled service on October 12, 1981, adopting the name Great Lakes Airlines, initially flying routes between Spencer and Des Moines in Iowa. In February 1988, Great Lakes acquired Alliance Airlines.
In February 1992, Great Lakes entered into a codeshare partnership with United Airlines, operating as a United Express feeder carrier. From 1992 through 2002, it maintained extensive United Express services with hubs at Chicago O'Hare, Denver International Airport, and Minneapolis—where United did not have a hub. Additional routes included Phoenix to Page; Detroit to Alpena and Sault Ste. Marie; and a shuttle route between Springfield and Chicago's Meigs Field. The primary fleet consisted of Beechcraft 1900D aircraft seating 19 passengers and Embraer 120 Brasilia aircraft with 30 seats. On June 1, 1998, Great Lakes expanded its Denver hub by acquiring United Express routes previously operated by Mesa Airlines.
Prior to relocating its headquarters to Cheyenne, Wyoming, the company was based near Spencer Municipal Airport in Clay County, Iowa.
By early 1995, Great Lakes had acquired Northern Star Airlines, which operated as Midway Connection for Midway Airlines. This acquisition added multiple routes from Chicago Midway Airport that were later transferred to Chicago O'Hare under United Express branding. Northern Star had earlier acquired commuter carrier Direct Air in mid-1993.
Later that same year, Great Lakes purchased assets from Arizona Airways and established a hub at Tucson International Airport offering flights to Phoenix, Page (Arizona), Albuquerque (New Mexico), and northern Mexico. This operation was discontinued in May 1997.
In early 2002, Great Lakes lost its United Express designation and became an independent airline while maintaining indirect codeshare agreements with United Airlines and Frontier Airlines. Passenger traffic declined steadily with numerous route cancellations including the closure of the Chicago O'Hare hub. The Minneapolis hub also shut down but briefly reopened in March 2012 after securing Essential Air Service (EAS) contracts; it closed again by 2016. Despite reductions in routes, Denver remained the airline’s main hub. Many former destinations served under United Express lost all air service.
New EAS-supported routes from Albuquerque to Clovis and Silver City were initiated in April 2005 but terminated in November 2012. From 2002 until ceasing operations in 2018, EAS flights also operated from smaller hubs located at Phoenix, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Billings.
A hub at Ontario International Airport was launched in April 2009 with routes connecting Merced and Visalia (California), Kingman and Prescott (Arizona), extending service to Farmington (New Mexico). This hub shifted operations to Los Angeles International Airport in May 2011. Additionally, a Las Vegas hub opened in April 2010 serving Ely (Nevada), Page (Arizona), Farmington (New Mexico), Merced and Visalia (California) but closed by April 2013. Farmington additionally served as a maintenance base linking these hubs with Denver.
In response to new FAA regulations introduced in 2013 mandating first officers possess at least 1500 flight hours along with stricter crew rest requirements, Great Lakes’ business model faced significant disruption. The airline removed ten seats from most Beechcraft 1900D planes and canceled numerous flights including all service to Mason City. Service to Sheridan, Wyoming ended in April 2015 leaving the city without commercial air service. Throughout its operational history, Great Lakes served no fewer than 162 cities and operated at least 164 airports but was reduced to servicing seven cities by March 2018.
Great Lakes employed a unique branding approach by painting aircraft tails with promotional designs highlighting cities served as well as regional National Parks such as Laramie (Wyoming), Alamosa and Telluride (Colorado), Scottsbluff (Nebraska), Ponca City (Oklahoma), Garden City and Dodge City (Kansas), Sierra Vista (Arizona), Pierre (South Dakota), Miles City (Montana), along with landmarks like the White Mountains (Arizona) and Devils Tower (Wyoming).
On June 2, 2016, Great Lakes collaborated with Silver Airways and Frontier Airlines launching a pilot recruitment initiative aimed at mitigating industry-wide pilot shortages.
On March 26, 2018, Great Lakes announced an immediate suspension of all scheduled passenger flights. Although passenger operations ceased, the company avoided bankruptcy filings; some operations continued under Great Lakes Jet Express providing service to Pierre and Watertown in South Dakota.
Destinations
Great Lakes Airlines was a prominent participant in the Essential Air Service program within the United States, although just two out of its seven served locations operated under this initiative prior to the airline’s closure.
Great Lakes Jet Express
In 2016, Great Lakes introduced a codeshare venture named Great Lakes Jet Express, marketing tickets for Elite Airways flights connecting Denver, Houston, and Branson Airport, as well as for Aerodynamics Inc. services between Chicago O'Hare and Youngstown. Subsequently, they incorporated an EAS route from Denver to Pierre with onward service to Watertown, South Dakota. This approach capitalized on Great Lakes’ extensive distribution network and interline partnerships with global distribution systems and various airlines. Despite this, the Chicago-Youngstown service was terminated within two months after United Airlines chose not to uphold its interline agreement at Chicago, restricting connections solely to Denver. The Elite Airways route to Branson was also discontinued shortly after its introduction.
Fleet
Throughout the 1980s, Great Lakes operated turboprop aircraft including the Beechcraft C99 and Beechcraft 1900C. Later, the airline’s fleet consisted primarily of two turboprop types: the Beechcraft 1900D and the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia. At one time, Great Lakes held the distinction of being the largest operator worldwide of the Beechcraft 1900.
As of September 2017, the fleet composition was as follows:
| Aircraft | Quantity | Passenger Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia | 6 (as recorded in August 2016) | 30 |
| Beechcraft 1900D | 24 | Either 19 or 9 |
Accidents and incidents
- On November 19, 1996, a Beechcraft 1900 operated by Great Lakes as United Express Flight 5925 collided with a King Air during landing at Quincy Regional Airport, resulting in twelve fatalities. Investigations determined that pilots of the King Air were at fault due to insufficient traffic awareness.
- On August 19, 1998, United Express Flight 1605, also using a Beechcraft 1900, experienced significant damage when a propeller erosion shield detached shortly after departure from Denver International Airport. The resulting debris penetrated the cabin and caused injury to one passenger.
See also
External links
- Great Lakes Airlines
- Greatlakesav.com (archive)
- Great Lakes Airlines
- Companies based in Cheyenne, Wyoming
- Economy of the Midwestern United States
- Economy of the Southwestern United States
- 1977 establishments in Iowa
- 2018 disestablishments in Iowa
- Defunct regional airlines of the United States
- Regional Airline Association members
- Airlines established in 1977
- Airlines disestablished in 2018
- American companies established in 1977
- American companies disestablished in 2018
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment