Fourteen Aircraft Will Operate Under The Regional Carrier's Banner

SkyWest Airlines and US Airways announced Thursday that the two airlines have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for 14 aircraft to operate as US Airways Express. The agreement, which is subject to approval by the respective Board of Directors for both SkyWest Airlines and US Airways, further diversifies the SkyWest Airlines flying portfolio and provides US Airways customers with SkyWest Airlines' quality and reliability.

"We are pleased to add US Airways to SkyWest Airlines' strong partner portfolio," said Russell "Chip" Childs, SkyWest Airlines' President and COO. "SkyWest's people have done incredible work to provide a reliable, efficient product, and we look forward to offering that quality to US Airways customers."

Once finalized, the three-year agreement provides flying as US Airways Express for 14 50-passenger Bombardier CRJ200 regional jet aircraft with options to up gauge to larger CRJ700 aircraft, replacing the CRJ200 and Dash8 Express service currently provided to US Airways in the Phoenix hub by Mesa Airlines. SkyWest Airlines service as US Airways Express is anticipated to begin early to mid-2012 and it is anticipated that the aircraft will be allocated from SkyWest's existing fleet. SkyWest will be compensated in similar fashion to its existing capacity purchase agreements with other major codeshare partners. Details of the agreement are being finalized and are subject to approval by both entities' Board of Directors.

FMI: www.skywest.com, www.usairways.com