Skywest subsidiary Atlantic Southeast Airlines has begun interviewing and hiring 75 pilots for its Atlanta crewbase, as well as continuing to hire approximately 120 additional pilots for ExpressJet Airlines to be assigned to its Houston crewbase.
SkyWest acquired Atlantic Southeast Airlines, formerly known as ASA, in 2005. SkyWest then purchased ExpressJet in 2010 and is merging the two subsidiaries.
SkyWest has reported combined passenger traffic results for the three airlines with a 59.3 percent increase in departures to 114,102 for December of 2010 compared to 71,607 for the same period last year. Passenger boardings for December increased 58.6 percent to 4,466,253 compared to 2,815,678 for the same period last year.
SkyWest also reported a 63.1 percent increase in revenue passenger miles (RPMs) for December, while available seat miles (ASMs) increased 62.7 percent compared to December 2009. The combined airlines generated 2.32 billion RPMs for the month, while ASMs increased to 2.99 billion. Load factor was 77.6 percent compared to 77.4 percent, up .2 percentage points compared to December 2009. The substantial increases for each of the items are due primarily to the acquisition of ExpressJet Airlines on November 12, 2010.
SkyWest Airlines operates as United Express and Delta Connection carriers under contractual agreements with United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. SkyWest also operates flights for AirTran Airways under a marketing agreement. Atlantic Southeast operates as United Express and Delta Connection carriers under contractual agreements with United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. System-wide, SkyWest serves markets in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean with approximately 3,950 daily departures and a fleet of approximately 705 regional aircraft.
