Tag Archives: ERJ 145LR

Freedom Airlines (Mesa Air Group) loses its court fight with Delta Air Lines

Delta Connection-Freedom Airlines (2nd) Embraer ERJ 145LR (EMB-145LR) N857MJ (msn 145765) MIA (Bruce Drum) (loses fight with Delta), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Mesa Air Group (Phoenix) announced on May 17 that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia had ruled against its subsidiary Freedom Airlines in its lawsuit against partner Delta Air Lines. The ruling now clears the way for DL to end the contract.

Freedom began operating as an Delta Connection carrier with Embraer ERJ 145s from Orlando in October 2005. On April 7, 2008, Mesa Air Group, the parent of Freedom Airlines, sued Delta concerning its contractual obligations. Delta attempted to terminate the ERJ 145 contract due to alleged failures to meet its completion goals in three of the last six months of operations. On May 29, 2008, a federal judge blocked Delta from terminating Freedom’s contract which, according to parent company, would have forced it to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection by July 20, 2008 and cut 700 jobs or 14 percent of its work force. Since then, the ERJ 145 fleet has been reduced to 22 operating aircraft along with five spares.

ExpressJet Holdings loses $16.1 million in the first quarter

United Express-ExpressJet Airlines Embraer ERJ 145LR (EMB-145LR) N11544 (msn 145557) IAH (Jeffrey S. DeVore), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

ExpressJet Holdings, Inc. (Houston-Bush Intercontinental), parent company of regional and charter airline operator, ExpressJet Airlines, Inc., today reported a first quarter loss of $16.1 million or $0.93 per share. Excluding special items, ExpressJet’s loss totaled $12.7 million or $0.73 per share.

Under its capacity purchase agreement with Continental Airlines, ExpressJet flew 162,823 block hours using an average of 208 aircraft. The year-over-year improvement in block hours led to ExpressJet utilizing each aircraft an average of 8 hours and 41 minutes per day-a 6.2% year-over-year improvement. In first quarter 2010, ExpressJet generated 1.9 million revenue passenger miles on 2.5 million available seat miles, producing a load factor of 76% within its Continental Express operation.

ExpressJet continued the expansion phase of its United Express operation, where it flew an average of 16 aircraft during the first quarter. The United Express operation produced 14,432 block hours or average daily utilization of 9 hours and 54 minutes per day. Within the United Express operation, ExpressJet flew 197,244 available seat miles, generating 138,832 revenue passenger miles and a load factor of 70.4%. Currently, ExpressJet operates 22 aircraft in its United Express operation and expects to add 10 additional aircraft on May 1, 2010.

ExpressJet flew 3,027 block hours during the first quarter with an average of 20 aircraft, 6.3% less than first quarter 2009 when 30 aircraft were allocated to ExpressJet’s Corporate Aviation (charter) fleet. With the addition of United Express flying, ExpressJet expects to operate only six 50-seat aircraft within the Corporate Aviation (charter) division for the remainder of 2010. ExpressJet expects the resizing of the Corporate Aviation (charter) fleet will enhance the revenue production per charter aircraft on a go-forward basis.

ExpressJet operated a total of 244 aircraft during first quarter and expects its 2010 fleet plan from May to December 2010 to consist of 244 fifty-seat aircraft allocated as follows:

206 aircraft flying as Continental Express;
32 aircraft flying as United Express; and
6 aircraft flying within Corporate Aviation (charter).

Copyright Photo: Jeffrey S. DeVore. Embraer ERJ 145LR (EMB-145LR) N11544 (msn 145557) has now been painted in full United Express colors.

PB Air suspends all operations

Copyright Photo: Roy Lock. Embraer ERJ 145LR HS-PBE (msn 145597) was delivered to the company on December 19, 2002. It is pictured at BKK prior to being returned to GECAS. It is now with Passaredo as PR-PSH.

PB Air (Bangkok) was forced to suspend all operations this month after Bangkok Air declined to extend the lease of two ATR 72-500s it was wet leasing the company through the end of October. The ATRs were leased in April 2009 to replace the two Embraer ERJ 145 regional jets that had been returned to GECAS earlier this year. The airline was planning to take delivery of two SAAB 340s starting in September but reportedly declined the delivery of the aircraft and was therefore forced to suspend all operations. The airline was formed in 1990 for executive transport of the Singha Brewery executives. Scheduled public passenger flights commenced in March 1998.

News link:

www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourism/27764/new-aircraft-delivery-delay-downs-pb-air

American Eagle to add two Chicago O’Hare routes

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough. Please click on photo for full view, information and other photos.

American Eagle (Dallas/Fort Worth) continues to build up its hubs by adding spoke routes. On April 6, 2010 it will add routes from Chicago O’Hare to both Charleston, WV and Harrisburg, PA. Both routes will be assigned to Embraer ERJ 145s.

Charleston press release:

finance.yahoo.com/news/American-Eagle-Airlines-prnews-4214366398.html?x=0&.v=1

Harrisburg press release:

finance.yahoo.com/news/American-Eagle-Airlines-prnews-1339370591.html?x=0&.v=1

American Eagle adds O’Hare and Miami routes

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman. Please click on photo for full view, information and other photos.

American Eagle Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) will continue to build up its hubs that feed American Airlines. The airline will add both the Fargo-Chicago O’Hare and Birmingham, AL-Miami spoke routes on April 6, 2010 with Embraer ERJ 145s.

Press releases:

finance.yahoo.com/news/American-Eagle-Airlines-prnews-2644641659.html?x=0&.v=1

finance.yahoo.com/news/American-Eagle-Airlines-prnews-211904227.html?x=0&.v=1

Trans States signs LOI for 50 Mitsubishi MRJs

Trans States Holdings (Trans States Airlines and GoJet Airlines) (St. Louis) signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation for an order for 50 Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ-90) aircraft along with 50 options. Trans States Airlines operates as an United Express and US Airways Express carrier. GoJet operates as an United Express carrier.

Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum. Please click on photo for full view, information and other photos.

Information about the new MRJ:

www.mrj-japan.com/

AeroMexico Connect to fly MEX-New Orleans

Please click on photo for full view and caption.

AeroMexico Connect (Monterrey) will start service between the Mexico City hub and New Orleans on July 6 with 50-seat Embraer ERJ 145s. The new route will be operated six times a week.

American Eagle to add new routes from DFW

Please click on photo for full view and caption.

American Eagle Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) will add additional routes from the DFW hub besides the previously announced service to Santa Fe, NM. In addition, the company will add spoke routes to Brownsville, Lake Charles and Montgomery on June 11. Manhattan, KS will come on line on August 25.