SkyWest, Inc. Announces Additional Award of CRJ900 Regional Jet Aircraft

ST. GEORGE, Utah, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SkyWest, Inc. (Nasdaq: SKYW) announced today that it has reached an agreement with Delta Air Lines (“Delta�) to operate an additional 10 CRJ900 regional jet aircraft. The aircraft were previously ordered by Delta and are now being contracted for flying with SkyWest, Inc. wholly owned subsidiary, Atlantic Southeast Airlines (“ASA�). ASA is the principal Delta Connection carrier at Delta’s Atlanta hub, and currently operates 110 CRJ200s and 39 CRJ700s.

The 10 CRJ900 aircraft feature all leather, 76-seat, two-class configurations. ASA expects certification for the CRJ900 in the spring of 2009, with aircraft deliveries scheduled between February and May 2009. The aircraft will serve as replacements for 20, 50-seat CRJ200s that are scheduled for removal from contract service between April 2010 and August 2010, which is earlier than the existing scheduled termination dates as contained in the Delta Connection Agreement. ASA will evaluate how it will redeploy the CRJ200s based on market conditions at the time of removal from Delta contract operations. Options may include, but are not limited to, subleasing the aircraft and operating certain aircraft in pro-rate operations.

Bradford R. Rich, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, said, “This transaction represents a good faith effort by SkyWest, Inc. to help Delta right-size its fleet through the replacement of 50-seat CRJ200s with the larger, more efficient 76-seat CRJ900s. Additionally, we expect the deal to solidify ASA as Delta’s primary regional carrier in Atlanta through the addition of the CRJ900 aircraft to its fleet portfolio.�

Atlantic Southeast Airlines (“ASA�), based in Atlanta, Georgia, and SkyWest Airlines, based in St. George, Utah, are wholly owned subsidiaries of SkyWest, Inc. ASA operates as a Delta Connection carrier under a contractual agreement with Delta Air Lines. SkyWest Airlines operates as United Express, Delta Connection and Midwest Connect carriers under contractual agreements with United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Midwest Airlines. System-wide, SkyWest, Inc. serves a total of approximately 218 cities in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, with nearly 2,300 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: the challenges of competing successfully in a highly competitive and rapidly changing industry; 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; the financial stability of its major partners regarding any impact on the contracts that SkyWest operates under in their behalf; variations in market and economic conditions; the impact of global instability; rapidly escalating fuel costs; the degree and nature of competition; potential fuel shortages; the impact of weather-related or other natural disasters on air travel and airline costs; aircraft deliveries; 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.�