SkyWest will soon begin to fly the Bombardier CRJ550 aircraft for United Airlines’ regional arm, United Express. The carrier already flies the CRJ550 through another operator and recently announced a new contract with SkyWest during an earnings release.
United Express to get 11 more CRJ550s
United Airlines
has announced that 11 additional Bombardier CRJ550 aircraft will start to join its fleet in December for its regional services provided by United Express. The airline made the announcement during its third-quarter 2024 earnings call. It said,
“United signed an agreement with SkyWest to begin operating the CRJ550 as part of the United Express portfolio, with 11 initial aircraft to start entering the fleet in December of this year and opportunity for more in the future.”
United is no stranger to the CRJ550. In fact, the type debuted with United Express in 2019, operated by GoJet Airlines. The aircraft aimed to provide a more premium experience for regional routes and flew exclusively for GoJet for around five years until SkyWest also included it in its fleet.
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Apart from offering standard economy and Economy Plus seating, the CRJ550s flying for United Express also have 10 seats in first class. These planes also feature a snack bar near the forward galley for first class passengers. There are also additional luggage storage options for passengers apart from the overhead bins.
Delta is using the CRJ550, too
Of course, before signing the contract with United, SkyWest had already been operating the CRJ550s with Delta Air Line’s regional arm, Delta Connection. Delta is scheduled to receive a total of 19 Bombardier CRJ550 and has already deployed these planes from some of its hubs.
The latest airport to join the list includes Detroit, from where Delta will start flying the CRJ550s to Delta County Airport (Escanaba, Michigan), Pellston Regional Airport, Michigan, and Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport, Michigan in a few weeks from now.
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Delta debuted the aircraft with routes from Salt Lake City earlier this year and has since included other airports on the list for CRJ550 services,
such as its hub at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport
.
Like United, Delta has also identified certain regional routes where there might not be enough overall demand for a bigger plane, but still has some passengers that prefer premium seats and amenities.
Premium seats
The Bombardier CRJ550 aircraft is actually a converted CRJ700 that serves a specific purpose. While its premium cabin caters to a certain segment of travelers, the fact that it also has fewer seats allows it to have a lower maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) in accordance with clause requirements in pilots’ contracts in the United States.
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The plane can accommodate up to a maximum of 50 seats, 10 of which are in the premium cabin. While GoJet Airlines was the first one to fly these jets, SkyWest began the reconfiguration after its contract with American Airlines expired.
Many of Delta’s routes that previously saw the smaller CRJ200 are now being served by the CRJ550. AirlineGeeks cites data from the aviation analytics company Cirium and says that SkyWest will begin operating the CRJ550s for United Express from December 3 from Chicago O’Hare.