Major airlines of the United States

Major carrier or major airline carrier ( to German as: major airline carriers ) is a designation that is awarded by the Department of Transportation of the United States to those U.S. airlines, the proceeds of which amounts to more than a billion dollars during a fiscal year.

The following 18 airlines have received the designation. (2012 )

• AirTran (a subsidiary of Southwest Airlines since 2010)
• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines (subsidiaries of AMR Corporation )
• American Eagle Airlines ( subsidiary of AMR Corporation)
• Astar Air Cargo
• Atlas Air
• Delta Air Lines
• FedEx Express
• Frontier Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Jetblue Airways
• Kalitta Air
• SkyWest Airlines
• Southwest Airlines
• United Airlines
• UPS Airlines
• U.S. Airways
• World Airways

Legacy carriers

The term major carrier or major airline can refer to the distinction of low cost airlines in the U.S. on the legacy carriers, the traditional national airlines of the United States with an extensive route network. These are in the strict sense of the state in 2012, the remaining Big Four, the big four, American Airlines (since 2001 merged with TWA ) Delta Air Lines (since 2008 merged with Northwest Airlines), United Airlines (since 2010 merged with Continental Airlines), and U.S. Airways and more generally additionally Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines.