United confirms it will park up to 38 Embraer E175 jets in favour of Mesa CRJ900s

United Airlines has confirmed that it will park up to 38 Embraer E175 jets in favour of operating Bombardier CRJ900 jets from regional partner Mesa Airlines so as not to run afoul of its contract with its pilots. United is taking the Mesa jets after that carrier earlier this month severed its relationship with American Airlines to fly exclusively for United. “Mesa Airlines recently announced changes in its operation that mean we will replace up to 38 Embraer E175 aircraft in the United Express fleet with up to 38 of their Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft,” said Bryan Quigley, the Chicago-based carrier’s senior vice-president of flight operations, in an internal memo on 30 December. “It is important to note that there is no change to our scope provisions in the United Pilot Agreement. United will remove a corresponding number of Embraer E175 aircraft from its regional fleet.” Scope clauses are passages written into contracts between major US airlines and pilot unions that limit the number and size of aircraft that may be flown by the airlines’ regional affiliates. They generally prevent carriers from farming out more flying to regionals – like Mesa, Republic Airways and SkyWest Airlines – thus protecting mainline pilot jobs. The Mesa CRJ900 aircraft will begin to transition to United as United Express from 1 March 2023, and will operate from the mainline carrier’s hubs in Houston and Denver “as capabilities allow”, Quigley writes. <br/>