Chautauqua Selected as a Continental Express Carrier

[Zarah]

Chautauqua Selected as a Continental Express Carrier

HOUSTON, April 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced it has selected Chautauqua Airlines to operate up to 69 regional jets that will be withdrawn from its capacity purchase agreement with ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. and its parent, ExpressJet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: XJT), should ExpressJet choose to return those aircraft to Continental.

ExpressJet is required to notify Continental by Sept. 28, 2006 whether it will return any or all of the aircraft to Continental, or continue to sublease the aircraft at increased lease rates from Continental and fly them outside of Continental's hubs under a brand other than Continental Express, as permitted by the capacity purchase agreement.

Chautauqua, a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: RJET), will operate any aircraft returned by ExpressJet as a second Continental Express carrier at each of Continental's domestic hubs -- Newark Liberty, Houston and Cleveland. Continental Airlines will continue to schedule and market all its regional jet service as it does today.

"We are proud to announce our selection of Chautauqua Airlines," said Mark Erwin, Continental's senior vice president-corporate development. "Chautauqua is a very high quality operator, and we look forward to working with them."

"We are very pleased to be joining the Continental team," said Bryan Bedford, chairman, president and CEO of Republic Airways Holdings, parent company of Chautauqua Airlines. "Chautauqua Airlines has a long tradition of quality service and we look forward to delivering our award winning service to Continental customers."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/conws/3802073.html

 

[coolflyingfool]

Where are they going to get the rjets from? Are they counting on expressjet returning all the planes? just wondering..........

 

[700UW]

CO owns all the RJS COEX flies.

 

[johnnyfleet]

CO owns all the RJS COEX flies.

Actually the bank owns the planes CO leases them and XJT subleases them from CO. XJT has the right to keep the planes or terminate the leases.

 

[chico28]

all three company are a big joke
CHAUTAUQUA, SHUTTLE AMERICA AND REPUBLIC especially Republic

 

[LGA777]

Chautauqua has started acquiring it's first CRJ-200's for the new CO Connection service slated to begin in January serving CO's IAH Hub. While not yet in full colors here is what these aircraft should look like !

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5884678


and interior, pretty nice for a CRJ !


http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5885678.


One of the problems some and including me forsee as CO's choice of routes chosen including TUS-PHX and COS-PHX both will probably result in HUGE weight restrictions for the CRJ. Another planned route SDF-IAH should work.

Regards

LGA777

 

[IMisstheAladdinTrays]

I didn't know that Chautauqua even had CRJ's...I thought on ERJ's. Are the CRJ's just for COEXP?

 

[mga707]

One of the problems some and including me forsee as CO's choice of routes chosen including TUS-PHX and COS-PHX both will probably result in HUGE weight restrictions for the CRJ.

COEx runs IAH-TUS now with ERJs with no weight restriction that I'm aware of, even in the summer ( TUS' 11,500-ft runway helps). Are the CRJs that much worse than the ERJs in terms of range?