SkyWest orders four Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprops

surreal1221 said:
The ACARS hardware and software will be updated to work within our system. I have not heard anything specifically about the HUDs, but we have no use for them in our operation and would imagine they will be removed.
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I wonder if that's part of the lease or not...I don't really see Horizon ever getting them back, but stranger things have happened. Have any of the Captains at ASA been playing with the HUD's? Or did they pull the breakers on them?
 
surreal1221 said:
The ACARS hardware and software will be updated to work within our system. I have not heard anything specifically about the HUDs, but we have no use for them in our operation and would imagine they will be removed.
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From what they told us in recurrent today, yeah, the HUDs are coming out.
 
I took the announcement to mean 6 CRJ200s on the SkyWest Airlines side are being removed from the Delta network over the next 2 years and placed either in the United system or our Airtran affiliated flying (if it is still around).
 
So... Skywest buys Q400 to operate as Alaska Air Express? That's my bet...

edit: so I see now they bought CRJ7s, but I still think they'll be Alaska Air Express soon...
 
OldTownPilot said:
More flying for the skywestz is zomg awesomz.
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Seriously...IF Skywest ever does flying for Alaska, it'll be CRJ900's with a First Class. They've talked about putting a 4 seat FC on the Q400 because we can break even with 37 pax. Don't think that Skywest is going to be flying Q4's anytime soon.
 
Baronman said:
Explain.
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If SKW were to start regional flying for Alaska out of PDX or SEA, there would be hundreds of happy SKW crewmembers who live in those cities. Likewise, there were many XJT crewmembers who were happy about opening a ORD base and many RAH crewmembers happy about reopening their DEN domicile. Now, I'm sure there would be many people at Horizon who would be upset at SKW moving into town. I'm sure there were a few people at SKW upset at XJT coming into ORD, and I'm sure that Frontier pilots just loooove seeing RAH crews in DEN. So, it all really depends on who's perspective you're looking from.
 
Just don't get you hopes up for a SEA or PDX base flying for Alaska just yet. The BOD has been said to have rejected the purposed 5 year plan, and there has been talk of a 3rd party carrier since atleast '05. It's more along the lines of "Who's going to buy/merge with Alaska?!"

If anything...you'll probably see Horizon flying into SE Alaska and Alaska taking back routes into the Bay Area with 73's. Hawaii has been a huge $$ for Alaska, so expect to see more flying there.
 
SurferLucas said:
Just don't get you hopes up for a SEA or PDX base flying for Alaska just yet. The BOD has been said to have rejected the purposed 5 year plan, and there has been talk of a 3rd party carrier since atleast '05. It's more along the lines of "Who's going to buy/merge with Alaska?!"

If anything...you'll probably see Horizon flying into SE Alaska and Alaska taking back routes into the Bay Area with 73's. Hawaii has been a huge $$ for Alaska, so expect to see more flying there.
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I've been saying this for years. North of Juneau or west of Yakutat I doubt Horizon would be a super money maker, plus a lot of the old timer crews bid the ANC base, and those guys make money for the company. I don't think Alaska Air Group would particularly want to try to compete in the regional market out of ANC, plus I doubt that a fresh PDX/SEA crew (no offense to those of you that are) would fair that well on the OME, OTZ run. The flying is easy, but if something breaks and you need to divert, or otherwise figure out how to "un-goat-rope" yourself, you want guys with AK time doing those trips. I expect PenAir and Era to pick up more code shares out of ANC, and AS to run more Hawaii trips, more Seattle trips, and probably keep doing Nome and Kotz, but that's just me.
 
ppragman said:
I've been saying this for years. North of Juneau or west of Yakutat I doubt Horizon would be a super money maker, plus a lot of the old timer crews bid the ANC base, and those guys make money for the company. I don't think Alaska Air Group would particularly want to try to compete in the regional market out of ANC, plus I doubt that a fresh PDX/SEA crew (no offense to those of you that are) would fair that well on the OME, OTZ run. The flying is easy, but if something breaks and you need to divert, or otherwise figure out how to "un-goat-rope" yourself, you want guys with AK time doing those trips. I expect PenAir and Era to pick up more code shares out of ANC, and AS to run more Hawaii trips, more Seattle trips, and probably keep doing Nome and Kotz, but that's just me.
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I know that we (QX) had 2 tech pilot's with a Q400 flying into Ketchikan from ANC, because it went on MX there and it showed up as being in KTN. Of course management says it was a "typo", but the two tech pilot's are very tight lipped about it and saying it was for RNP Testing.

I too doubt the Q4's will see north or west out of ANC, or even ANC all that much. The SE is accessible from SEA with the Q4, albeit a pretty long flight.
 
SurferLucas said:
I know that we (QX) had 2 tech pilot's with a Q400 flying into Ketchikan from ANC, because it went on MX there and it showed up as being in KTN. Of course management says it was a "typo", but the two tech pilot's are very tight lipped about it and saying it was for RNP Testing.

I too doubt the Q4's will see north or west out of ANC, or even ANC all that much. The SE is accessible from SEA with the Q4, albeit a pretty long flight.
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I've been saying this for years. I'd suspect a crewbase up there with the leg distances. The 737 isn't exactly suited for WRG->PSG I don't think you can really make too much money doing that in a big airplane. Can Horizon go VFR without a great deal of fuss? That's the key to being able to make money consistently up there.

YAK <-> JNU <-> SIT <->KTN Gotta be IFR, however KTN <->WRG <-> PSG save a substantial amount of money when flown VFR fairly consistently. Plus the GST run that Alaska does (which they do VFR when they can) is a little ridiculous in a 737. Q400s are the key up there. That said, unless AS hands over the keys to their super approach into JNU don't expect Horizon to make it in much unless they hire some pirate crews (which I doubt Horizon has too many of).
 
ppragman said:
I've been saying this for years. I'd suspect a crewbase up there with the leg distances. The 737 isn't exactly suited for WRG->PSG I don't think you can really make too much money doing that in a big airplane. Can Horizon go VFR without a great deal of fuss? That's the key to being able to make money consistently up there.

YAK <-> JNU <-> SIT <->KTN Gotta be IFR, however KTN <->WRG <-> PSG save a substantial amount of money when flown VFR fairly consistently. Plus the GST run that Alaska does (which they do VFR when they can) is a little ridiculous in a 737. Q400s are the key up there. That said, unless AS hands over the keys to their super approach into JNU don't expect Horizon to make it in much unless they hire some pirate crews (which I doubt Horizon has too many of).
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I've flown VFR a few times at Horizon...it's not too terrible for the Q400 (former Q200 drivers as well) to stomach. The CRJ crews, they're just different at Horizon.

Most of the guys in the Dash that flew the Dash 100's/200's have alittle "cowboy" to them and you have to have some of that when you fly into some back wood's places.

Horizon should be able to fly the the same approaches that Alaska does, we use basically the same technology as they do: HUD's/RNP/WAAS.

The only issue is can the Q4 handle the payload's required by freight on those routes, or do they have to still fly the 737-400Combi's.
 
SurferLucas said:
If anything...you'll probably see Horizon flying into SE Alaska and Alaska taking back routes into the Bay Area with 73's. Hawaii has been a huge $$ for Alaska, so expect to see more flying there.
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Nothing as far as OAK and SMF, but SJC and SFO now have 2x daily new mainline service to PDX. Rumors on the interweb are AS putting some Qs in Hawaii to feed its Hawaiian focus cities. I'll believe it when I see it.
 
ChasenSFO said:
Nothing as far as OAK and SMF, but SJC and SFO now have 2x daily new mainline service to PDX. Rumors on the interweb are AS putting some Qs in Hawaii to feed its Hawaiian focus cities. I'll believe it when I see it.
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I doubt Horizon will be doing any inter-island flying in Hawaii, just not enough $$ and too much capacity already on some of the routes. I think you'll see more cities added to the Alaska side from the mainland to Hawaii though, even if it's just a seasonal thing.
 
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