NEW YORK — Today at its annual Investor Day, Alaska Airlines announced plans to roll-out a Premium Class section. Beginning in late 2016, the new upgrade option will provide more legroom and other perks to customers.
Customers who upgrade to Premium Class will get priority boarding and enjoy three to four inches more legroom compared with a standard coach seat. In addition, Alaska Airlines plans to offer additional amenities to further enhance the Premium Class in-flight experience. This upgrade option will be available to Alaska Airlines elite Mileage Plan members on a complimentary basis at booking or day of travel dependent on status and fare purchased.
Upgrade pricing and details on the included amenities will be announced closer to customer availability.
“Premium Class will provide an opportunity for all customers to get an enhanced flight experience,” said Andrew Harrison, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Alaska Airlines. “We are listening to our customers and they have told us that more personal space and extra perks are a priority.”
Alaska plans to retrofit up to 60 aircraft with the Premium Class section by the end of 2016 and the remainder of its 737-800, -900 and -900ER fleet by the end of 2017. The upgrade option will also be available on Embraer 175s, operated by SkyWest, which are configured with 12 seats in the Premium Class section. Preferred Plus seating , currently available for purchase at check-in for bulkhead and exit rows, will continue to be offered on Alaska 737-400s and -700s.
Seats in the Premium Class section will have at least 35″ of pitch, compared to 31″ to 32″ in the rest of the main cabin. To make room for the Premium Class while maintaining pitch in the main cabin, Alaska will reconfigure and reduce the number of seats available on some aircraft. Also, pitch in the First Class cabin will be increased from 36″ to 41″ providing a significantly enhanced experience for those customers.
737-800 goes from 16J/147Y to 12J/30Y+/117Y
737-900/-900(ER) goes from 16J/165Y to 16J/24Y+/138Y
E-175 goes from 12J/64Y to 12J/12Y+/52Y
Alaska Airlines
CommutAir gets 40x ERJ-145s for United Express ops.
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — CommutAir announced today that it has reached an agreement with United Airlines to significantly increase the number of airplanes flown under the United Express brand by adding Embraer E145 jet operations to the company’s existing fleet of Bombardier turbo-prop aircraft. The agreement is subject to government approval.
Also pursuant to this agreement, CommutAir will implement a “Career Path Program” (CPP) for participating pilots. The program offers pilots the option to transition from CommutAir to United after certain requirements are met, including various service, performance record and accumulated flight hours requirements.
Pursuant to the currently anticipated fleet plan, the first Embraer E145 aircraft is expected to enter service in April 2016, and the fleet size and routes flown will grow through the addition of 40 Embraer E145 aircraft. Employee recruiting and FAA processes are already underway.
“This is a wonderful and attractive opportunity for CommutAir” said John Sullivan, Chairman of CommutAir. “In conjunction with this exciting growth plan, we will be implementing a program that offers a clear career path option to participating pilots. I appreciate working with United in offering more opportunities for our pilots and all of our employees,” he added.
CommutAir’s adoption of the CPP will be a special feature of the United Express agreement.
-Will enable qualified pilot applicants to opt into the CPP at the time of joining CommutAir and then seamlessly move to United after the applicable requirements are met.
-CommutAir’s planned growth will provide opportunities for promotions to Captain at CommutAir.
CommutAir, operating as United Express, is the d/b/a of Champlain Enterprises Inc., an airline holding company founded in the 1980s. Today, CommutAir operates the world’s largest Q200/Q300 fleet with more than 650 weekly flights to 29 airports. CommutAir’s 500+ employees are well known in the industry for fostering a family culture and friendly work environment.
KUSI News
SkyWest to op. E-175 for Delta Connection
SkyWest (NASDAQ: SKYW) announced that it has entered into a Capacity Purchase Agreement (“CPA”) with Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) to operate 19 new Embraer E175 dual-class regional jet aircraft. SkyWest has determined that these 19 E175 aircraft will be operated by SkyWest Airlines, Inc. a wholly-owned subsidiary of SkyWest. The CPA is under terms and conditions similar to SkyWest’s existing Delta agreements.
“SkyWest is a longtime Delta partner, and we’re pleased to advance our partnership with an additional aircraft type,” said Chip Childs, SkyWest, Inc. President. “As we continue to evolve our fleet mix, we look forward to continuing to deliver what our partners need through solid, reliable service.”
The aircraft will be flown in dual-class configuration of 76-seats, and will be equipped with Wi-Fi. Under the agreement, it is anticipated that delivery of the aircraft will begin in August 2016, with all 19 aircraft being delivered by mid-2017.
Street Insider