The evolution of the U.S. air travel market in the early 1980s unleashed by Deregulation was experienced in markets big and small, and as major carriers abandoned service to small communities, traditional third-level operators stepped in with often more frequent service to often a broader selection of destinations. Aircraft manufacturers soon fielded a number of 19-seat and 30-40 seat types, and in the latter group by the mid-1980s commuter carriers could choose from the Saab 340, Embraer Brasilia, Shorts 330/360, and the Dash 8 from DeHavilland Canada.
DHC’s history of building rugged, reliable aircraft was well appreciated by operators in remote and challenging areas. Beaver floatplanes built in the 1950s-60s still soldier on into the 2020s, with some having turboprop engines swapped in and now new electric power plants. The 15-19 seat Twin Otter found homes in the wilderness but also urban commuting as a slower but more comfortable option to the Swearingen Metroliner or Beech 99, and in the 2020s brand-new frames with tech and weight improvements are coming off the production line. DHC’s biggest entry to the commuter market was the 4-turboprop, 50-seat Dash 7 – a competitor against older Fokker 27s, Convairs, and Martinliners that also offered STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) performance ideal for short runways and crowded major airports. The Dash 7 was “flagship” equipment in the early 1980s for commuter fleets of carriers like Air Wisconsin and Golden West – and is still used today in the Canadian Arctic for its massive cargo capacity and ability to use unimproved runways.
DHC recognized the 30-set gap in its portfolio and also acknowledged the “over-engineering” of the Dash 7 for US commuter operations, offering its twin-turboprop new generation Dash 8 with competitive operating costs, a comfortable cabin, and still rugged construction for lower maintenance expenses. Its first flight was in June 1983 and it entered service in December that year. Over 300 copies of its -100 and -200 standard length frame were sold, and the type was stretched to 50 seats in the -300 version, which sold 267 copies. The durable frame was stretched even further to 70 seats with more powerful engines, becoming the Dash 8 Q400 (Q for Quiet), selling nearly 650 copies – and may also be resurrected in the 2030s.
Airlink carriers only used the standard-length fuselage, which we’ll show below. When NWA and Alaska Airlines (and Alaska’s commuter subsidiary Horizon Air) had their partnership in the Pacific Northwest, there were many NW flight numbers applied to Horizon Q400 flights, but those aircraft never sported the Red Tail.
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Mesaba
Mesaba moved from used Fokker 27s to new-build Dash 8s starting in 1992 and used them through December 1998, building a fleet of 25. Further standardization toward the end of the decade saw the carrier’s Metroliners and Dash 8s replaced entirely with the durable Saab 340.
Northeast Express
Formerly Valley Flying Service, operating unscheduled air-taxi flights in Maine, Northeast Express moved to fill commuter service voids out of Boston in the wake of Eastern’s collapse in 1991. The carrier used Metroliners as well as Dash 8s in Airlink service, before going out of business in 1994.
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