Velarion · Company Intelligence
Compensation Brief
Fiscal year 2025 · Filings through 2026-05-15

Skywest (SKYW)

CEO Russell Childs was paid $6,715,152 in fiscal year 2025: executive and director compensation, incentive-plan design, equity activity, and governance — every figure in this brief is traceable to its exact location in the company’s SEC filing — the document, the section, the page, and the table, linked directly.

$6,715,152
Russell Childs total, FY2025
81st
CEO pay percentile vs peers
115:1
CEO-to-median pay ratio
98.24%
Say-on-pay support, latest vote

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Companies that benchmark against SKYW
3 companies name SKYW as a compensation peer

Each company listed discloses SKYW in its own benchmarking peer group, as disclosed in each company's most recent proxy statement within the last two proxy seasons. Two companies are therefore absent by design: one that named SKYW in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.

01

Summary Compensation Table — fiscal year 2025

Named executive officerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension / NQDCAll otherTotal
Russell Childs$595,000$0$3,055,000$0$2,718,906$0$346,246$6,715,152
President & CEO
Wade Steel425,00001,080,00001,256,0420221,6932,982,735
Chief Commercial Officer
Robert Simmons425,00001,080,00001,256,0420204,4372,965,479
Chief Financial Officer
Greg Wooley270,0000640,0000634,9330116,8131,661,746
EVP Operations
Dale Hansen306,250100,000474,0000553,000056,1041,489,354
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.

Three-year trend — total compensation per named executive

Named executive officerFY2025 totalFY2024 totalFY2023 totalΔ FY2024→2025
Russell Childs$6,715,152$7,216,977$5,547,463−501,825
Wade Steel2,982,7352,846,6522,550,720+136,083
Robert Simmons2,965,4792,834,2992,578,574+131,180
Greg Wooley1,661,7461,677,8621,487,581−16,116
Dale Hansen1,489,354———

Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.

02

Equity transactions since the proxy statement was filed

No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.

04

Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2025

ExecutiveAwardShares unvestedExercise priceMarket value unvested
Russell ChildsPSU12,408—$1,245,887
Greg WooleyRSU2,307—231,646
Dale HansenRSU1,711—171,802
Russell ChildsRSU308,310—30,957,407
Robert SimmonsRSU107,238—10,767,768
Wade SteelRSU107,238—10,767,768
Greg WooleyRSU63,405—6,366,496
Robert SimmonsRSU62,928—6,318,601
Russell ChildsRSU49,632—4,983,549
Russell ChildsRSU11,025—1,107,020
Robert SimmonsRSU3,897—391,298
Robert SimmonsPSU22,299—2,239,043
Robert SimmonsRSU17,420—1,749,142
Wade SteelRSU5,599—562,196
Dale HansenPSU1,860—186,763
Dale HansenRSU1,196—120,090
Wade SteelRSU17,420—1,749,142
Russell ChildsRSU15,953—1,601,841
Russell ChildsPSU11,985—1,203,414
Greg WooleyRSU10,540—1,058,321
Wade SteelPSU4,355—437,286
Russell ChildsRSU7,705—773,659
Robert SimmonsRSU5,599—562,196
Greg WooleyRSU1,613—161,961
Robert SimmonsPSU4,355—437,286
Robert SimmonsPSU4,236—425,337
Wade SteelPSU4,236—425,337
Wade SteelRSU3,897—391,298
Greg WooleyRSU3,388—340,189
Robert SimmonsRSU2,723—273,416
Wade SteelRSU2,723—273,416
Greg WooleyPSU2,636—264,681
Greg WooleyPSU2,509—251,929
05

Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis

The Company's executive compensation program aims to create long-term value for shareholders by attracting and retaining talented executives, with a significant portion of total compensation being incentive-based to correlate rewards with financial performance and operational objectives. The program is designed to be competitive with peer airlines and logistics businesses while discouraging undue risk-taking.

CEO STI target (% of salary)—
CEO LTI target (% of salary)—
Independent consultantFrederic W. Cook & Co., Inc.
Clawback policytrue
Anti-hedgingtrue
Anti-pledgingtrue
06

Say-on-pay — recent advisory votes

Meeting yearMeeting dateForAgainstAbstainSupportOutcome
20262026-05-0534,740,787622,05822,63798.24%Passed
20252025-05-0633,416,415856,03539,44197.5%Passed
20242024-05-0732,838,259636,98525,97998.1%Passed
20232023-05-0238,195,660629,37753,50998.38%Passed
20222022-05-0339,540,8671,030,156105,38297.46%Passed
20202020-05-0542,102,488971,41236,64897.74%Passed

Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year's compensation.

Say-on-pay — history, company's computation

Meeting yearMeeting dateApproval — company's computation
20262026-05-0598.24%a
20252025-05-0697.5%b
20242024-05-0798.1%c

a. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “4 abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted as votes cast and will have no effect on the result of the votes on such proposals.”.

b. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “4 abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted as votes cast and will have no effect on the result of the votes on such proposals.”.

c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “5 abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted as votes cast and will have no effect on the result of the votes on such proposals.”.

Approval percentages are the company's own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.

07

CEO pay ratio

Ratio (CEO : median employee)115 : 1
CEO total compensation$6,715,152
Median employee compensation$58,400
08

Director compensation — fiscal year 2025

DirectorCash feesStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveAll otherTotal
James L. WelchIndependent · Board Chair · Nominating and Corporate Governance$205,000$121,760$0—$0$326,760
Keith E. SmithIndependent · Audit (Chair) · Nominating and Corporate Governance (Chair) · Compensation152,500121,7600—0274,260
Ronald J. MittelstaedtIndependent · Compensation (Chair) · Audit · Nominating and Corporate Governance · Safety and Compliance142,500121,7600—0264,260
Meredith S. MaddenIndependent · Safety and Compliance (Chair) · Compensation · Nominating and Corporate Governance127,500121,7600—0249,260
Smita ConjeevaramIndependent · Audit · Compensation · Safety and Compliance122,500121,7600—0244,260
Derek J. LeathersIndependent · Audit · Nominating and Corporate Governance · Safety and Compliance120,000121,7600—0241,760
Russell A. ChildsEmployee director—————0
09

Board fee structure and ownership guideline

Annual cash retainer$100,000
Annual equity retainer$121,760
Per board meeting fee—
Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov)20,000 / 15,000 / 10,000
Stock ownership guideline$5
09b

Total cost of the board

ComponentFY2025
Cash retainers and fees$870,000
Equity awards (grant-date value)$730,560
All other compensation$0
Total cost of the board$1,600,560

Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.

10

Disclosed peer group — fiscal year 2025

The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.

10a

Peer reciprocity

Of the companies Skywest names as compensation peers, which name it back in their own disclosed peer groups. A peer set the market reciprocates reads differently from one selected in a single direction.

Reciprocity shown where the peer's own current proxy has been read — each mark is cited in the register to that peer's filing. A dash means the peer's current proxy was read and names no reciprocal group including Skywest.

10b

Chief executive pay against the peer group

Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company's own proxy statement.

RankCompanyFYChief executiveSalaryStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveTotal
1Alaska Air Group, Inc.2025Ben Minicucci$847,692$6,769,222$0$1,632,721$9,904,339
2Schneider National, Inc.2025Mark Rourke1,000,0005,704,1740569,1207,380,101
3Kirby Corporation2025David Grzebinski1,091,7542,250,12703,349,2556,735,134
4Skywest2025Russell Childs595,0003,055,00002,718,9066,715,152
5Spirit Airlines, Inc.2023Edward M. Christie III745,8332,912,479—1,134,5736,601,404
6Matson, Inc.2025Matthew Cox963,6964,016,50701,231,3446,490,287
7Saia, Inc.2025Frederick Holzgrefe980,0005,176,716006,312,241
8Hawaiian Holdings, Inc.2025Robert Harrison1,072,5932,590,79501,586,8846,285,693
9Werner Enterprises, Inc.2025Derek Leathers974,0774,200,0000745,1066,048,549
10Forward Air Corporation2025Shawn Stewart900,0004,037,9900617,4005,561,309
11JetBlue Airways Corporation2025Joanna Geraghty700,0003,249,99601,102,5005,191,318
12Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, Inc.2025Adam Miller950,0003,242,667—803,1305,011,329
13Landstar System, Inc.2025Frank Lonegro800,0003,473,0490210,0004,574,887
14Frontier Group Holdings, Inc.2025James Dempsey655,0742,699,9870872,8864,237,766
15Hub Group, Inc.2024Phillip Yeager850,0002,400,342—552,5003,964,450
16Allegiant Travel Company2025Gregory Anderson600,000223,496002,191,511
17ArcBest Corporation2025Seth Runser575,000390,254—201,9881,234,403
—Air Transport Services Group, Inc.——————not in coverage universe

Each peer's compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer's figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.

10c

Incentive design against the same peers

CompanyAnnual incentive payoutLong-term vehicle mixPSU measures include TSRCompensation consultant
Skywestnot disclosedPSU 70 · RSU 30not disclosedFrederic W. Cook & Co., Inc.
Air Transport Services Group, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed
Alaska Air Group, Inc.110.0%PSU 50 · RSU 50NoMeridian
Allegiant Travel Companynot disclosedPSU 50 · RSU 50not disclosednot disclosed
ArcBest Corporationnot disclosedC-LTIP 60 · RSU 40not disclosedMeridian Compensation Partners, LLC
Forward Air Corporation68%PSU 60 · RSU 40Yes — Total Stockholder Return (TSR)Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedWillis Towers Watson
Hawaiian Holdings, Inc.147%PSU 60 · RSU 40Yes — Total Shareholder Return (TSR) vs. KBW Regional Bank IndexPearl Meyer
Hub Group, Inc.not disclosedRSU 50 · PRSU 50not disclosedAon
JetBlue Airways Corporationnot disclosednot disclosednot disclosedPay Governance LLC
Kirby Corporationnot disclosedRSU 100not disclosedMeridian Compensation Partners
Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, Inc.not disclosedPRSU 60 · RSU 40not disclosedPearl Meyer
Landstar System, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedFW Cook; Compensation Strategies, Inc.
Matson, Inc.not disclosedRSU 50 · PSU 50not disclosedPay Governance LLC
Saia, Inc.not disclosedPSU 50 · Restricted Stock 50not disclosedMercer
Schneider National, Inc.not disclosedPSU 60 · RSU 40not disclosedFrederic W. Cook & Co, Inc.
Spirit Airlines, Inc.not disclosedRSU 50 · PSU 50not disclosedKorn Ferry
Werner Enterprises, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedFrederic W. Cook & Co.

Read from each company's Compensation Discussion and Analysis: annual incentive payout as a percentage of target, the disclosed long-term vehicle mix, whether performance-share measures include a total shareholder return component, and the retained compensation consultant. “Not disclosed” appears only where the company's filing does not state the item.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Who was the highest-paid executive at Skywest in fiscal 2025?
As disclosed, Russell Childs, President & CEO, was the highest-paid executive at Skywest in fiscal 2025 with total compensation of $6,715,152.
How does Skywest's chief executive pay compare to its disclosed peer group?
The filing shows that the chief executive's pay ranked at the 81st percentile of the disclosed peer group.
What is Skywest's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio?
As disclosed, Skywest's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 115:1.
How did shareholders vote on Skywest's executive compensation?
The company reported that 98.24% of shareholders supported the executive compensation vote.
How much does Skywest spend in total on board compensation for fiscal 2025?
As disclosed, total board compensation for fiscal 2025 was $1,600,560.

Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.

11

Source register

Each figure's location is given both for the eye (section · page · table · row · column) and for a script (table/row/column index and exact character span in the filed document). Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.

#SupportsDocumentFiledAccessionLocation in document
1Section 01, Russell ChildsDEF 14A2026-03-250001104659-26-034497Section “Director Summary Compensation Table” · page 59. As printed: 6,715,152. Filing ↗
2Section 01, Wade SteelDEF 14A2026-03-250001104659-26-034497Section “Director Summary Compensation Table” · page 59. As printed: 2,982,735. Filing ↗
3Section 01, Robert SimmonsDEF 14A2026-03-250001104659-26-034497Section “Director Summary Compensation Table” · page 59. As printed: 2,965,479. Filing ↗
4Section 01, Greg WooleyDEF 14A2026-03-250001104659-26-034497Section “Director Summary Compensation Table” · page 59. As printed: 1,661,746. Filing ↗
5Section 01, Dale HansenDEF 14A2026-03-250001104659-26-034497Section “Director Summary Compensation Table” · page 59. As printed: 1,489,354. Filing ↗
6Section 07, pay ratioDEF 14A2026-03-250001104659-26-034497Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 115 : 1. Filing ↗
7Section 08, James L. WelchDEF 14A2026-03-250001104659-26-034497Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 326,760. Filing ↗machine: span 1215110–1215250
8Section 08, Keith E. SmithDEF 14A2026-03-250001104659-26-034497Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 274,260. Filing ↗machine: span 1210863–1211003
9Section 08, Ronald J. MittelstaedtDEF 14A2026-03-250001104659-26-034497Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 264,260. Filing ↗machine: span 1206293–1206433
10Section 08, Meredith S. MaddenDEF 14A2026-03-250001104659-26-034497Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 249,260. Filing ↗machine: span 1202037–1202177
11Section 08, Smita ConjeevaramDEF 14A2026-03-250001104659-26-034497Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 244,260. Filing ↗machine: span 1193213–1193353
12Section 08, Derek J. LeathersDEF 14A2026-03-250001104659-26-034497Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 241,760. Filing ↗machine: span 1197463–1197603
13Section 08, Russell A. ChildsDEF 14A2026-03-250001104659-26-034497Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗
14Section 06, 2026 voteForm 8-K2026-05-070001104659-26-057092Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 98.24% (votes for as printed: 34,740,787). Filing ↗
15Section 06, 2025 voteForm 8-K2025-05-080001558370-25-006958Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 97.5% (votes for as printed: 33,416,415). Filing ↗
16Section 06, 2024 voteForm 8-K2024-05-090001558370-24-007594Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 98.1% (votes for as printed: 32,838,259). Filing ↗
17Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed)Computed——Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.machine: formula: Δ = FY(n) − FY(n−1)
18Section 09b board cost (computed)Computed——Cash 870,000 + equity 730,560 + all other 0 = 1,600,560, summed across the director compensation table rows.machine: formula: Σ = 1,600,560
19Alaska Air Group, Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-03-300001193125-26-132048CEO total compensation as printed in Alaska Air Group, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 9,904,339. Filing ↗machine: t40 · r2 · c17 · span 1199860–1199869
20Schneider National, Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-03-170001104659-26-029426CEO total compensation as printed in Schneider National, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 7,380,101. Filing ↗machine: r1 · c42 · span 1012102–1012111
21Kirby Corporation, Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-03-060001193125-26-096979CEO total compensation as printed in Kirby Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 6,735,134. Filing ↗machine: span 1663227–1663236
22Skywest (subject), Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-03-250001104659-26-034497CEO total compensation as printed in Skywest's own proxy. As printed: 6,715,152. Filing ↗
23Spirit Airlines, Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2024-04-250001193125-24-114028CEO total compensation as printed in Spirit Airlines, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 6,601,404. Filing ↗
24Matson, Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-03-090001104659-26-025266CEO total compensation as printed in Matson, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 6,490,287. Filing ↗machine: span 960369–960378
25Saia, Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-03-160001193125-26-107135CEO total compensation as printed in Saia, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 6,312,241. Filing ↗machine: r2 · c19 · span 1046323–1046332
26Hawaiian Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-03-120001104659-26-026700CEO total compensation as printed in Hawaiian Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 6,285,693. Filing ↗machine: t137 · r1 · c48 · span 1533144–1533153
27Werner Enterprises, Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-03-310000793074-26-000083CEO total compensation as printed in Werner Enterprises, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 6,048,549. Filing ↗machine: r3 · c24 · span 647131–647140
28Forward Air Corporation, Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-04-290001104659-26-051569CEO total compensation as printed in Forward Air Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 5,561,309. Filing ↗machine: t28 · r1 · c47 · span 679731–679740
29JetBlue Airways Corporation, Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-04-020001158463-26-000041CEO total compensation as printed in JetBlue Airways Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 5,191,318. Filing ↗machine: r5 · c7 · span 2148744–2148753
30Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-04-020001492691-26-000025CEO total compensation as printed in Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 5,011,329. Filing ↗
31Landstar System, Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-03-230001193125-26-118697CEO total compensation as printed in Landstar System, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 4,574,887. Filing ↗machine: r3 · c39 · span 755488–755497
32Frontier Group Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-04-020001670076-26-000039CEO total compensation as printed in Frontier Group Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 4,237,766. Filing ↗machine: r7 · c24 · span 597589–597598
33Hub Group, Inc., Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2025-04-030001140361-25-012045CEO total compensation as printed in Hub Group, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 3,964,450. Filing ↗
34Allegiant Travel Company, Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-05-150001362468-26-000034CEO total compensation as printed in Allegiant Travel Company's own proxy. As printed: 2,191,511. Filing ↗machine: span 396181–396190
35ArcBest Corporation, Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-03-130001104659-26-027357CEO total compensation as printed in ArcBest Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 1,234,403. Filing ↗
36Section 10a, JetBlue Airways Corporation reciprocityDEF 14A—0001158463-26-000041JetBlue Airways Corporation's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Skywest. Filing ↗
37Section 10a, Matson, Inc. reciprocityDEF 14A—0001104659-26-025266Matson, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Skywest. Filing ↗
38Section 10a, Kirby Corporation reciprocityDEF 14A—0001193125-26-096979Kirby Corporation's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Skywest. Filing ↗
39Section 10a, Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. reciprocityDEF 14A—0001104659-26-026700Hawaiian Holdings, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Skywest. Filing ↗
40Section 10a, Schneider National, Inc. reciprocityDEF 14A—0001104659-25-024115Schneider National, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Skywest. Filing ↗
41Section 10a, Saia, Inc. reciprocityDEF 14A—0001193125-26-107135Saia, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Skywest. Filing ↗
42Section 10a, Hub Group, Inc. reciprocityDEF 14A—0001140361-25-012045Hub Group, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Skywest. Filing ↗
43Section 10a, Landstar System, Inc. reciprocityDEF 14A—0001193125-26-118697Landstar System, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Skywest. Filing ↗
44Section 10a, Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. reciprocityDEF 14A—0001670076-26-000039Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. names Skywest in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). Filing ↗
45Section 10a, Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, Inc. reciprocityDEF 14A—0001492691-26-000025Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Skywest. Filing ↗
46Section 10a, Alaska Air Group, Inc. reciprocityDEF 14A—0001193125-26-132048Alaska Air Group, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Skywest. Filing ↗
47Section 10a, ArcBest Corporation reciprocityDEF 14A—0001104659-26-027357ArcBest Corporation's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Skywest. Filing ↗
48Section 10a, Werner Enterprises, Inc. reciprocityDEF 14A—0000793074-26-000083Werner Enterprises, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Skywest. Filing ↗
49Section 10a, Forward Air Corporation reciprocityDEF 14A—0001104659-26-051569Forward Air Corporation's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Skywest. Filing ↗

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