Delta’s Final Three CRJ-200 Routes

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines is down to just three routes on one of the most unanimously hated aircraft in the skies, the 50-seat CRJ-200. This past Sunday and Monday, Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, 2023, SkyWest performed a mass retirement from its midwestern hubs Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

This end of CRJ-200 service from these midwestern hubs is the first time SkyWest hasn’t seen Delta-branded CRJ-200 service since the days of Northwest when it operated the type all around the country, from both of these hubs.

A Delta CRJ-200 in Iron Mountain (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)

Delta branded service on the CRJ-200 ended in Atlanta this past May when Endeavor Air, Delta’s wholly-owned subsidiary, operated its last flight with the regional jet. Since May, SkyWest is the only regional carrier that has been operating CRJ-200 under the Delta brand. Now, there is just a single hub that still sees regularly scheduled CRJ-200 service under the Delta brand: Salt Lake City.

Why Is Delta Ending CRJ-200 Service?

The reason for this switch was an order by Delta to their regionals that all Delta branded service must be on two-class aircraft come December of 2023. This order perfectly lines up with the last day of service for the Delta CRJ-200.

At the time of writing, there are technically four CRJ-200 routes, but one of them, West Yellowstone, Montana, is a summer seasonal route that has its last day of seasonal operations on Oct. 15, 2023. The carrier will presumably resume service with the CRJ-700 or CRJ-900 when the season begins again in May.

A Delta Connection CRJ-900 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)

But after October 15, the airline will then be down to just three markets: Elko, Nev,, Cedar City, Utah, and Moab, Utah, only flying to Salt Lake City. Elko sees one daily flight, Cedar City sees two on most days, and Moab sees daily service until the beginning of November when it will switch to five-weekly flights until Nov. 30, 2023.

According to Delta’s website, Elko and Cedar City will switch to the CRJ-900 as of Dec. 1, 2023. Moab, just like West Yellowstone, is a summer seasonal destination with its last day for the season being Nov. 30, 2023.

While most people hated the CRJ-200 for its cramped size and lack of premium seating, it affected the aviation community, especially for smaller cities. For a lot of destinations, the aircraft was the arrival of the jet age away from the smaller 30-seat propeller airplanes, particularly for Essential Air Service communities.

A Delta Connection CRJ-200 in Butte, Mont. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)

With most passengers rejoicing the final flight of Delta’s CRJ-200, this aircraft will truly be a milestone in the carrier’s history and how they were able to build its network to small communities around the country.

And while Delta will phase out the CRJ-200 from operations, United still operates many of them through its partner SkyWest, and American unretired the jet this past spring under Air Wisconsin and has no plans to retire it in the near future.

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Joey Gerardi

Joey has always been interested in planes, for as long as he can remember. He grew up in Central New York during the early 2000s when US Airways Express turboprops ruled the skies. Being from a non-aviation family made it harder for him to be around planes and would only spend about three hours a month at the airport. He was so excited when he could drive by himself and the first thing he did with the license was get ice cream and go plane spotting for the entire day. When he has the time (and money) he likes to take spotting trips to any location worth a visit but has a special interest in Essential Air Service Airports. He got his degree in Aviation Management and Operations from WMU in June of 2022, and is currently working full time for an airline in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

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