Airline industry dealing with shortage of pilots  (Audio)

March 16, 2022
Mike Tanner

WATERTOWN, S.D.–When SkyWest Airlines, flying as United Express, announced last week that it’s ending service to 29 small American airports, they cited a pilot shortage as one of the primary reasons.

Jon Coleman is the Business Development Director for Key Lime Air, which serves Watertown and Pierre under the Denver Air Connection banner. He tells KWAT News the pilot shortage is impacting all airlines…

Coleman says regional carriers like Denver Air know they’re going to be a, “feeder airline” for pilots who want to advance their career by moving up to a major carrier…

Coleman says Denver Air is looking at the 29 markets SkyWest is vacating to see if they could move in as a replacement carrier, but there are no guarantees that’ll happen…

Denver Air is expanding, even without adding any of the vacated SkyWest routes. They recently won the contract to provide Essential Air Service to McCook, Nebraska, and are expected to win the contract to serve Cortez, Colorado. 

Both of those cities had previously been served by Boutique Air.