United to Add 40 Embraer 76-Seat Aircraft to Express Fleet

United Airlines

today announced a capacity purchase agreement for SkyWest Airlines, Inc.

, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SkyWest, Inc., to operate 40 Embraer

175 aircraft under the United Express brand. SkyWest, Inc. will purchase the 40 76-seat aircraft with deliveries in 2014 and 2015. These aircraft are in addition to 30 Embraer 175 aircraft that United previously announced it will purchase and which will be operated by a United Express carrier, also scheduled for delivery between 2014 and 2015. "These new aircraft will offer our customers an improved travel experience with a larger first-class cabin and wider fuselage and larger overhead bins," said Alex Marren, senior vice president Network Operations and United Express. "United Express is an integral part of our overall network, and enables us to bring customers from smaller cities to destinations worldwide. We have a longstanding partnership with SkyWest and we look forward to continuing to work together to provide a great travel experience for our customers." The Embraer 175 is the first 76-seat regional jet aircraft in the United Express fleet. The aircraft will be configured with 12 First, 16 Economy Plus and 48 Economy seats. The design of the aircraft will result in more personal space for customers with wider seats and aisles than those on other regional aircraft. The aircraft can accommodate standard carry-on bags, resulting in more convenience for customers. As United inducts the new aircraft into the United Express fleet, the company will remove some less efficient regional aircraft from the fleet. The E175s will consume less fuel per seat and will have less CO2 emissions per seat than the aircraft they replace.