Trans States Airlines sent a letter out to employees today saying that they will conclude their business at the end of 2020. The letter states that profit margins are thin in the regional airline industry and although they feel they are ope
rating the best equipment for the job, the market environment coupled with the pilot shortage has led the company to reach the conclusion that they will not be able to continue operating beyond the end of 2020.
The letter says that United, their main partner, wishes to consolidate and simplify the Embraer 145 program and that, coupled with the pilot shortage – specifically a captain shortage – has led the company to make the decision to an “organized and well-planned wind down of the Trans States operation…” The statement goes on to say that aircraft reductions will begin before the summer and that after the busy summer flying months, “aircraft transitions will resume at a yet to be determined rate through end of the year, with all flying concluded by the end of 2020.”