The Scope Clause: The Obscure Rule Shaping US Regional Aviation

Most airline passengers never think about why one flight is operated by a major airline while another, carrying the same branding, is flown by a regional partner. Even fewer realize that one of the most influential forces behind those decisions is not an aircraft manufacturer, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), or even airline management, but a little-known provision buried inside labor agreements. Known as the scope clause, this contractual rule quietly determines which aircraft can serve thousands of routes across the US and has become one of the defining factors shaping the country’s regional aviation industry.