United Airlines (Chicago) will introduce the first Embraer 175 (ERJ 175) on two routes from its Chicago O’Hare hub in May.
United Express ERJ 175 inaugural flight will be launched on May 17 between Chicago (O’Hare) and Washington (Reagan National). Two days later, the new type will be introduced between Chicago (O’Hare) and Boston according to USA Today.
SkyWest, Inc. announced in May 2013 it had entered into a Capacity Purchase Agreement (CPA) with United Airlines, Inc. to operate 40 new Embraer 175 (ERJ 175) dual-class regional jet aircraft. The CPA with United has a term of 12 years and SkyWest will operate under terms and conditions similar to its existing agreements with United.
SkyWest has determined that these 40 regional jet aircraft will be operated by SkyWest Airlines, Inc. (St. George), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SkyWest. Under the agreement, it is anticipated that the 40 aircraft will be introduced into service in the second quarter of 2014, with deliveries continuing to mid-2015. The aircraft will be configured with 76-seats in dual-class.
SkyWest, Inc. also announced it has entered into an agreement with Embraer for the purchase of 100 new Embraer 175 dual-class regional jet aircraft. Of the 100 aircraft, 40 are considered firm deliveries and the remaining 60 aircraft are considered conditional until SkyWest enters into capacity purchase agreements with other major airlines to operate the aircraft. Deliveries for the 40 firm aircraft are anticipated to begin in the second quarter of 2014 and continue through mid 2015. The aircraft will be configured in 76 seats in dual-class. The agreement also includes options for an additional 100 ERJ 175 aircraft and would be valued at $8.3 billion if all 200 aircraft are ordered. The initial 40 firm aircraft outlined above will be operated by SkyWest Airlines, Inc.
Previously in April 2013 United Airlines announced an agreement to add 30 Embraer ERJ 175 regional jets to the United Express fleet. Under an agreement with Embraer, United will purchase the aircraft with deliveries in 2014 and 2015.
United also secured options for 40 additional aircraft.
The Embraer ERJ 175 is the first 76-seat regional jet aircraft in the United Express fleet. The aircraft will be configured with 12 United First, 16 Economy Plus and 48 United Economy seats. The design of the aircraft will result in more personal space for customers with wider seats and aisles than those on the 50-seat aircraft. The aircraft can accommodate standard carry-on bags, resulting in more convenience for customers.
As United inducts the new aircraft into the United Express fleet, the company will remove some of the older 50-seat regional jets in the fleet. The E175s will consume 10 percent less fuel per seat and will have less CO2 emissions per seat than the 50-seat aircraft they replace.
Image: United Airlines.
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