page_title: ExpressJet
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: ExpressJet / History
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Continental Center I, der Ehemaliger Sitz von Continental Airlines English: Continental Center I in Cullen Center, Downtown Houston - Former headquarters of Continental Airlines Español: Continental Center I en Cullen Center, Downtown Houston - La antigua sede del Continental Airlines Français&#160;: Continental Center One, l'ancien siège de Continental Airlines 日本語: Continental Center I - コンチネンタル航空の旧本社 - ダウンタウン・ヒューストン Português: Continental Center I, a antigua sede da Continental Airlines 中文: Continental Center I, 美国大陆航空公司的旧总部
context_page_description: ExpressJet Airlines LLC is a North American regional airline headquartered in College Park, Georgia that flies under the United Express brand for United Airlines. ExpressJet is a partially owned subsidiary of United Airlines. ExpressJet Airlines operates an all-jet fleet consisting of exclusively Embraer regional jet aircraft.
  ExpressJet has flight crew bases located in Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Houston, Texas; Newark, New Jersey and Knoxville, Tennessee.
  ExpressJet has airport maintenance facilities in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Houston, Texas; Newark, New Jersey; Knoxville, Tennessee, Richmond, Virginia. ExpressJet operates Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft. ExpressJet has two training centers located in Houston, Texas.
context_section_description: The airline was established in 1986 and started operations in 1987. Its origins were in a group of small commuter airlines acquired by Texas Air Corporation / Continental Airlines. These included Bar Harbor Airlines in Maine, Provincetown-Boston Airlines in New England, Rocky Mountain Airways in Denver, Colorado, and Britt Airways in Terre Haute, Indiana. ExpressJet operates under the original Federal Aviation Administration Part 121 certificate issued to Britt, which began operations as Continental Express in April 1987 and was later acquired by Continental Airlines. ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. incorporated in 1996.
  ExpressJet was spun off from Continental in 2002. Afterwards the company began plans to move into a corporate headquarters location. ExpressJet has over 8,000 employees. ExpressJet Holdings also owns American Composites LLC, Saltillo Jet Center, and InTech Aerospace Services.  Together with other facilities throughout the U.S. they make up ExpressJet Services which provides third-party maintenance, repair and overhaul services for a variety of aircraft types.  ExpressJet Holdings also has non-controlling interests in Wings Holdings LLC 49% and Flight Services and Systems Inc 44%.
  Before ExpressJet became independent, it was headquartered in Continental Center I in Downtown Houston.
  Following a December 2005 decision by Continental to reduce ExpressJet's Continental Express flying by 69 aircraft, the airline elected to operate the aircraft independently. On December 31, 2006, the airline began its charter operation.  It currently operates 6 aircraft for charter services under the Corporate Aviation Division. On February 5, 2007, the airline announced service to 24 cities in the west coast, southwest, and midwest regions of the United States beginning in April 2007.
  On April 2, 2007, the airline began point-to-point services under its own name from locations throughout the U.S. The airline had a total of 42 aircraft in their branded operation. According to ExpressJet CEO James Ream, LA/Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California (alternate airport to nearby LAX) would become the airline's "biggest center of operation".
  In March 2007, ExpressJet operated four of its Embraer 145 jets on JetBlue routes while JetBlue's Embraer 190 jets were being serviced.
  In June 2007, the airline began service at LAX to western ski markets and Mexico on behalf of Delta Air Lines under the Delta Connection banner using 10 EMB 145XR aircraft. In July 2007, the agreement was increased to 18 aircraft.  In July 2008, the agreement was terminated and ExpressJet ended all Delta Connection flying by September 1. A few days after announcing the end of its agreement with Delta, ExpressJet announced on July 8, 2008, that it would also end its independent ExpressJet-branded flying on September 2 due to the oil price increases since 2003. This resulted in the furlough of 347 pilots.
  In September 2007, the airline agreed to provide feeder service for Frontier Airlines from Denver International Airport while federal certification for Frontier's Lynx Aviation turboprop subsidiary was underway. ExpressJet flew to 5 cities from Frontier's Denver hub using 50-seat ERJ 145 regional jets until Frontier's subsidiary, Lynx Aviation, received DOT approval in December 2007. As of December 7, ExpressJet discontinued providing feeder service for Frontier Airlines.
  On August 21, 2009, an incident occurred where passengers were forced to stay on a parked plane at Rochester, Minnesota, for six hours with no food and overflowing toilets. The airline crew tried over thirty times to call the contract carrier, Delta Connection, (which services the Rochester airport) to let the passengers off.  The agents for the regional Mesaba Airlines refused.  The Department of Transportation cited the main cause of the incident as the Mesaba Airlines station's refusal to park the aircraft.  However, Continental Airlines and ExpressJet were also fined for the part they played in the incident.
  ExpressJet began a temporary contract with United Airlines to fly as a United
caption: Continental Center I, Continental Airlines's  headquarters in Downtown Houston, ExpressJet's headquarters
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