Most small planes are "commuter" aircraft intended for short hops. A short hop means about the time one reaches the altitude at which a jet starts becoming efficient it's almost time for the descent. Props and turbos IIRC are more efficient at lower altitudes.

Plus compared to the waiting time for commuter flights, the length of the slight increase in flight time due to the slower props and turboprops doesn't add much to the gate/gate equation.

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