Mesa Air Group's New CRJ-900s Enter Service for Delta Connection

The first two of 14, seventy-six seat Bombardier CRJ-900 Next Generation aircraft entered service November 1 as the aircraft began service for Mesa subsidiary Freedom Airlines Delta Connection program. The operation of the new aircraft was announced in March 2007 and represents an expansion of the Mesa's existing agreement with Delta Air Lines. Freedom currently operates 36 Embraer 145LR, 50 seat aircraft and two Bombardier 76 seat CRJ-900 aircraft with over 200 daily flights for Delta Connection under separate agreements.
"Everyone at Mesa is delighted Delta has given us the opportunity to expand our partnership,” said Mesa Air Group Chairman and CEO, Jonathan Ornstein. “Once all 14 aircraft are delivered, we will operate a total of 50 aircraft under the Delta Connection banner. Mesa is also the only regional airline to operate this type of aircraft for two major airline partners. We believe our industry leading low costs and commitment to service will allow us to continue to expand our operations with existing partners as well as develop new partnerships in the future," Mr. Ornstein added.
The first two aircraft were delivered last month and are configured with 12 First Class and 64 Coach Class seats and begin revenue service today operating in the New York, JFK and Dallas-Fort Worth market. The remaining 12 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered over the next 16 months.