Great Lakes Airlines
United States · LAKES AIR · Active
Airline Identity
History
Great Lakes Airlines began as Spirit Lake Airways, founded on 5 April 1977 to fly between Spencer and Des Moines, Iowa, before reorganizing as Great Lakes Airlines on 12 October 1981. It grew substantially by acquiring Alliance Airlines in 1988 and becoming a United Express feeder carrier in 1992, at its peak serving well over 100 small and mid-sized U.S. cities under code-share branding. After losing its United Express affiliation in 2002, the airline shifted its business model to rely heavily on federal Essential Air Service subsidies supporting flights to small rural communities, relocating its headquarters from Iowa to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Current Operations
Great Lakes Airlines does not operate today. A 2013 FAA rule sharply raising minimum flight-hour requirements for co-pilots triggered a severe pilot shortage that the small regional carrier could not overcome, forcing it to shed routes and hubs until it served only a handful of cities by 2018. On 26 March 2018 the airline announced it was suspending all operations effective that midnight, and it never resumed flying; the shutdown was attributed to the pilot shortage rather than a formal bankruptcy filing.
Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.