ST. GEORGE, Utah,
Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SkyWest, Inc.
(Nasdaq: SKYW) announced today that its subsidiary, SkyWest Airlines, has been
selected by Midwest Airlines to enter into an airline services agreement.
Under the terms of the agreement, SkyWest Airlines will operate up to
25 additional CRJ200 regional jet aircraft. The initial 15 aircraft are
scheduled for delivery beginning in
April 2007 and continuing through
October
2007. The aircraft operated under this agreement will be sourced from
aircraft previously delivered in the market with SkyWest Airlines utilizing
some of its existing CRJ200s. Delivery dates of additional aircraft, if any,
will be determined at a later date. The aircraft will serve markets from
Midwest's current hubs in
Milwaukee and
Kansas City and will operate under a
capacity purchase agreement, similar to existing SkyWest Airlines' agreements.
The agreement provides for an initial term of 5 years with automatic two-year
extensions thereafter, unless SkyWest Airlines or Midwest Airlines elects to
terminate the agreement.
Commenting on the new agreement, Bradford R. Rich, Executive Vice
President, CFO and Treasurer for SkyWest, Inc. said, "SkyWest and Midwest have
similar corporate cultures and great reputations for quality customer service
and we believe that our partnership will be beneficial for customers,
employees, and shareholders." He continued, "This transaction also furthers
certain of our strategic diversification objectives by adding an additional
partner and creating additional expansion opportunities."
SkyWest Airlines, based in St. George, Utah, and ASA, based in Atlanta,
Georgia are wholly owned subsidiaries of SkyWest, Inc. SkyWest Airlines
operates as United Express and Delta Connection carriers under contractual
agreements with United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. ASA operates as a Delta
Connection carrier under a contractual agreement with Delta Air Lines.
System-wide, SkyWest, Inc. serves a total of approximately 229 cities in the
United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, with approximately
2,426 daily departures. This press release and additional information
regarding SkyWest, Inc. can be accessed at www.skywest.com.
In addition to historical information, this release contains
forward-looking statements. SkyWest may, from time-to-time, make written or
oral forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements encompass SkyWest's beliefs,
expectations, hopes or intentions regarding future events. Words such as
"expects," "intends," "believes," "anticipates," "should," "likely" and
similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking
statements included in this release are made as of the date hereof and are
based on information available to SkyWest as of such date. SkyWest assumes no
obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Actual results will vary,
and may vary materially, from those anticipated, estimated, projected or
expected for a number of reasons, including, among others: Delta's bankruptcy
proceedings; the failure to integrate the operations and employees of SkyWest
and ASA and achieve the anticipated synergies as a result of the acquisition;
the failure to successfully operate as anticipated under the terms of the
Delta Connection Agreements; the impact of negotiations with ASA's organized
labor forces and the impact of the costs of such labor forces on SkyWest's
operations and financial condition; the failure to accurately forecast
acquisition-related costs; and the challenges of competing successfully in a
highly competitive and rapidly changing industry. Other factors that may
cause actual results to vary from SkyWest's expectations include developments
associated with fluctuations in the economy and the demand for air travel;
ongoing negotiations between SkyWest and its major partners regarding their
contractual relationships; variations in market and economic conditions;
employee relations and labor costs; rapidly escalating fuel costs; the degree
and nature of competition; potential fuel shortages in markets where SkyWest
Airlines or ASA operates; the impact of weather-related or other natural
disasters on air travel and airline costs; the ability of SkyWest Airlines and
ASA to expand services in new and existing markets and to maintain profit
margins in the face of pricing pressures; aircraft deliveries; SkyWest's
ability to obtain financing; and other unanticipated factors. Risk factors,
cautionary statements and other conditions which could cause actual results to
differ from management's current expectations are contained in SkyWest's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the section of
SkyWest's Annual Report on form 10-K, entitled "Risk Factors."