GoJet Airlines


GoJet Airlines LLC is a regional airline headquartered in Bridgeton, Missouri, United States. Wholly owned by Trans States Holdings, it has 1,670 employees. It operates commuter feeder services under the United Express brand of United Airlines and recently completed a multi-year service agreement for Delta Airlines under the Delta Connection brand. United Express flights are currently operated out of United's hubs at Chicago–O'Hare and Newark. GoJet's Delta Connection branded flights came to an end on March 31, 2020. Most of the flying at the end of the agreement was out of Detroit and Minneapolis–St. Paul as well as Raleigh-Durham. GoJet Airlines system operations center, training center, and corporate offices are co-located in the former Trans World Airlines and Ozark Airlines training center in Bridgeton, Missouri. The airline uses the former McDonnell Douglas factory hangar at Saint Louis Lambert International as its primary maintenance facility with maintenance staff available at all of the airlines domiciles. Its call sign "Lindbergh" is named for aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, who flew the Spirit of St. Louis solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, the first person to do so.

History

The airline was established in late 2004 by Trans States Holdings. The airline would fly United Express branded flights out of United Airlines’s Chicago O’Hare hub to replace departing United Express carrier Atlantic Coast Airlines. GoJet took delivery of their first Bombardier CRJ-700 in June 2005.
The airline received its initial Air Carrier Operating Certificate in September 2005 and began scheduled passenger services on October 4, 2005 with a United Express flight from Cincinnati, Ohio to Chicago, Illinois. By the end of 2009, GoJet took delivery of their 25th CRJ-700 aircraft.
In October 2011, Delta Air Lines announced it was planning a January 2012 launch of new GoJet CRJ700 service as a Delta Connection regional carrier. Delta would initially transfer 15 of the CRJ700 aircraft previously assigned to its Comair division to GoJet as well as 12 owned or leased CRJ700s contracted to SkyWest Airlines to begin the service. On January 22, 2012, GoJet began service as a Delta Connection carrier with its inaugural flight from St. Louis, Missouri to Detroit, Michigan. In late 2013 GoJet agreed to increase its flying agreement for Delta by leasing several CRJ-900 aircraft for its Delta Connection service through 2023. GoJet began this CRJ-900 service in late 2014.
In August 2019, Delta announced that it would be terminating operating agreements with two of it Delta Connection branded carriers, GoJet Airlines and Compass Airlines. The CRJ-700 aircraft operated by GoJet for Delta Airlines will be transferred to Endeavor Air or sold to other operators. The CRJ-900 aircraft that were leased by GoJet for the Delta Connection brand were also eventually re-leased by other Delta connection carriers. As part of the announcement all GoJet operated flights on behalf of Delta Airlines were to be phased out by mid-2020. After the COVID-19 virus nearly reduced travel demand to zero bookings Delta Airlines and GoJet Airlines agreed to terminate service early and park all remaining Delta Connection aircraft on March 31, 2020.
In April 2020 Trans States Holdings closed GoJet's two sister airlines, Trans States Airlines and Compass Airlines due to challenging economic issues and an unsustainable business environment related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Crew Bases

Pilots and flight attendants as well as maintenance personnel are based at the following locations:
GoJet flies to over 80 destinations within the U.S. and Canada, operating for United Express. Below are destinations per a 2017 route map.
CityCountry IATAAirportNotes
DenverUnited States DENDenver International AirportHub
DurangoUnited States DRODurango-La Plata County Airport
Hayden/Steamboat SpringsUnited States HDNYampa Valley Airport
Montrose/TellurideUnited States MTJMontrose Regional Airport
VailUnited States EGEEagle County Airport
JacksonvilleUnited States JAXJacksonville International Airport
Sarasota/BradentonUnited States SRQSarasota-Bradenton International Airport
AtlantaUnited States ATLHartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
ChicagoUnited States ORDO'Hare International AirportHub
MolineUnited States MLIQuad City International Airport
IndianapolisUnited States INDIndianapolis International Airport
Cedar RapidsUnited States CIDThe Eastern Iowa Airport
Des MoinesUnited States DSMDes Moines International Airport
WichitaUnited States ICTWichita Eisenhower National Airport
LouisvilleUnited States SDFLouisville International Airport
New OrleansUnited States MSYLouis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
PortlandUnited States PWMPortland International Jetport
DetroitUnited States DTWDetroit Metropolitan Airport
Grand RapidsUnited States GRRGerald R. Ford International Airport
KalamazooUnited States AZOKalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport
SaginawUnited States MBSMBS International Airport
Traverse CityUnited States TVCCherry Capital Airport
Minneapolis/St. PaulUnited States MSPMinneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
Kansas CityUnited States MCIKansas City International Airport
Springfield/BransonUnited States SGFSpringfield–Branson National Airport
St. LouisUnited States STLLambert-Saint Louis International Airport
OmahaUnited States OMAEppley Airfield
ManchesterUnited States MHTManchester-Boston Regional Airport
NewarkUnited States EWRNewark Liberty International Airport
AlbuquerqueUnited States ABQAlbuquerque International Sunport
AlbanyUnited States ALBAlbany International Airport
BuffaloUnited States BUFBuffalo Niagara International Airport
ElmiraUnited States ELMElmira/Corning Regional Airport
RochesterUnited States ROCGreater Rochester International Airport
GreensboroUnited States GSOPiedmont Triad International Airport
Cincinnati, Ohio areaUnited States CVGCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International AirportAirport is in Kentucky
ClevelandUnited States CLEHopkins International Airport
DaytonUnited States DAYDayton International Airport
Oklahoma CityUnited States OKCWill Rogers World Airport
TulsaUnited States TULTulsa International Airport
BozemanUnited States BZNBozeman Yellowstone International Airport
MissoulaUnited States MSOMissoula International Airport
HarrisburgUnited States MDTHarrisburg International Airport
PittsburghUnited States PITPittsburgh International Airport
Rapid CityUnited States RAPRapid City Regional Airport
KnoxvilleUnited States TYSMcGhee Tyson Airport
NashvilleUnited States BNANashville International Airport
AustinUnited States AUSAustin-Bergstrom International Airport
Dallas–Fort WorthUnited States DFWDallas/Fort Worth International Airport
El PasoUnited States ELPEl Paso International Airport
San AntonioUnited States SATSan Antonio International Airport
BurlingtonUnited States BTVBurlington International Airport
RichmondUnited States RICRichmond International Airport
Washington, D.C. areaUnited States IADWashington Dulles International AirportHub
MadisonUnited States MSNDane County Regional Airport
CasperUnited States CPRCasper-Natrona County International Airport
Jackson HoleUnited States JACJackson Hole Airport
MontréalCanada YULMontréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
TorontoCanada YYZToronto Pearson International Airport

Fleet

Current fleet

As of June 2020, the GoJet Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:
The GoJet fleet of CRJ-700s that are flown for United Express are equipped with engines like those on the CRJ-900 series, the General Electric CF34-8C5B1. All of these aircraft are being converted to CRJ-550’s. GoJet operated CRJ-900 aircraft from 2014-2020 that it leased for Delta Airlines. At the beginning of April 2020, GoJet stopped flying the CRJ-900 when the company completed its service contract with Delta Airlines.

Fleet development

On February 6, 2019, United Airlines and Bombardier Aviation announced that GoJet would be the first regional carrier to operate 54 CRJ-550s, a new 50-seat aircraft based on the CRJ-700, starting in the summer of 2019. In February 2020 United Airlines ordered 20 more CRJ-550 aircraft to the GoJet Fleet to be delivered through 2021. These aircraft will be transferred from other United Express carriers to GoJet. Once these CRJ-700 aircraft are converted to the 50 seat arrangement the CRJ-550 fleet at GoJet will total 74 aircraft. Given the difficulties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, United Airlines and GoJet in cooperation with Bombardier Aviation stopped the conversion process of the CRJ-700 fleet in late March 2020 until after the full economic fallout of the virus is evaluated. It is not yet fully known how this work stoppage will affect the proposed CRJ-550 fleet plan.

CRJ-550 Information

The United Express CRJ-550 is a modified Bombardier CRJ-700. Bombardier Aviation does not produce the CRJ-550 new from the factory. Many CRJ-550 aircraft are several years old in the GoJet fleet, the oldest being close to 20 years old. CRJ-500 conversions are done on both the classic CRJ-700 and the NextGen CRJ-700 models. The process of converting the aircraft cabin is a relatively quick process where several economy seats of the 700 series are removed and replaced with large storage cabinets, a larger more modern service galley and updated First Class and Economy Plus seating. The four new cabinets installed at floor level allow passengers to stow larger carry on luggage in the cabin with them that would normally have needed to be checked plane side when on the CRJ-700. The new larger service galley allows passengers with first class seats the option of self serve snacks and beverages during the flight. The galley features a lighted glass cabinet with several snack options, a refrigerator with chilled non-alcoholic beverages, ice and bottled water drawers as well as a waste receptacle. For the cabin crew the new galley features a storage area for crew luggage. In the cabin the aircraft features 10 full size first class seats, 20 Economy Plus seats and 20 Economy seats. The whole aircraft receives new wall panels, carpeting, curtains, and signage. United is having all the CRJ-550 aircraft painted in their new blue and white livery. For pilots the aircraft is essentially a CRJ-700 with limited takeoff and landing weights to meet the United Airlines scope agreement with its pilots who are represented by the Airline Pilots Association. This agreement limits the CRJ-550 to a maximum takeoff weight of 65,000 pounds, 10,000 pounds less than the CRJ-700. The CRJ-550 is often restricted from taking full passenger loads when flying into areas where more precautionary fuel is needed such as areas with poor weather due to this reduced weight limit.