United Airlines has announced plans to add 40 Embraer E-175 jets to its regional fleet.
The new 76-seat aircraft will be operated by SkyWest Airlines under the United Express brand. Deliveries are expected to run from 2014 to 2015, with the new aircraft in addition to 30 previously-announced E-175 orders. This means that in the next 30 months, United Express is expected to add 70 new aircraft to its fleet.
“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 of 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 long-standing partnership with SkyWest and we look forward to continuing to work together to provide a great travel experience for our customers.”
United’s E-175s will be configured with 76 seats – 12 in first class, 16 in premium economy and 48 in economy class. Following the deliveries, United said it plans to remove some older regional aircraft from the fleet.
