BRENDAN SOBIE / WASHINGTON DC
Order for additional CRJ900s from America West affiliate Mesa in doubt because of conditions in new contract
Bombardier's hopes for an expanded order from the only customer for its new CRJ900 programme could be dashed by a pilot contract at America West Airlines.
Under the new contract, America West is prohibited from committing to any more CRJ900s beyond the 25 on order by regional affiliate Mesa Air Group. America West pilots will this month begin voting on the deal, which would immediately boost their wages by 11%.
Mesa subsidiary Freedom Airlines plans to take delivery of the first CRJ900 in the next month. The carrier already operates six CRJ700s and has nine more on order. The new America West pilot contract also ties any potential expansion of Mesa's CRJ700 and CRJ200 fleets to expansion of the mainline fleet.
Mesa chief executive Jonathan Ornstein says the proposed scope clause at America West will not affect Mesa in the next few years, but acknowledges it is not in the carrier's long-term interest. Mesa and Bombardier are instead targeting their expansion ambitions at US Airways, which is in Chapter 11.
Mesa has tentatively agreed to add 70 CRJs for US Airways, including potentially some CRJ700s and CRJ900s. But Ornstein says financing the additional aircraft and lining up the necessary union approvals have so far proved difficult. He fears Mesa could miss out on expansion opportunities if it does not wrap up the pilot contract negotiations this month.
Midway Airlines is instead poised to become the first regional to benefit from US Airways' delay-plagued plans to add regional jets. Midway is scheduled to begin training the first batch of furloughed US Airways mainline pilots on the CRJ on 10 January. The training marks the launch of US Airways' controversial jets-for-jobs programme, which requires affiliates to fill half of all new regional jet pilot positions with mainline furloughees, and is a critical component of Midway's plan to resume operations as a US Airways Express carrier.
Midway, which shut down in July, has secured approval from the court overseeing its bankruptcy to lease six used CRJ200s from Bombardier. US Airways is providing Midway with $9.4 million financing to help it restart operations and lease up to 18 CRJ200s.
Source: Flight International
