The little plane at the gate signals a big change: Nearly half the flights in the United States are now on regional airlines, whose pilots earn far less—and are less experienced—than those flying for major carriers. BARBARA S. PETERSON investigates the rapid ascent of the regionals and asks new FAA chief Randy Babbit what he's doing to ensure that there's one standard of safety for airlines large and small

It's 5:45 on an August morning at the airport in Columbus, Ohio, a modest depot that, judging from the departure boards, ought to feel as busy as O'Hare on a Thanksgiving weekend. Dozens of flights on virtually every major U.S. airline are scheduled to take off within the next hour. Yet the gate area is so quiet that I fear I've missed my flight. A glance outside reveals why: Waiting on the other side of the gate to take me to Newark is a 70-passenger turboprop plane. My ticket may read Continental flight 3248, but I am actually traveling on Colgan Air, an entirely different airline, which flies under the names Continental Connection, United Express, and US Airways Express.

Regional airlines are carrying a growing number of passengers—nearly a quarter of all U.S. fliers, in fact—but most of them have no idea whose plane they're really on. Recent accidents and other incidents involving regional carriers have led to a Congressional investigation into the safety of these airlines, focusing largely on pilot experience and compensation.

When I meet with him in October, new FAA chief Randolph (Randy) Babbitt acknowledges that pilots at regional carriers, on average, have less experience than those at the largest airlines. "The majors have been laying off pilots and the regional airlines have been hiring. Yes, that means the new regional pilots don't have as much experience as those flying for the majors." But he's quick to point out that doesn't mean the regionals are unsafe. "We've had one accident in 37 months, and we had 52 million takeoffs and landings last year. Flying is remarkably safe, and if we see a trend we don't like, we're going to act."

It seems that while no one was looking, a motley assortment of commuter carriers morphed into a huge chunk of the commercial airline business. Once used mainly in markets with too few passengers to sustain service by a major carrier, regional airlines now operate almost half of all flights in the United States and transport 160 million passengers annually, a 40 percent increase since 2003, all while domestic air travel has remained flat. With 50 seats on average, the planes used by the regional airlines are smaller than those flown by the majors, but they take up the same slots on the runway as full-size planes and are blamed for exacerbating delays at major airports. Columbus is one of the nation's many regional air meccas, with close to 70 percent of its departures aboard small aircraft. As I learned during a recent marathon trip on seven regional flights, it's easy to traverse the country from coast to coast without once setting foot in a full-size jet. Indeed, the five major airlines known as legacy carriers—American, Continental, Delta, United, and US Airways—farm out flights to regionals.

COMMUTER CONTROVERSY

You're not alone if you've never heard of Chautauqua, Pinnacle Airlines, or Atlantic Southeast. Regional carriers intentionally keep a low profile, almost always flying under the names and two-letter codes of the major airlines they serve. If you book a ticket online, the only way to know whether you'll be on a regional carrier is to read the fine print—if you can find it at all. Federal law requires airlines to inform passengers at the time of booking that they'll be flying on a partner airline, but that doesn't always happen. Earlier this year, the Department of Transportation slapped United Airlines with an $80,000 fine after an investigation revealed it was not disclosing to consumers that they were booking a flight on a commuter affiliate. US Airways and Hawaiian Airlines were also fined.