MESA gets US Airways CRJ700s
US Airways Will Not Take Delivery of CRJ-705 Aircraft;
Mesa Airlines to Operate CRJ-700 as US Airways Express
ARLINGTON, Va., July 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- US Airways said today
that it has notified Bombardier Aerospace that it will not be taking delivery
of the 25 CRJ-705 regional jet aircraft ordered in May, and instead, will
contract with Mesa Airlines to fly at least 25, and perhaps as many as 55 70-
seat regional jets under the US Airways Express name.
The decision was made after US Airways and its Air Line Pilots Association
(ALPA) unit could not reach an agreement on terms under which the 75-seat CRJ-
705 would be flown by a wholly owned US Airways affiliate using furloughed US
Airways pilots under the carrier's 'Jets For Jobs' program.
"We continue to believe that the CRJ-705 falls within the parameters of
our contract with ALPA, and we were enthusiastic about the purchase of these
planes, which would have provided jobs for up to an additional 225 furloughed
US Airways pilots," said Bruce Ashby, president of US Airways Express. "ALPA
disagreed, and rather than spend months -- maybe even years -- negotiating and
arbitrating our differences, we have decided instead to place the jets at
Mesa. That will mean fewer jobs for furloughed pilots and at lower wage
rates, but it reflects the position ALPA has maintained in representing its
members."
Under the US Airways-ALPA 'Jets For Jobs' agreement, half of all regional
jet pilot positions at affiliate carriers such as Mesa must be filled with
furloughed US Airways pilots. But 100 percent of the jobs associated with the
CRJ-700 series and Embraer 170/175 aircraft go to furloughed pilots placed at
the airline's regional carriers (PSA, Piedmont and Allegheny) or its new
wholly owned MidAtlantic Airways division.
"Throughout our negotiations, we impressed upon ALPA the need to stay on
track in order to take delivery of these new regional jets," said Ashby. "We
finally concluded that we must agree to disagree, and since we must continue
to run the company and implement our new business plan, the end result was the
decision to utilize Mesa and its workforce, since that is the net result of
ALPA's position."
MidAtlantic will be flying Embraer 170/175 aircraft. The CRJ-705 seats 75
passengers in a dual-class configuration, with a maximum gross takeoff weight
of 82,500 pounds. The Embraer 175, which ALPA has already agreed to fly at
regional jet pay rates and work rules, seats 76 passengers in a dual
configuration, with a maximum gross takeoff weight of 85,517 pounds.
SOURCE US Airways
-0- 07/09/2003
/CONTACT: David Castelveter of US Airways, +1-703-872-5100/
/Web site: http://www.usairways.com/
-- DCW057 --
0512 07/09/2003 15:15 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
Copyright PR Newswire 2003. All rights reserved.
Wed Jul 9 19:15:23 2003 -GMT- pnac (nPRN79W057) = 1 19:15
US Airways Will Not Take Delivery of CRJ-705 Aircraft;
Mesa Airlines to Operate CRJ-700 as US Airways Express
ARLINGTON, Va., July 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- US Airways said today
that it has notified Bombardier Aerospace that it will not be taking delivery
of the 25 CRJ-705 regional jet aircraft ordered in May, and instead, will
contract with Mesa Airlines to fly at least 25, and perhaps as many as 55 70-
seat regional jets under the US Airways Express name.
The decision was made after US Airways and its Air Line Pilots Association
(ALPA) unit could not reach an agreement on terms under which the 75-seat CRJ-
705 would be flown by a wholly owned US Airways affiliate using furloughed US
Airways pilots under the carrier's 'Jets For Jobs' program.
"We continue to believe that the CRJ-705 falls within the parameters of
our contract with ALPA, and we were enthusiastic about the purchase of these
planes, which would have provided jobs for up to an additional 225 furloughed
US Airways pilots," said Bruce Ashby, president of US Airways Express. "ALPA
disagreed, and rather than spend months -- maybe even years -- negotiating and
arbitrating our differences, we have decided instead to place the jets at
Mesa. That will mean fewer jobs for furloughed pilots and at lower wage
rates, but it reflects the position ALPA has maintained in representing its
members."
Under the US Airways-ALPA 'Jets For Jobs' agreement, half of all regional
jet pilot positions at affiliate carriers such as Mesa must be filled with
furloughed US Airways pilots. But 100 percent of the jobs associated with the
CRJ-700 series and Embraer 170/175 aircraft go to furloughed pilots placed at
the airline's regional carriers (PSA, Piedmont and Allegheny) or its new
wholly owned MidAtlantic Airways division.
"Throughout our negotiations, we impressed upon ALPA the need to stay on
track in order to take delivery of these new regional jets," said Ashby. "We
finally concluded that we must agree to disagree, and since we must continue
to run the company and implement our new business plan, the end result was the
decision to utilize Mesa and its workforce, since that is the net result of
ALPA's position."
MidAtlantic will be flying Embraer 170/175 aircraft. The CRJ-705 seats 75
passengers in a dual-class configuration, with a maximum gross takeoff weight
of 82,500 pounds. The Embraer 175, which ALPA has already agreed to fly at
regional jet pay rates and work rules, seats 76 passengers in a dual
configuration, with a maximum gross takeoff weight of 85,517 pounds.
SOURCE US Airways
-0- 07/09/2003
/CONTACT: David Castelveter of US Airways, +1-703-872-5100/
/Web site: http://www.usairways.com/
-- DCW057 --
0512 07/09/2003 15:15 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
Copyright PR Newswire 2003. All rights reserved.
Wed Jul 9 19:15:23 2003 -GMT- pnac (nPRN79W057) = 1 19:15
