ITEM 1A.    RISK FACTORS

         In addition to factors discussed elsewhere in this Report, the following are important risks which could adversely affect our future results. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently do not deem material may also impair our business operations. If any of the risks we describe below occur, or if any unforeseen risk develops, our operating results may suffer, our financial condition may deteriorate, the trading price of our common stock may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment in us.

Risks Related to Our Operations

The amounts we receive under our code-share agreements may be less than the corresponding costs we incur.

        Under our code-share agreements with Delta, United, American, Alaska and US Airways, we are compensated for certain costs we incur in providing services. Under our fixed-fee arrangements, our code-share partner directly reimburses us for certain costs we incur, as defined as "pass-through" costs. With respect to other costs we incur, our code-share partner is obligated to pay to us amounts based, in part, on pre-determined rates typically applied to production statistics (such as departures or block/flight time). During the year ended December 31, 2014, approximately 18% of our code-share operating costs were pass-through costs and approximately 82% of our code-share operating costs were reimbursable at pre-determined rates. These pre-determined rates may not equal the actual expenses we incur in delivering the associated services. There can be no assurance that the pre-determined rates contemplated by our code-share agreements will be higher than the costs SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet will incur to provide the services required under their respective agreements. Labor and labor-related expenses, including crew training, and certain maintenance expenses are significant expenses intended to be covered by the pre-determined rates under our fixed-fee arrangements. If the amount we earn from our pre-determined rates under our fixed-fee arrangements is less than our operating costs (excluding pass-through costs), our financial position and operating results will be negatively affected.

We have aircraft lease and debt commitments that extend beyond our existing fixed-fee contractual term on certain aircraft.

        Under our fixed-fee arrangements with Delta, United and US Airways, we have a total of 66 CRJ700s and CRJ900s with flying contract expirations ranging from mid-2015 to the end of 2016. Our underlying lease or debt financing obligation associated with each of these aircraft are scheduled to terminate between 2018 and 2024 on an aircraft-by-aircraft basis. We may not be successful in extending the flying contract term on these aircraft with our major partner at acceptable economic terms. In the event we are unsuccessful in extending the flying contract terms on these aircraft, we will pursue alternative uses for the aircraft over the remaining aircraft financing term including, but not limited to, operating the aircraft with another major carrier under a negotiated code-share agreement, subleasing the aircraft to another operator, and/or marketing the debt financed aircraft for sale. In the event we are unable to extend the flying contract terms at similar or improved economics for these aircraft at each respective contract's expiration, or if we pursue alternative uses for these aircraft that result in reduced economics than our current flying contracts, our financial results could be adversely affected.

The supply of pilots to the airline industry may be limited.

        On July 8, 2013, as directed by the U.S. Congress, the FAA issued more robust pilot qualification and crew member flight training standards. With the issuance of the new standards, the supply of qualified pilot candidates eligible for hiring by the airline industry has been dramatically reduced. If we

19

Table of Contents

are unable to secure the services of sufficient eligible pilots to staff our routes, our operations and financial results could be materially and adversely affected.

        New student pilot certificates have decreased dramatically, especially in the past three years, and the pool of eligible pilots qualified to be new hires into the airline industry has been declining significantly. In addition, the major network air carriers have done only minimal pilot hiring in the past several years because of industry capacity reductions and the increase in statutory mandatory retirement age for pilots from age 60 to age 65. Also effective January 2014, mandatory pilot retirement rules began again to force major network carriers to hire replacement pilots.

        The current pilot shortage may increase training costs and we may not have enough pilots to conduct our operations. Our projections of available pilots may impact our fleet planning decisions, including the removal of which could negatively impact our operations and financial results. Additionally, the lack of qualified pilots to conduct our operations would negatively impact our operations and financial condition.

Increased labor costs, strikes, labor disputes and increased unionization of our workforces may adversely affect our ability to conduct our business.

        Our business is labor intensive, requiring large numbers of pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and other personnel. Labor costs constitute a significant percentage of our total operating costs. For example, during the year ended December 31, 2014, our salary, wage and benefit costs constituted approximately 39.2% of our total operating costs. Increases in our labor costs could result in a material reduction in our earnings. Any new collective bargaining agreements entered into by other regional carriers with their work forces may also result in higher industry wages and increased pressure on us to increase the wages and benefits of our employees. Future agreements with unionized and non-unionized employees may be on terms that are not as attractive as our current agreements or comparable to agreements entered into by our competitors.

        Approximately 45.1% of our workforce is unionized. Strikes or labor disputes with our unionized employees may adversely affect our ability to conduct business. Relations between air carriers and labor unions in the U.S. are governed by the RLA, which provides that a collective bargaining agreement between an airline and a labor union does not expire, but instead becomes amendable as of a stated date. The RLA generally prohibits strikes or other types of self-help action both before and after a collective bargaining agreement becomes amendable, unless and until the collective bargaining processes required by the RLA have been exhausted.

        SkyWest Airlines' employees are not currently represented by any union; however, collective bargaining group organization efforts among those employees occur from time to time. Such efforts will likely continue in the future and may ultimately result in some or all of SkyWest Airlines' employees being represented by one or more unions. Moreover, one or more unions representing ExpressJet employees may seek a single carrier determination by the National Mediation Board, which could require SkyWest Airlines to recognize such union or unions as the certified bargaining representative of SkyWest Airlines' employees. One or more unions representing ExpressJet employees may also assert that SkyWest Airlines' employees should be subject to ExpressJet's collective bargaining agreements. If SkyWest Airlines' employees were to unionize or be deemed to be represented by one or more unions, negotiations with unions representing SkyWest Airlines' employees could divert management attention and disrupt operations, which may result in increased operating expenses and may negatively impact our financial results. Moreover, we cannot predict the outcome of any future negotiations relating to union representation or collective bargaining agreements. Agreements reached in collective bargaining may increase our operating expenses and negatively impact our financial results.

20

Table of Contents

The integration of the Atlantic Southeast and ExpressJet Delaware workforces will present significant challenges, including the possibility of labor-related disagreements that may adversely affect our operations and our financial performance.

        The successful integration of Atlantic Southeast and ExpressJet Delaware and achievement of the anticipated benefits of the ExpressJet Merger largely depend upon the successful combination of the former employee groups of Atlantic Southeast and ExpressJet Delaware, and on maintaining productive employee relations. The integration of the workforces of the two airlines will require the resolution of potentially difficult issues relating to representation of various employee groups and the relative seniority of the employee groups at each carrier. Unexpected delays, expenses or other challenges to integrating the workforces could impact the anticipated synergies from the combination of Atlantic Southeast and ExpressJet Delaware and affect ExpressJet's operations and financial performance.

        In order to integrate the former employee groups of Atlantic Southeast and ExpressJet Delaware, ExpressJet must negotiate a joint collective bargaining agreement covering each combined employee group. The process for integrating the former labor groups of ExpressJet Delaware and Atlantic Southeast is governed by a combination of the RLA, the McCaskill-Bond Amendment, and where applicable, the existing provisions of each company's collective bargaining agreements and union policy. Pending operational integration, ExpressJet intends to apply the terms of the existing collective bargaining agreements unless other terms have been negotiated. Under the McCaskill-Bond Amendment, seniority integration must be accomplished in a "fair and equitable" manner consistent with the process set forth in the Allegheny-Mohawk Labor Protective Provisions or internal union merger policies, if applicable. Employee dissatisfaction with the results of the seniority integration may lead to litigation that in some cases could delay implementation of the integrated seniority list. The National Mediation Board has exclusive authority to resolve representation disputes arising out of airline mergers.

        During December 2013 and January 2014, ALPA, which represents the Atlantic Southeast pilot and ExpressJet Delaware pilot groups, conducted a vote of the two employee groups, seeking approval of a joint collective bargaining agreement that ExpressJet had negotiated with ALPA representatives. The two employee groups rejected the joint collective bargaining agreement, which resulted in the agreements with those employee groups remaining amendable. The decision of those employee groups to reject the joint collective bargaining agreement will preclude us from realizing some of the savings we had hoped to achieve through the ExpressJet Combination. All of ExpressJet's union labor contracts are currently amendable.

        We can provide no assurance that a successful or timely resolution of labor negotiations for the former labor groups of Atlantic Southeast and ExpressJet Delaware will be achieved. There is a possibility that employees or unions could engage in job actions such as slow-downs, work-to- rule campaigns, sick-outs or other actions designed to disrupt ExpressJet's normal operations, in an attempt to pressure ExpressJet in collective bargaining negotiations. Although the RLA makes such actions unlawful until the parties have been lawfully released to self-help, and ExpressJet can seek injunctive relief against premature self-help, such actions can cause significant harm even if ultimately enjoined.

The Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009 could negatively affect our operations and our financial condition.

        The Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009 (the "Improvement Act") became effective in August 2013. The Improvement Act added new certification requirements for entry-level commercial pilots, requires additional emergency training for airline personnel, improves availability of pilot records and mandates stricter rules to minimize pilot fatigue.

21

Table of Contents

        The Improvement Act also:

•

Requires that all airline pilots obtain an Airline Transport Pilot license, which was previously only required for captains.



•

Obligates the FAA to maintain a database of pilot records, including records to be provided by airlines and other sources, so that airlines will have access to more information before they hire pilots.



•

Requires the FAA to issue new regulations governing the airlines' obligations to submit pilot records and the requirements for airlines to obtain access for information in the database before the database portion of the Improvement Act becomes effective.



•

Directs the FAA to rewrite the rules for how long pilots are allowed to work and how much rest they must have before working.

        The Improvement Act (and associated regulations) has increased our compliance and FAA reporting obligations, has had a negative effect on pilot scheduling, work hours and the number of pilots required to be employed for our operations or other aspects of our operations, and may continue to negatively impact our operations and financial condition.

We are highly dependent on Delta and United.

        As of December 31, 2014, we had 664 aircraft out of our total 749 aircraft operating under a fixed-fee arrangement or a revenue-sharing agreement with either Delta or United. If our code-share agreements with Delta or United are terminated, we would be significantly impacted and likely would not have an immediate source of revenue or earnings to offset such loss. A termination of either of these agreements would likely have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, operating revenues and net income unless we are able to enter into satisfactory substitute arrangements for the utilization of the affected aircraft by other code-share partners, or, alternatively, obtain the airport facilities and gates and make the other arrangements necessary to fly as an independent airline. We may not be able to enter into substitute code-share arrangements, and any such arrangements we might secure may not be as favorable to us as our current agreements. Operating our airlines independent from major partners would be a significant departure from our business plan, would likely be very difficult and would likely require significant time and resources, which may not be available to us at that point.

        The current terms of the SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet Delta Connection Agreements are subject to certain early termination provisions. Delta's termination rights include cross-termination rights (meaning that a breach by either of SkyWest Airlines or ExpressJet of its Delta Connection Agreement could, under certain circumstances, permit Delta to terminate any or all of the Delta Connection Agreements to which we or either of our operating subsidiaries is a party), the right to terminate each of the agreements upon the occurrence of certain force majeure events (including certain labor-related events) that prevent SkyWest Airlines or ExpressJet from performance for certain periods and the right to terminate each of the agreements if SkyWest Airlines or ExpressJet, as applicable, fails to maintain competitive base rate costs, subject to certain rights of SkyWest Airlines to take corrective action to reimburse Delta for lost revenues. The current terms of the SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet United Express Agreements are subject to certain early termination provisions and subsequent renewals. United may terminate the SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet United Express Agreements due to an uncured breach by SkyWest Airlines or ExpressJet of certain operational or performance provisions, including measures and standards related to flight completions, baggage handling and on-time arrivals. The current terms of the United CPA are subject to certain early termination provisions and subsequent renewals. United may terminate the United CPA due to an

22

Table of Contents

uncured breach by ExpressJet of certain operational and performance provisions, including measures and standards related to flight completions and on-time arrivals.

        We currently use the systems, facilities and services of Delta and United to support a significant portion of our operations, including airport and terminal facilities and operations, information technology support, ticketing and reservations, scheduling, dispatching, fuel purchasing and ground handling services. If Delta or United were to cease to maintain any of these systems, close any of these facilities or no longer provide these services to us, due to termination of one of our code-share agreements, a strike or other labor interruption by Delta or United personnel or for any other reason, we may not be able to obtain alternative systems, facilities or services on terms and conditions as favorable as those we currently receive, or at all. Since our revenues and operating profits are dependent on our level of flight operations, we could then be forced to significantly reduce our operations. Furthermore, upon certain terminations of our code-share agreements, Delta and United could require us to sell or assign to them facilities and assets, including maintenance facilities, we use in connection with the code-share services we provide. As a result, in order to offer airline service after termination of any of our code-share agreements, we may have to replace these facilities, assets and services. We may be unable to arrange such replacements on satisfactory terms, or at all.

Maintenance costs will likely continue to increase as the age of our regional jet fleet increases.

        The average age of our CRJ200s, ERJ145s, CRJ700s and CRJ900s is approximately 12.9 years, 12.7 years, 9.6 years and 7.1 years respectively. All of the parts on these aircraft are no longer under warranty and we have started to incur more heavy airframe inspections and engine overhauls on those aircraft. Our non-engine maintenance costs are expected to continue to increase on our CRJ200, ERJ145, CRJ700 and CRJ900 fleets. Our non-engine maintenance costs will increase significantly, both on an absolute basis and as a percentage of our operating expenses, as our fleet ages. If our maintenance costs increase at a higher rate than amounts we can recover in revenue, we will experience a negative impact on our financial results.

We may be negatively impacted if Delta or United experiences significant financial difficulties in the future.

        For the year ended December 31, 2014 approximately 93.0% of the available seat miles ("ASMs") generated in our operations were attributable to our code-share agreements with Delta and United. If Delta or United experiences significant financial difficulties, we would likely be negatively affected. For example, volatility in fuel prices may negatively impact Delta's and United's results of operations and financial condition. Among other risks, Delta and United are vulnerable both to unexpected events (such as additional terrorist attacks or additional spikes in fuel prices) and to deterioration of the operating environment (such as a recession or significant increased competition). There is no assurance that Delta or United will be able to operate successfully under these financial conditions.

        In light of the importance of our code-share agreements with Delta and United to our business, a default by Delta or United under any of these agreements, or the termination of any of these agreements could jeopardize our operations. Such events could leave us unable to operate many of our current aircraft, as well as additional aircraft we are obligated to purchase, which would likely result in a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition.

        The financial condition of Delta and United will continue to pose risks for our operations. Serial bankruptcies are not unprecedented in the commercial airline industry, and Delta and/or United could file for bankruptcy, in which case our code-share agreements could be subject to termination under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Regardless of whether subsequent bankruptcy filings prove to be necessary, Delta and United have required, and will likely continue to require, our participation in efforts to reduce costs and improve their respective financial positions. These efforts could result in lower utilization rates of our aircraft, lower departure rates on the contract flying portion of our business,

23

Table of Contents

more volatile operating margins and more aggressive contractual positions, which could result in additional litigation. We believe that any of these developments could have a negative effect on many aspects of our operations and financial condition.

Disagreements regarding the interpretation of our code-share agreements with our major partners could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

        Long-term contractual agreements, such as our code-share agreements, are subject to interpretation and disputes may arise under such agreements if the parties to an agreement apply different interpretations to that agreement. Those disputes may divert management time and resources from the core operation of the business, and may result in litigation, arbitration or other forms of dispute resolution.

        In recent years we have experienced disagreements with our major partners regarding the interpretation of various provisions of our code-share agreements. Some of those disagreements have resulted in litigation, and we may be subject to additional disputes and litigation in the future. Those disagreements have also required a significant amount of management time, financial resources and settlement negotiations of disputed matters.

        To the extent that we continue to experience disagreements regarding the interpretation of our code-share or other agreements, we will likely expend valuable management time and financial resources in our efforts to resolve those disagreements. Those disagreements may result in litigation, arbitration, settlement negotiations or other proceedings. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that any or all of those proceedings, if commenced, would be resolved in our favor. An unfavorable result in any such proceeding could have adverse financial consequences or require us to modify our operations. Such disagreements and their consequences could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

We have a significant amount of contractual obligations.

        As of December 31, 2014, we had a total of approximately $1.7 billion in total long-term debt obligations. Substantially all of this long-term debt was incurred in connection with the acquisition of aircraft, engines and related spare parts. We also have significant long-term lease obligations primarily relating to our aircraft fleet. These leases are classified as operating leases and therefore are not reflected as liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets. At December 31, 2014, we had 554 aircraft under lease, with remaining terms ranging up to 11 years. Future minimum lease payments due under all long-term operating leases were approximately $1.5 billion at December 31, 2014. At a 4.8% discount factor, the present value of these lease obligations was equal to approximately $1.3 billion at December 31, 2014. Our high level of fixed obligations could impact our ability to obtain additional financing to support additional expansion plans or divert cash flows from operations and expansion plans to service the fixed obligations.

Our anticipated fleet replacement would require a significant increase in our leverage and the related cash requirements.

        We currently have 246 CRJ200s with an average life of 12.9 years, 226 ERJ145s with an average life of 12.7 years and 43 EMB120s with an average life of 17.3 years. We have announced our intention to remove all of our EMB120s from service before the end of the second quarter of 2015, and we anticipate that over the next several years, we will continue to replace the CRJ200s and ERJ145s with larger regional jets or turboprops. Our fleet replacement strategy, if undertaken as we currently anticipate, will require significant amounts of capital to acquire these larger regional jets or turboprops.

        There can be no assurance that our operations will generate sufficient cash flow or liquidity to enable us to obtain the necessary aircraft acquisition financing to replace our current fleet, or to make

24

Table of Contents

required debt service payments related to our existing or anticipated future obligations. Even if we meet all required debt, lease and purchase obligations, the size of these long-term obligations could negatively affect our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our common stock in many ways, including:

•

increasing the cost, or limiting the availability of, additional financing for working capital, acquisitions or other purposes;



•

limiting the ways in which we can use our cash flow, much of which may have to be used to satisfy debt and lease obligations; and



•

adversely affecting our ability to respond to changing business or economic conditions or continue our growth strategy.

        If we need additional capital and cannot obtain such capital on acceptable terms, or at all, we may be unable to realize our fleet replacement plans or take advantage of unanticipated opportunities

We may be limited from expanding our flying within the Delta and United flight systems.

        Additional growth opportunities within the Delta and United flight systems are limited by various factors. Except as contemplated by our existing code-share agreements, we cannot assure that Delta and United will contract with us to fly any additional aircraft. We may not receive additional growth opportunities, or may agree to modifications to our code-share agreements that reduce certain benefits to us in order to obtain additional aircraft, or for other reasons. Given the competitive nature of the airline industry, we believe that some of our competitors may be more inclined to accept reduced margins and less favorable contract terms in order to secure new or additional code-share operations. Even if we are offered growth opportunities by our major partners, those opportunities may involve economic terms or financing commitments that are unacceptable to us. Any one or more of these factors may reduce or eliminate our ability to expand our flight operations with our existing code-share partners. We also cannot provide any assurance that we will be able to obtain the additional ground and maintenance facilities, including gates, and support equipment, to expand our operations. The failure to obtain these facilities and equipment would likely impede our efforts to implement our business strategy and could materially and adversely affect our operating results and our financial condition.

        Our business model depends on major airlines, including Delta and United, electing to contract with us instead of operating their own regional jets. Some major airlines own their own regional airlines or operate their own regional jets instead of entering into contracts with regional carriers. We have no guarantee that in the future our code-share partners will choose to enter into contracts with us instead of operating their own regional jets. Our partners are not prohibited from doing so under our code-share agreements. A decision by Delta or United to phase out code-share relationships and instead acquire and operate their own regional jets could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or the price of our common stock.

We could be adversely affected by an outbreak of a disease that affects travel behavior.

        In 2014, the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa caused general public concerns for passenger air travel. In recent years, outbreaks of the H1N1 flu virus and of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ("SARS") had an adverse impact on travel behavior. Any outbreak of a disease (including a worsening of the outbreak of the Ebola virus) that affects travel behavior could have a material adverse impact on our operating results and financial condition. In addition, outbreaks of disease could result in quarantines of our personnel or an inability to access facilities or our aircraft, which could adversely affect our operations and financial condition.

25

Table of Contents

Interruptions or disruptions in service at one of our hub airports, due to adverse weather or for any other reason, could have a material adverse impact on our operations.

        We currently operate primarily through hubs in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, Minneapolis, Detroit, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Washington, D.C., Newark, Cleveland and the Pacific Northwest. Nearly all of our flights either originate from or fly into one of these hubs. Our revenues depend primarily on our completion of flights and secondarily on service factors such as timeliness of departure and arrival. Any interruptions or disruptions could, therefore, severely and adversely affect us. Extreme weather can cause flight disruptions, and, during periods of storms or adverse weather, fog, low temperatures, etc., our flights may be canceled or significantly delayed. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and Superstorm Sandy, in particular, caused severe disruption to air travel in the affected areas and adversely affected airlines operating in the region, including ExpressJet. We operate a significant number of flights to and from airports with particular weather difficulties, including Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Chicago, San Francisco, Newark and Denver. A significant interruption or disruption in service at one of our hubs, due to adverse weather, security closures or otherwise, could result in the cancellation or delay of a significant portion of our flights and, as a result, could have a severe adverse impact on our operations and financial performance.

Economic and industry conditions constantly change, and negative economic conditions in the United States and other countries may create challenges for us that could materially and adversely affect our operations and financial condition.

        Our operations and financial condition are affected by many changing economic and other conditions beyond our control, including, among others:

•

disruptions in the credit markets, which have resulted in greater volatility, less liquidity, widening of credit spreads, and decreased availability of financing;



•

actual or potential changes in international, national, regional and local economic, business and financial conditions, including recession, inflation, higher interest rates, wars, terrorist attacks or political instability;



•

changes in consumer preferences, perceptions, spending patterns or demographic trends;



•

changes in the competitive environment due to industry consolidation and other factors;



•

actual or potential disruptions to U.S. air traffic control systems;



•

outbreaks of diseases that affect travel behavior; and



•

weather and natural disasters.

        The aggregate effect of any, or some combination, of the foregoing economic and industry conditions on our operations or financial condition is virtually impossible to forecast; however, the occurrence of any or all of such conditions in a significant manner could materially and adversely affect our operations and financial condition.

We could be adversely affected by significant disruptions in the supply of fuel or by high fuel prices.

        Dependence on foreign imports of crude oil, limited refining capacity and the possibility of changes in government policy on jet fuel production, transportation and marketing make it impossible to predict the future availability of jet fuel. If there are additional outbreaks of hostilities or other conflicts in oil-producing areas or elsewhere, or a reduction in refining capacity (due to weather events, for example), or governmental limits on the production or sale of jet fuel, there could be a reduction in the supply of jet fuel and significant increases in the cost of jet fuel. Major reductions in the availability

26

Table of Contents

of jet fuel or significant increases in its cost, or a continuation of high fuel prices for a significant period of time, would have a material adverse impact on us.

        Pursuant to our fixed-fee arrangements, our major partners have agreed to bear the economic risk of fuel price fluctuations on our contracted flights. However, we bear the economic risk of fuel price fluctuations on our pro-rate operations. As of December 31, 2014, essentially all of our EMB120s flown for Delta were flown under pro-rate arrangements, while approximately 57% of our EMB120s flown in the United system were flown under pro-rate arrangements. As of December 31, 2014, we operated 21 CRJ200s under a pro-rate agreement with United. We also operate ten CRJ200s under a pro-rate agreement with Delta, one CRJ200 under a pro-rate arrangement with US Airways and 6 CRJ200s under a pro-rate agreement with American. Our operating and financial results with respect to these pro-rate arrangements can be affected by the price and availability of jet fuel and in the event we are unable to pass on increased fuel prices to our pro-rate customers by increasing fares our financial performance would be adversely impacted.

Reduced utilization levels of our aircraft under our code-share agreements would adversely impact our financial results.

        The majority of our code-share agreements set forth minimum levels of flight operations which our major partners are required to schedule for our operations and we are required to provide. These minimum flight operating levels are intended to compensate us for reduced operating efficiencies caused by production decreases made by our major partners under our respective code-share agreements. Historically, our major partners have utilized our flight operations at levels which exceed the minimum levels set forth in our code-share agreements, however, in recent years our major partners have reduced our utilization to levels which, at times, have been lower than the levels required by our code-share agreements. If our major partners schedule the utilization of our aircraft below historical levels (including taking into account the stage length and frequency of our scheduled flights), we may not be able to maintain operating efficiencies previously obtained, which would negatively impact our operating results and financial condition. Additionally, our major partners may change routes and frequencies of flights, which can shorten flight trip lengths. Changes in schedules may increase our flight costs, which could exceed the reimbursed rates paid by our major partners. Continued reduced utilization levels of our aircraft or other changes to our schedules under our code-share agreements would adversely impact our financial results.

There are long-term risks related to supply and demand of regional aircraft associated with our regional airline services strategy.

        Our major airline partners have indicated that their committed supply of regional airline capacity is larger than they desire given current market conditions. Specifically, they have identified a general oversupply of 50-seat regional jets under contractual commitments with regional airlines. Delta in particular has reduced both the number of 50-seat regional jets within its network and the number of regional airlines with which it contracts. There are currently more than 100 50-seat aircraft within the Delta Connection system. In addition to reducing the number of 50-seat jets under contract, major airlines have reduced the utilization of regional aircraft, thereby reducing the revenue paid to regional airlines under capacity purchase agreements (See the risk factor titled "Reduced utilization levels of our aircraft under our code-share agreements would adversely impact our financial results" for additional details). This decrease has had, and may continue to have, a negative impact on our regional airline services revenue and financial results.

Declining interest rates could have a negative effect on our financial results.

        Our earnings are affected by changes in interest rates due to the amount of our variable rate long-term debt and the amount of cash and securities we hold. Under the majority of our fixed-fee

27

Table of Contents

arrangements with our major partners, we are directly reimbursed for interest expense on debt-financed aircraft as a pass-through cost. The reimbursement of the interest expense is recorded as passenger revenue in our consolidated statements of income. Thus, a decline in interest expense associated with contract aircraft would likely be offset by a reduced aircraft ownership cost passed through to our major partners. Interest expense decreased $2.7 million, or 3.9%, during the year ended December 31, 2014, compared to the year ended December 31, 2013. The decrease in interest expense was substantially due to a decrease in interest rates and the majority of this reduction was passed through to our major partners. Interest income decreased $0.4 million, or 11.0% during the year ended December 31, 2014, compared to the year ended December 31, 2013. Interest income is not a component of our contractual arrangements with our major partners. If interest rates were to decline, our major partners would receive the principal benefit of the interest expense decline, since interest expense is generally passed through to our major partners; however, if declining interest rates reduce our interest income, our financial results will be negatively affected.

If we have a failure in our technology or if we have security breaches of our information technology infrastructure, our business and financial condition may be adversely affected.

        The performance and reliability of our technology are critical to our ability to compete effectively. Any internal technological error or failure or large-scale external interruption in the technological infrastructure we depend on, such as power, telecommunications or the internet, may disrupt our internal network. Any individual, sustained or repeated failure of technology could impact our ability to conduct our business and result in increased costs. Our technological systems and related data may be vulnerable to a variety of sources of interruption due to events beyond our control, including natural disasters, terrorist attacks, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, hackers and other security issues.

        In addition, as a part of our ordinary business operations, we collect and store sensitive data, including personal information of our passengers and employees and information of our business partners. Our information systems are subject to an increasing threat of continually evolving cybersecurity risks. Unauthorized parties may attempt to gain access to our systems or information through fraud or other means of deception. The methods used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service or sabotage systems are constantly evolving, and may be difficult to anticipate or to detect for long periods of time. We may not be able to prevent all data security breaches or misuse of data. The compromise of our technology systems resulting in the loss, disclosure, misappropriation of, or access to, customers', employees' or business partners' information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability or regulatory penalties under laws protecting the privacy of personal information, disruption to our operations and damage to our reputation, any or all of which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Our business could be harmed if we lose the services of our key personnel.

        Our business depends upon the efforts of our chief executive officer, Jerry C. Atkin, and our other key management and operating personnel. We may have difficulty replacing management or other key personnel who cease to be employed by us and, therefore, the loss of the services of any of these individuals could harm our business. We do not maintain key-person insurance on any of our executive officers.

Risks Related to the Airline Industry

We may be materially affected by uncertainties in the airline industry.

        The airline industry has experienced tremendous challenges in recent years and will likely remain volatile for the foreseeable future. Among other factors, the financial challenges faced by major and

28

Table of Contents

regional carriers and continuing hostilities in the Middle East and other regions have significantly affected, and are likely to continue to affect, the U.S. airline industry. These events have resulted in declines and shifts in passenger demand, increased insurance costs, increased government regulations and tightened credit markets, all of which have affected, and will likely continue to affect, the operations and financial condition of participants in the industry, including us, major carriers (including our major partners), low-cost carriers, competitors and aircraft manufacturers. These industry developments raise substantial risks and uncertainties, which will likely affect us, major carriers (including our major partners), competitors and aircraft manufacturers in ways that we are unable to currently predict.

The airline industry is highly competitive and has undergone a period of consolidation and transition leaving fewer potential code-share partners.

        The airline industry is highly competitive. We not only compete with other regional airlines, some of which are owned by or operated as code-share partners of major airlines, but we also face competition from low-cost carriers and major airlines on many of our routes. Low-cost carriers such as Southwest and JetBlue among others, operate at many of our hubs, resulting in significant price competition. Additionally, a large number of other carriers operate at our hubs, creating intense competition. Certain of our competitors are larger and have significantly greater financial and other resources than we do. Moreover, federal deregulation of the industry allows competitors to rapidly enter our markets and to quickly discount and restructure fares. The airline industry is particularly susceptible to price discounting because airlines incur only nominal costs to provide service to passengers occupying otherwise unsold seats. Increased fare competition could adversely affect our operations and the price of our common stock. The airline industry has undergone substantial consolidation, including the merger between American and US Airways in 2013, United and Continental in 2010, Delta and Northwest Airlines, Inc. in 2008, as well as the merger of Southwest and AirTran Airways, Inc. ("AirTran") in 2011. Any additional consolidation or significant alliance activity within the airline industry could limit the number of potential partners with whom we could enter into code-share relationships and could have a material adverse effect on our relationships with our code-share partners.

        Due, in part, to the dynamic nature of the airline industry, major airlines may also make other strategic changes such as changing or consolidating hub locations. If our major partners were to make changes such as these in their strategy and operations, our operations and financial results could be adversely impacted.

Terrorist activities or warnings have dramatically impacted the airline industry, and will likely continue to do so.

        The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and their aftermath have negatively impacted the airline industry in general, including our operations. The primary effects experienced by the airline industry include a substantial loss of passenger traffic and revenue. If additional terrorist attacks are launched against the airline industry, there will be lasting consequences of the attacks, which may include loss of life, property damage, increased security and insurance costs, increased concerns about future terrorist attacks, increased government regulation and airport delays due to heightened security. Additional terrorist attacks and the fear of such attacks could negatively impact the airline industry, and result in further decreased passenger traffic and yields, increased flight delays or cancellations associated with new government mandates, as well as increased security, fuel and other costs. We cannot provide any assurance that these events will not harm the airline industry generally or our operations or financial condition in particular.

29

Table of Contents

We are subject to significant governmental regulation.

        All interstate air carriers, including SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet, are subject to regulation by the DOT, the FAA and other governmental agencies. Regulations promulgated by the DOT primarily relate to economic aspects of air service. The FAA requires operating, air worthiness and other certificates; approval of personnel who may engage in flight, maintenance or operation activities; record keeping procedures in accordance with FAA requirements; and FAA approval of flight training and retraining programs. We cannot predict whether we will be able to comply with all present and future laws, rules, regulations and certification requirements or that the cost of continued compliance will not have a material adverse effect on our operations. We incur substantial costs in maintaining our current certifications and otherwise complying with the laws, rules and regulations to which we are subject. A decision by the FAA to ground, or require time-consuming inspections of or maintenance on, all or any of our aircraft for any reason may have a material adverse effect on our operations. In addition to state and federal regulation, airports and municipalities enact rules and regulations that affect our operations. From time to time, various airports throughout the country have considered limiting the use of smaller aircraft, such as our aircraft, at such airports. The imposition of any limits on the use of our aircraft at any airport at which we operate could have a material adverse effect on our operations.

The occurrence of an aviation accident involving our aircraft would negatively impact our operations and financial condition.

        An accident or incident involving one of our aircraft could result in significant potential claims of injured passengers and others, as well as repair or replacement of a damaged aircraft and its consequential temporary or permanent loss from service. In the event of an accident, our liability insurance may not be adequate to offset our exposure to potential claims and we may be forced to bear substantial losses from the accident. Substantial claims resulting from an accident in excess of our related insurance coverage would harm our operational and financial results. Moreover, any aircraft accident or incident, even if fully insured, could cause a public perception that our operations are less safe or reliable than other airlines.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

We can issue additional shares without shareholder approval.

        Our Restated Articles of Incorporation, as amended (the "Restated Articles"), authorize the issuance of up to 120,000,000 shares of common stock, all of which may be issued without any action or approval by our shareholders. As of December 31, 2014, we had 51,186,025 shares outstanding. In addition, as of December 31, 2014, we had equity-based incentive plans under which 4,080,423 shares are reserved for issuance and an employee stock purchase plan under which 1,260,759 shares are reserved for issuance, both of which may dilute the ownership interest of our shareholders. Our Restated Articles also authorize the issuance of up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our board of directors has the authority to issue preferred stock with the rights and preferences, and at the price, which it determines. Any shares of preferred stock issued would likely be senior to shares of our common stock in various regards, including dividends, payments upon liquidation and voting. The value of our common stock could be negatively affected by the issuance of any shares of preferred stock.

30

Table of Contents

The amount of dividends we pay may decrease or we may not pay dividends.

        Historically, we have paid dividends in varying amounts on our common stock. The future payment and amount of cash dividends will depend upon our financial condition and results of operations, loan covenants and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. There can be no assurance that we will continue our practice of paying dividends on our common stock or that we will have the financial resources to pay such dividends.

The amount of common stock we repurchase may decrease from historical levels, or we may not repurchase any additional shares of common stock.

        Historically, we have repurchased shares of our common stock in varying amounts. Our future repurchases of shares of common stock, if any, and the number of shares of common stock we may repurchase will depend upon our financial condition, results of operations, loan covenants and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors. There can be no assurance that we will continue our practice of repurchasing shares of common stock or that we will have the financial resources to repurchase shares of common stock in the future.

Provisions of our charter documents and code-share agreements may limit the ability or desire of others to gain control of our company.

        Our ability to issue shares of preferred and common stock without shareholder approval may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control and may adversely affect the voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock, even in circumstances where such a change in control would be viewed as desirable by most investors. The provisions of the Utah Control Shares Acquisitions Act may also discourage the acquisition of a significant interest in or control of our company. Additionally, our code-share agreements contain termination and extension trigger provisions related to change in control type transactions that may have the effect of deterring a change in control of our company.