American Airlines appears to be quietly removing the CRJ-200 from its fleet. Regional carrier Air Wisconsin announced today that it is ending its relationship with American Airlines and will cease flying under the American Eagle brand in April 2025. Air Wisconsin is the last regional carrier operating the CRJ-200 on behalf of American Airlines.
According to Air Wisconsin, the two airlines are transitioning to a codeshare and interline relationship, which will enable the carrier to focus on federally subsidized Essential Air Service (EAS) routes to rural and underserved communities. These routes provide a critical transportation links for communities that might otherwise lack access to air travel and can be very profitable for airlines given the subsidies.
Air Wisconsin currently operates 60 CRJ-200s on behalf of American Eagle. With the two airlines winding down their agreement, the CRJ-200 will officially be removed from American’s fleet. However, it’s worth noting, that Air Wisconsin is still planning to codeshare with American Airlines.
Robert Binns, President & CEO of Air Wisconsin, had this to say regarding the shift in the company’s strategy:
“This strategic shift underscores our adaptability and commitment to delivering reliable, customized air travel solutions where they are most needed. As we diversify into EAS and grow our charter operations, we remain committed to delivering safe, efficient, and quality service to every community and customer we serve.”
American will become the second of the three major U.S. carriers to eliminate the CRJ-200 from its network, following Delta’s removal (and re-introduction) in 2023. Unlike Delta, American is still operating single cabin Embraer E145 regional jets through its Piedmont Airlines subsidiary.
The CRJ-200s have been nicknamed “Satan’s Chariot” due to its extremely tight seating and loud cabin experience. While I wish Air Wisconsin the best, this seems like a win for American frequent flyers.
Summary
American Airlines and Air Wisconsin are parting ways in April 2025. Air Wisconsin plans to redeploy its CRJ-200 aircraft in EAS routes and will make American the second of the big three U.S. carriers to remove the CRJ-200 from its fleet.
(Image courtesy Air Wisconsin)
I was intrigued about your writing, “…American is still operating single cabin Embraer E135/145 regional jets through its Envoy Air subsidiary.” I checked it out, because I was bummed that I might have to fly on a small, cramped, single-cabin jet on a potential upcoming MIA-NAS flight. I was happy to discover that, per both Wikipedia and the Air Envoy website, Envoy is now exclusively flying E170/175 jets. Thought you’d like to know.
Thanks Tom, I got my AA subsidiaries mixed up. Envoy is exclusively running E170/175s while Piedmont is only operating E145s. I’ve updated the article to reflect this.