Where does Alaska Air Fly

SkyWest said it has ordered an additional 10 Embraer E175 aircraft, which it will deploy next year for Alaska Airlines - five more than previously heralded by Alaska in June. This order complements the 20 U175s that SkyWest is already using for Alaska. Alaska' s own Horizon Air affiliate, which is facing a short-term pilot bottleneck and has postponed shipments of six F175s previously planned for autumn and next spring shipment, is benefiting from the five-engine surge in the order.

It is an outside supplier competing directly with Horizon to provide Alaska Airlines' local services to smaller aerodromes. Expanding the scope of SkyWest's mission therefore brings businesses that Horizon could have had. Commenting internally to Horizon's staff, Chief Executive Dave Campbell confirmed that "this is discouraging news," but reaffirmed that the shifts represented only a break in Horizon's pace of grow.

Said that the airline's fixed order will be shipped for a combined 33 Embraer E175s, the first of which will fly 30 by 2020. Last week's postponement of the six aircraft triggered fears and rumours among staff that the Alaska Air Group would take the aircraft from Horizon and rent it to SkyWest.

Responding, Teamsters CDU Local 1224, which represented Horizon's pilot team, on Friday lodged a complaint claiming a violation of its treaty and sought an interim restraining order from the German Supreme Court in order to make sure that only Horizon pilot could fly the plane. Campbell is insisting that the sky west arrangement is separated from the Horizon jets arrangement and will not influence it.

The Alaska Air Group spokesperson Bryan Zidar said Wednesday that "SkyWest is purchasing these additional aircraft to meet the needs of those flying with Alaska," but that the number of E175s Horizon will last until 2020 is the same. The Horizon has already taken over the first 10 of the ordered E175s.

SkyWest, located in St. George, Utah, is a much bigger airline than Horizon and currently runs a pure jets business of more than 400 planes, slightly more than 100 of which are the new E175 with 76 seats. There are also United, Delta and American Airlines services. On Wednesday SkyWest also heralded a seperate new order for 15 E175 jets to fly to Delta.