Mesa Air Group, Inc. took delivery, on September 28, of the first of 14 76-seat Bombardier CRJ-900 Next Generation aircraft scheduled to be operated for Delta Connection by its wholly owned subsidiary, Freedom Airlines, to operate at JFK and Dallas beginning November 1. The operation of these new aircraft was announced in March 2007 and represents an expansion of the agreement that was already in place between Mesa Air Group and Delta Air Lines. The introduction follows Mesaba’s acquisition of CRJ 900s last summer to operate as a Northwest Airlink. In addition, Delta Connection Comair placed the first of 14 CRJ 900s into service last month. Mesa has also ordered 10 CRJ 900s for its United Express operation. Related Story
The first Mesa aircraft, registered N600LR, is configured with 12 First Class and 64 Coach Class seats. The remaining 13 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered over the next 16 months. Freedom currently operates 36 Embraer 145LR, 50 seat aircraft with over 200 daily flights for Delta Connection under separate agreements.
"I would like to thank all our Freedom employees whose hard work and commitment to great customer service has contributed to the growth and strength of our relationship with Delta and the arrival of these exciting new CRJ-900s,” said Freedom Airlines President Jorn Bates.
The CRJ-900 NextGen aircraft has an enhanced interior including energy efficient LED lighting, larger cabin windows, redesigned ceiling and sidewall panels, and larger overhead luggage bins.