SkyWest purchases 22 CR7's for DLC

[Smoked Toilet]

Source: Bombardier Aerospace
Tuesday October 11, 9:44 am ET
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 11, 2005--Bombardier Aerospace announced today that SkyWest Inc. of St. George, Utah has concluded a purchase agreement for 22 Bombardier CRJ700 regional jets for its Delta Connection operation. The transaction includes conversion rights to other Bombardier CRJ aircraft. In addition, the 80 options for CRJ700 aircraft previously announced were reaffirmed as part of this agreement.
The revised contract is valued at approximately $798 million US. If all options are exercised, the entire order could be worth $ 3.7 billion US.
This transaction converts the 18 Delta Air Lines CRJ200 aircraft on backlog assumed by SkyWest as part of their recent acquisition of Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) and includes four incremental orders. SkyWest also retains 15 CRJ700 firm orders on Bombardier's backlog from a previous transaction.
"With our recent purchase of Atlantic Southeast Airlines, we agreed to add 22 regional jets to the Delta Connection route network," said Jerry Atkin, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, SkyWest Inc. "The CRJ700 continues to meet our growth requirements because of the benefit of commonality with existing CRJ fleets at SkyWest Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines."
"We are very proud of our long partnership with SkyWest," said Steven Ridolfi, President, Bombardier Regional Aircraft. "We appreciate this endorsement of the CRJ Series and the CRJ700 as the regional jet of choice for both SkyWest and Delta Connection in order to meet their future system and market requirements. The CRJ700 aircraft's low operating costs represent a real benefit to operators in today's challenging market."
The current combined fleets of SkyWest Inc. owned airlines include 229 CRJ200 and 72 CRJ700 aircraft.
The Bombardier CRJ Series firm order book now stands at 1,440 with 1,294 delivered as of August 31, 2005.
About Bombardier
A world-leading manufacturer of innovative transportation solutions, from regional aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, Bombardier Inc. is a global corporation headquartered in Canada. Its revenues for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2005, were $15.8 billion US and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). News and information are available at www.bombardier.com. Bombardier, CRJ, CRJ200, CRJ700 and CRJ900 are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.


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Yet today we get a memo regarding the cancellations of classes for the rest of the year. Interesting. The memo did say that the classes were subject to change.
I guess it depends on which coast theses airplanes are going to.
Fly Safe
S-T

 

[Halo_RJdriver]

where are they going? DFW

 

[On Your Six]

What happened to the CR9s?????

I thought they were going to order those CR9s converted to CR7 seat numbers (body of the CR9 but total seats including First Class seats equal approx CR7 seating)? What happened to those plans?

Clearly the CR7 will offer better economics on a per-seat basis than the CRJ, but I thought most orders nowadays were for higher-capacity aircraft (i.e., the CR9s, E170s/190s)...

 

[USC328]

I thought they were going to order those CR9s converted to CR7 seat numbers (body of the CR9 but total seats including First Class seats equal approx CR7 seating)? What happened to those plans?

If SkyWest Inc. gets the CR9s you are talking about, I think it would be for the United side of the house to accomodate their new explus service. What does everyone else think? I'm pretty new to all this speculation, but I don't think Delta would allow the CR9 unless they were configured to 70 seats. I once heard that those configs would have somewhere in the ballpark of 76 seats. Oh well, time will tell.

 

[indianboy7]

The planes you're talking about are the RJ705's...It's basically a 900 body configured for 75 or 76 seats.....

 

[labbats]

Forget flying 737s for mainline. Ever.

 

[Bluto]

Um, ok.

 

[IFlyFL410]

SMOKED TOILET....FWIW, here at ASA we are running quite a number of newhire classes...maybe they're coming to the East Coast. Word of mouth from the CP's in SLC last week was that Jerry Atkin met with our CPs there and one thing he said was that he wanted the ATR's gone and that he wated them replaced with 70's. We don't have 22 ATR's flyign still, I think it's more like 12-16 or so, so maybe that's the plan. Pure speculation on my part, but not the conversation coming from our SLC CP's.

 

[Heavy Set]

I thought they were going to order those CR9s converted to CR7 seat numbers (body of the CR9 but total seats including First Class seats equal approx CR7 seating)? What happened to those plans?

If SkyWest Inc. gets the CR9s you are talking about, I think it would be for the United side of the house to accomodate their new explus service. What does everyone else think? I'm pretty new to all this speculation, but I don't think Delta would allow the CR9 unless they were configured to 70 seats. I once heard that those configs would have somewhere in the ballpark of 76 seats. Oh well, time will tell.

Perhaps this means that DAL wants mainline to fly the 70+ seat aircraft (anything above the CR7 in terms of capacity). I have heard rumors (no confirmation whatsoever) that DAL may want its pilots to fly the E175 and the E190 (like Air Canada - its mainline pilots will fly both) at JetBlue level wages or less (for the E175). Just speculating - but that's what most people do on these boards...

Perhaps Delta wants to keep the 70+ seat flying inhouse so long as the pilots and FAs agree with the new payscales to make each profitable...

 

[jehtplane]

Perhaps this means that DAL wants mainline to fly the 70+ seat aircraft (anything above the CR7 in terms of capacity). I have heard rumors (no confirmation whatsoever) that DAL may want its pilots to fly the E175 and the E190 (like Air Canada - its mainline pilots will fly both) at JetBlue level wages or less (for the E175). Just speculating - but that's what most people do on these boards...

Perhaps Delta wants to keep the 70+ seat flying inhouse so long as the pilots and FAs agree with the new payscales to make each profitable...

If it was a 70seat turbo prop would mainline still want to fly it? Or is it just because turbojet is on the end of the description? Where does it end? What is wrong with the regionals flying 70 seat aircraft? I am certainly not an RJDC supporter but why should anyone decide what another pilot group fly's? Do we have any input on what Delta mainline can operate as a connection carrier? And don't give me the whole we fly for cheaper wages thus driving the industry down. What are Jetblue's pay rates on the 100 seater's? What is Delta's proposal? Who is really driving the pay rates down? I say it is the major's!!!!!!!!!Flame away

 

[Tomct]

:angryfireWow Jetplane....watch out I'm sure that the flames are rising. I do have to agree with you though!

 

[Smacktard]

If SkyWest Inc. gets the CR9s you are talking about, I think it would be for the United side of the house to accomodate their new explus service. What does everyone else think? I'm pretty new to all this speculation, but I don't think Delta would allow the CR9 unless they were configured to 70 seats. I once heard that those configs would have somewhere in the ballpark of 76 seats. Oh well, time will tell.

Ok, I keep hearing it as rumor/fact, which is it? Can SkyWest fly 700's on the Delta side or does their contract with United limit them to only flying 700's on that side?

 

[180ToTheMarker]

why should anyone decide what another pilot group fly's?

Um, because your airplane says Delta on the side yet you don't work for Delta. Maybe that has something to do with it.

 

[jehtplane]

Um, because your airplane says Delta on the side yet you don't work for Delta. Maybe that has something to do with it.

Uh, our airplanes say delta connection on the side of them.

 

[Dangerkitty]

If it was a 70seat turbo prop would mainline still want to fly it? Or is it just because turbojet is on the end of the description? Where does it end? What is wrong with the regionals flying 70 seat aircraft? I am certainly not an RJDC supporter but why should anyone decide what another pilot group fly's? Do we have any input on what Delta mainline can operate as a connection carrier? And don't give me the whole we fly for cheaper wages thus driving the industry down. What are Jetblue's pay rates on the 100 seater's? What is Delta's proposal? Who is really driving the pay rates down? I say it is the major's!!!!!!!!!Flame away

It's really quite simple. Without a mainline to provide feed for, your airline goes away. Thus they can and will attempt to dictate what you fly.

Just look at the Independence Air debacle. It shows that the RJ's are too expensive to generate anysort of profit without a Mainline fee for departure revenue model. If this were not the case you would see independent RJ operators popping up all over the place. You dont because the RJ cannot make money by itself.

The Major's payrates and benefits are still heads and tails better then any regional. Stating that the Major's problems is the reason you are not making all that much cash is short sided at best. The reason your payrates are suppressed is because you have thousands of 23 year old snot nosed kids with shiny jet syndrome willing to sell their soul just to get in the right seat of an RJ. For every RJ pilot that states "enough is enough" and leaves the industry all together there are probably 100 willing to take his or her place.

Supply and demand. It is as simple as that.

Please dont take this the wrong way. I flew for the regionals for almost 4 years before I was hired at AA. I totally understand your concerns, frustrations, and your anger. I am just trying to state what is going on in the industry.

 

[labbats]

The reason your payrates are suppressed is because you have thousands of 23 year old snot nosed kids with shiny jet syndrome willing to sell their soul just to get in the right seat of an RJ. For every RJ pilot that states "enough is enough" and leaves the industry all together there are probably 100 willing to take his or her place.

Supply and demand. It is as simple as that.

Please dont take this the wrong way. I flew for the regionals for almost 4 years before I was hired at AA. I totally understand your concerns, frustrations, and your anger. I am just trying to state what is going on in the industry.

You've been out of the loop long enough to start listening and believing what's being said in the AA crewroom. Those thousands of 23 year old snot nosed kids have finished college, instructed for a year or two and most likely flown some freight. They didn't sell their soul to fly an RJ any more than you did to fly a turboprop in your day. It's just that now there's RJs to fly right off the bat instead of turboprops.

 

[Dangerkitty]

You've been out of the loop long enough to start listening and believing what's being said in the AA crewroom. Those thousands of 23 year old snot nosed kids have finished college, instructed for a year or two and most likely flown some freight. They didn't sell their soul to fly an RJ any more than you did to fly a turboprop in your day. It's just that now there's RJs to fly right off the bat instead of turboprops.

You totally missed the point of what I was trying to say.

It still comes down to a supply and demand issue. Simple as that. Too many pilots are willing to sell their soul just to fly a jet. Management knows this and is using it to their benefit.

 

[superjet]

Future of Skywest

Ultimately Skywest Inc. will be a large regional airline with 5-600 RJ's feeding for a 3rd carrier within 5 years. Its a good thing so many young people will be willing to sell there souls to fly a jet.

 

[jehtplane]

You totally missed the point of what I was trying to say.

It still comes down to a supply and demand issue. Simple as that. Too many pilots are willing to sell their soul just to fly a jet. Management knows this and is using it to their benefit.

Nobody is selling their souls, where is that coming from? Is jet blue selling their souls to fly the EMB for those rates? Why is it that "regional pilots" are always sell-outs? Have you seen continental airlines payscale, $30 an hour first year, are they selling their souls? What about the proposed Delta payscale for the EMB's ?yes they have a pension, but for how long? I am in no way bashing any pilot group, but the double standard shiny jet bullsh1t has played itself out. Jets are replacing the turboprops what the hell is so wrong with that? Lets put the blame on the state of the industry where it belongs. It is not 23 year old pilots flying regional jets, if it were 23 year old pilots flying 70-100seat TURBO-PROPS, I seriously doubt we would be having this discussion

 

[DrunkIrishman]

DangerKit-

Our previous generation of pilots started us down this road of "regional" status when they decided they did not want turboprop flying after deregulation. In the decades before that, a pilot went through the military and came out to work for United et al. Now, in some cases, not even the mil pilots can go straight to the majors without a stop at a "regional." Who's fault is this? Not management's for dangling a shiny jet at some teen punk. It was our fault back then and we are reaping what we had sewn today. We still have not pursued bringing regionals together with their trunk carriers. This is to our detriment as pilots. We are all on the same side!

BTW- Folks that work for a currently bankrupt carrier like Delta ought not be casting stones at Independance since they still haven't gone into BK while others have. SWA, JBLU, FEX, feel free.