ST. GEORGE, Utah, June 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- SkyWest
Airlines announced today that they will purchase eight new,
dual-class Embraer E175 jets to fly for Alaska Airlines. The new
planes, to be delivered in 2016, will replace eight older regional
jets SkyWest currently flies for the Seattle-based carrier.
The announcement comes the same month SkyWest takes ownership of
the first of seven E175s purchased last fall to be flown for
Alaska under a capacity purchase
agreement (CPA). The regional carrier will begin flying the planes
for Alaska on July 1 with the start of new service from
Seattle to both Milwaukee and Oklahoma City, and between Portland, Oregon and St. Louis.
"We're pleased to enhance our Alaska Airlines partnership with
these new aircraft," said SkyWest, Inc. President Chip Childs. "Our first E175 flights for
Alaska will launch next month, and
we look forward to continually improving the product we provide to
our partner and their customers with eight additional E175 aircraft
next year."
The 76-seat E175 jet will feature 12 seats in first class and 64
in coach. Onboard amenities include Alaska Beyond Entertainment
featuring free short subject videos and movies and TV shows for
purchase direct to customer devices. Inflight Internet access is
also available, as well as Alaska Beyond Delicious which offers
Pacific Northwest-inspired food and beverages. Additionally,
customers seated in first class will enjoy 110 volt power in every
seat.
"The E175 is an excellent regional aircraft that offers
customers comforts similar to our mainline jets," said Andrew Harrison, executive vice president and
chief revenue officer for Alaska Airlines. "The spacious E175 is
particularly well-suited for long, thin routes that are too far for
our existing regional aircraft."
SkyWest expects to retire its current regional jet fleet flying
for Alaska by fall of 2016.
Editor's note: A high-resolution photo of the Embraer
E175 is available for download from Alaska Airlines' online image
gallery at http://bit.ly/1B8G4AW.
About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of
Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional
airlines, serves more than 100 cities through an expansive network
in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in
Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North
American Airline Satisfaction Study for eight consecutive years
from 2008 to 2015. Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan also ranked
"Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Airline Loyalty Rewards
Programs" in the J.D. Power 2014 and 2015 Airline Loyalty/Rewards
Program Satisfaction Report. For reservations, visit
www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit Alaska
Airlines' newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.
About SkyWest Airlines
SkyWest Airlines, a subsidiary
of SkyWest, Inc. (NASDAQ: SKYW), was named on Forbes 'America's
Best Employers 2015' list. As a leading air service provider
offering global access to millions of people each month, SkyWest
partners with the world's largest network carriers including United
Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, US Airways and Alaska
Airlines. With a fleet of 336 aircraft, SkyWest's more than 10,400
aviation professionals operate nearly 1,800 flights each day to 195
destinations throughout North
America. SkyWest is known for its industry-leading
workforce, exceptional leadership team, and continued solid
operational and economic performance. The airline is headquartered
in St. George, Utah. Visit
www.skywest.com for more information and follow @SkyWestAirlines on
Twitter.
Photo
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines