US Airways embraces Embraer
Like other carriers looking to cut costs, the airline wants smaller planes. The imports fly daily from Philadelphia.
By Tom Belden
Inquirer Staff Writer
Regional jets made by Embraer, of Brazil, and its chief competitor, Bombardier Aerospace, of Canada, increasingly can be seen at Philadelphia International Airport, operated by US Airways Group Inc. and its US Airways Express commuter partners, and other airlines.
This summer, US Airways Express carriers were using regional jets on 27 routes out of its Philadelphia connecting-flight hub. Out of the 133 daily departures on the 27 routes, 70 of the flights were on the aircraft, spokesman David Castelveter said.
Airlines consider the jets good for routes such as Philadelphia to Boston, where Delta Express and American Eagle use them for the 70-minute flight. Continental uses them to ferry passengers to its international hub at Newark, and Delta flies one each day between Philadelphia and its New York JFK hub.
Between Philadelphia and Cleveland, all of the flights are on either US Airways Express or Continental regional jets. But US Airways Express also has them flying routes that take two hours and more, including Philadelphia to Birmingham, Ala., Milwaukee and St. Louis.
The 10 commuter airlines that operate as US Airways Express carriers now have 73 of the Embraer 145 jets and 23 Canadair jets, both of which have 50 seats.
US Airways, Philadelphia's dominant carrier, has plans to use regional jets far more widely. On some routes, the regional jets will replace slower turboprop planes that carry from 30 to 50 passengers. On other routes, they will replace larger Boeing 737 and Airbus 319 jets, which hold 120 to 126 people, he said.
While use of the regional jet planes will increase in Philadelphia, they will make up the whole fleet at MidAtlantic Airways, a new US Airways subsidiary based in Pittsburgh.
"One of the key components of our [post-bankruptcy] restructuring plan was significant [regional jet] growth," Castelveter said.
Airlines like the regional jets because they are cheaper to operate than full-size jetliners and can be used on routes that do not generate enough passengers to justify using the larger aircraft.
US Airways' contracts with the Air Line Pilots Association in the past limited the number of regional jets it could have in its fleet.
While it was operating under Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Court protection, from August 2002 until March 31, the airline signed a new agreement with the pilots that allowed it to set up the MidAtlantic Airways unit. In exchange, US Airways management agreed that all of the pilots for MidAtlantic and for two Express carriers that are wholly owned by US Airways come from the ranks of pilots laid off from the parent company.
Like other carriers looking to cut costs, the airline wants smaller planes. The imports fly daily from Philadelphia.
By Tom Belden
Inquirer Staff Writer
Regional jets made by Embraer, of Brazil, and its chief competitor, Bombardier Aerospace, of Canada, increasingly can be seen at Philadelphia International Airport, operated by US Airways Group Inc. and its US Airways Express commuter partners, and other airlines.
This summer, US Airways Express carriers were using regional jets on 27 routes out of its Philadelphia connecting-flight hub. Out of the 133 daily departures on the 27 routes, 70 of the flights were on the aircraft, spokesman David Castelveter said.
Airlines consider the jets good for routes such as Philadelphia to Boston, where Delta Express and American Eagle use them for the 70-minute flight. Continental uses them to ferry passengers to its international hub at Newark, and Delta flies one each day between Philadelphia and its New York JFK hub.
Between Philadelphia and Cleveland, all of the flights are on either US Airways Express or Continental regional jets. But US Airways Express also has them flying routes that take two hours and more, including Philadelphia to Birmingham, Ala., Milwaukee and St. Louis.
The 10 commuter airlines that operate as US Airways Express carriers now have 73 of the Embraer 145 jets and 23 Canadair jets, both of which have 50 seats.
US Airways, Philadelphia's dominant carrier, has plans to use regional jets far more widely. On some routes, the regional jets will replace slower turboprop planes that carry from 30 to 50 passengers. On other routes, they will replace larger Boeing 737 and Airbus 319 jets, which hold 120 to 126 people, he said.
While use of the regional jet planes will increase in Philadelphia, they will make up the whole fleet at MidAtlantic Airways, a new US Airways subsidiary based in Pittsburgh.
"One of the key components of our [post-bankruptcy] restructuring plan was significant [regional jet] growth," Castelveter said.
Airlines like the regional jets because they are cheaper to operate than full-size jetliners and can be used on routes that do not generate enough passengers to justify using the larger aircraft.
US Airways' contracts with the Air Line Pilots Association in the past limited the number of regional jets it could have in its fleet.
While it was operating under Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Court protection, from August 2002 until March 31, the airline signed a new agreement with the pilots that allowed it to set up the MidAtlantic Airways unit. In exchange, US Airways management agreed that all of the pilots for MidAtlantic and for two Express carriers that are wholly owned by US Airways come from the ranks of pilots laid off from the parent company.