SkyWest to Operate Three New Routes for Alaska Air with Newly Ordered Embraer 175s

SkyWest Airlines is expanding its flying for Alaska Airlines by adding three new destinations from the major carrier’s two hubs in the Northwestern U.S. from July 1.

Using the first three of seven Embraer 175 jets ordered on November 25, SkyWest Airlines will begin offering daily non-stop service for the Alaska Airlines network on July 1 between Seattle and Milwaukee; Seattle and Oklahoma City; and Portland in Oregon and St. Louis.

The Embraer 175 has become a very familiar sight at most U.S. commercial airports, operating thinner hub-and-spoke routes from major airlines’ hubs. In the U.S., almost all Embraer 175s are operated by regional airlines for the major carriers, under capacity purchase agreements

SkyWest Airlines’ parent company, SkyWest, Inc., has firmed an order for seven Embraer 175 regional jets so that subsidiary can operate the new serv ices for Alaska Airlines under a new capacity purchase agreement (CPA).

The seven aircraft are from a conditional order for 60 Embraer 175s that SkyWest, Inc. added to a firm order for 40 of the type and thus increase the regional-airline holding company’s current firm order for the type to 47 aircraft.

In Alaska Airlines service, each of SkyWest Airlines’ 76-seat Embraer 175s will feature 12 seats in first class and 64 in coach.

Onboard amenities will include Wi-Fi Internet access, streaming inflight entertainment and 110-volt power in every first class seat. Food and beverage will include hot meals and picnic packs for purchase, in addition to Northwest microbrews and wine.

One-way introductory fares on the new routes are available for $119. Tickets must be purchased by December 1 and travel completed between July 8 and September 30, 2015.

By late 2014 many hundreds of Embraer 175s had been ordered and optioned by regional-airline companies. Together, these companies operate aircraft on behalf of nearly every major U.S. airline

To book, and for complete fare rules, visit www.alaskaair.com or call 1-800-ALASKAAIR (800-252-7522 or Hearing & Speech Impaired (TTY): Dial 711 for Relay Services).

Members of Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan loyalty program flying on SkyWest-operated flights will continue to earn Mileage Plan credit.

For SkyWest’s new CPA with Alaska Airlines, its first three new Embraer 175s will be delivered in the summer of 2015, with the remaining four due for delivery in the first quarter of 2016.

It appears likely that in mid-2015 Alaska Airlines either will announce additional new routes to be operated by these aircraft upon their delivery in early 2016, or that some of the routes SkyWest Airlines now operates for Alaska Airlines with 66-seat Bombardier CRJ700 regional jets will switch to the larger, 76-seat Embraer 175 instead.

“The E175 is new for the Alaska brand and fills a specific need to serve ‘long, thin routes’ – destinations that are too distant for our regional aircraft, but currently don’t have enough customer demand to fill a mainline jet,” says Andrew Harrison, senior vice president of planning and revenue management for Alaska Airlines.

The Embraer 175 has become the highest-selling version of the first-generation Embraer E-Jets family, mainly because its seat capacity in typical two-class configuration is 76 seats. This, together with the Embraer 175’s excellent runway performance and range characteristics, makes it ideal as an aircraft which the scope clauses in the pilot labor agreements of major U.S. carriers allow lower-cost regional airlines to operate on behalf of the majors

Adds Harrison: “The smaller, but spacious, E175 jet will not only open up new cities, but provide feed traffic to our Northwest hubs, while giving customers a comfortable experience on these longer flights.”

Alaska Airlines’ new SkyWest Airlines-operated Seattle-Milwaukee route will see its flight depart Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (IATA code SEA) at 9:35 a.m. daily from July 1 and land at Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) at 3:10 p.m. local time.

In the other direction, the return flight will leave MKE at 3:50 p.m. daily from July 1 and touch down at SEA at 5:55 p.m. local time.

On the Seattle-Oklahoma City route, the SkyWest-operated Alaska Airlines flight will push back from the gate at SEA at 10:30 a.m. daily from July 1 and reach Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) at 4:00 p.m. local time.

In the other direction, the return flight will vacate the gate at OKC at 4:40 p.m. daily from July 1 and land at SEA at 6:30 p.m. local time.

On June 17, 2013, at the Paris Air Show, U.S. regional-airline group SkyWest became the first company to place a firm order for the Embraer E-Jets E2 family, ordering 100 Embraer 175-E2s and acquiring purchase rights on another 100. The big order, which made SkyWest the launch customer for the Embraer 175-E2, came only a month after SkyWest had placed an order for up to 200 current-generation Embraer 175s, so its total first- and second-generation Embraer 175 buy could reach 400 aircraft

On Alaska Airlines’ new Portland-St. Louis route, the SkyWest Embraer 175 flight will depart Portland International Airport (PDX) at 10:15 a.m. daily from July 1 and get to Lambert–St. Louis International Airport (STL) at 3:55 p.m. local time.

In the other direction, the return flight will leave STL at 4:35 p.m. and arrive at PDX at 6:45 p.m. local time.

SkyWest Airlines currently operates 40 flights a day to 14 cities for Alaska Airlines; by August 2016, that will increase to 52 flights a day to 17 cities, according to Alaska Airlines.

In addition to its 47 firm and 53 conditionally ordered Embraer 175s, SkyWest, Inc. also holds options on another 100 Embraer 175s.

Separately, in another major deal SkyWest, Inc. ordered 100 second-generation Embraer 175-E2 jets and optioned another 100 for SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet Airlines, its two regional-airline subsidiaries.