A mainline flight is a flight operated by an airline's main operating unit, rather than by regional alliances, regional code-shares, regional subsidiaries, or wholly owned subsidiaries offering low-cost operations. Mainline carriers typically operate between hub airports within their network and on international or long-haul services, using narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. This is in contrast to regional airlines, providing feeder services to hub airports operating smaller turboprop or regional jet aircraft, or low-cost carrier subsidiaries serving leisure markets.
A mainline flight by an American Airlines Boeing 777-200ER lands at London Heathrow Airport, England.
Unlike many other airlines, JetBlue's mainline equipment includes the Embraer E190. On traditional legacy carriers, such operations on the smaller aircraft are mostly outsourced to smaller, usually independently owned regional airlines.
Embraer E-190. Similarly to JetBlue, US Airways and at one time, Air Canada both operated the Embraer 190 as part of their mainline fleets.
JetBlue's affiliate Cape Air at Logan International Airport.
A regional airline is a general classification of airline which typically operates scheduled passenger air service, using regional aircraft, between communities lacking sufficient demand or infrastructure to attract mainline flights. In North America, most regional airlines are classified as "fee-for-departure" carriers, operating their revenue flights as codeshare services contracted by one or more major airline partners. A number of regional airlines, particularly during the 1960s and 1970s, were classified as commuter airlines in the Official Airline Guide (OAG).
Flight West was a regional airline operating in Australia in the 1990s
British Aerospace Jetstream 41 of the UK regional airline Eastern Airways
NLM Fokker F.27 Friendship wearing the basic mainline livery of KLM Airlines however wearing the initial titles of NLM at Groningen in 1967. NLM was set up as a KLM subsidiary from its founding and later evolved into KLM Cityhopper. In 1976 Cabin Staff contractually won opportunity to be considered for KLM employment after a set period of commitment to NLM.
An Aerospatiale Corvette of Air Alsace at Brussels Airport in 1977. Much like Air Alpes, these aircraft fed regional and higher yielding traffic to Air France and were also one of the first companies to adopt the now common practice of taking on the branding livery of a much large company, namely Air France; who they operated in association with.
