US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - US Airways Express to Add Portland-Pittsburgh Regional Jet Service

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021216/dcm028_1.html

Press Release Source: US Airways

US Airways Express to Add Portland-Pittsburgh Regional Jet Service
Monday December 16, 12:19 pm ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- US Airways announces the addition of two daily nonstop roundtrip flights between Portland, Maine and its Pittsburgh hub. The flights will be operated by US Airways Express carrier Mesa Airlines using 50-seat Embraer-145 Regional Jets, beginning on Feb. 6, 2003.

REGIONAL JET SCHEDULE

Depart Portland Arrive Pittsburgh
6:40 a.m. 8:24 a.m.
3:10 p.m. 4:54 p.m.

Depart Pittsburgh Arrive Portland
1:05 p.m. 2:40 p.m.
10:20 p.m. 11:55 p.m.


Passengers flying on US Airways Express' Embraer-145 Regional Jet flights travel comfortably in a quiet, roomy cabin equipped with leather seats where every seat is either an aisle or a window. The Embraer-145 offers stand-up headroom, reclining seatbacks, large overhead storage bins, and a restroom. Flight attendant service is provided on each aircraft.

These regional jets have a cruising speed of over 500 miles per hour with a range of more than 1,000 miles, and can cruise at altitudes above 35,000 feet, providing US Airways Express long range regional jet capability.

Mesa Airlines currently operates as a US Airways Express carrier, using a combination of regional jets and turboprop aircraft in 38 US Airways markets. Mesa Airlines, along with other subsidiaries of parent company Mesa Air Group, operate 32 regional jets and 41 turboprop aircraft as US Airways Express.

US Airways, its three wholly owned subsidiaries and seven affiliate carriers currently operate more than 3,400 flights daily.

For additional information on fares and schedules, contact US Airways at 1-800-428-4322, or visit US Airways online at http://www.usairways.com .


Source: US Airways

I was thinking this would take the prize for "World's Longest RJ Flight"... then I realized it was the other Portland.

I think this is a real story, not an April Fool's joke!

Expect the flight to make refuelling stops often, leave passengers behind because of weight restrictions, or maybe even being cancelled.

How about one stop ERJ145 flights to Europe?

ADDENDUM: Oh! Wrong Portland. PDX was going to be added but then US declared bankruptcy.

[This message has been edited by Human Unit 763246B (edited 12-16-2002).]

This just adds to my temptation to use another airline. They give us an RJ on the longer hub route (555 miles if I remember). So us PWM based CHP's get 4 real jets to PHL each way, 2 RJ's to PIT (at least they are ERJ's, not those horrifically cramped CRJ's) and turboprops to LGA and National. U is making it very difficult for me to keep them as my primary airline. We also can't get back to Portland at 9:00 PM anymore on any jets.

1. Before this announcement, was has service to PWM been like since the 9/11 cutbacks? Just 737s to PHL and turboprops to DCA and LGA, with no service to PIT, CLT, or BOS?

2. At the US Airways heyday in the latish 1990's (before the economy went sour) what was service to PWM like? Mainline service to DCA, CLT, PIT? USE to PIT?

Very irritating news for those of us who live in PWM. I dread ANY regional jet flights and this may well be the last straw.

The only remaining hope will be that US will (a) continue mainline PHL service with 4 flights a day and (b) upgrade the PIT service to mainline after memorial day (like CO did for many years here) to compensate for the summer tourist traffic.

One can only hope.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by BizJet:
1. Before this announcement, was has service to PWM been like since the 9/11 cutbacks? Just 737s to PHL and turboprops to DCA and LGA, with no service to PIT, CLT, or BOS?

2. At the US Airways heyday in the latish 1990's (before the economy went sour) what was service to PWM like? Mainline service to DCA, CLT, PIT? USE to PIT?</font>

The Sept. 5, 1996 schedule showed the following:

10x daily n/s to BOS (all Express - CommutAir). So, B-1900s.
2x daily n/s to DCA. 1 mainline; 1 PSA DO-328.
6x daily n/s to LGA (all Express - CommutAir). Again, B-1900s.
2x daily n/s to PHL. Mainline jet.
3x daily n/s to PIT. Mainline jet.


The Sept. 9, 2001 schedule showed the following:

1 Saturday n/s to BGR (Colgan repositioning flight).
5 daily n/s to BOS (all Express - Colgan). Either B-1900 or S-340.
1 Sat/Sun n/s to BOS. Colgan B-1900 or S-340.
2 daily n/s to DCA (all Express - Mesa). ERJ.
3 daily n/s to LGA (all Express - mixed Colgan and Allegheny). S-340 or Dash-8.
4 daily n/s to PHL. Mainline jet.
3 daily n/s to PIT. Mainline jet.

Today's schedule shows the following:

3 daily n/s to DCA (all Express - PSA). DO-328.
4 daily n/s to LGA (all Express - Colgan). B-1900 or S-340.
4 daily n/s to PHL. Mainline jet.
1 daily n/s to PIT. Mainline jet.

[This message has been edited by ITRADE (edited 12-16-2002).]