SkyWest Airlines announced on September 12th, 2012 that an agreement had been reached with American Airlines to operate 23 Bombardier CRJ200 regional jet aircraft under the American Eagle designation.
SkyWest plans to operate the first CRJ flight for American Eagle on November 15, 2012, with all 23 aircraft being in service prior to end of the first quarter 2013.
It is likely that the majority of the CRJs to be transferred to American Eagle service will be ex-Delta Connection aircraft that have been removed from Skywest’s agreement with Delta. 12 CRJs will be flown by SkyWest and 11 CRJs will be flown by ExpressJet. Skywest indicated that the CRJs will be mainly flying from Los Angeles International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
The capacity purchase agreement with American Airlines has a term of four years. SkyWest currently operates regional jets for Delta Connection, United Express and Alaska Airlines and US Airways Express.
