SkyWest Airlines Announces Letter of Intent for Flying as US Airways Express

ST. GEORGE, Utah, Aug. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- SkyWest Airlines, a subsidiary of SkyWest, Inc. (NASDAQ: SKYW) and US Airways (NYSE: LCC) announced today that the two airlines have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for 14 aircraft to operate as US Airways Express. The agreement, which is subject to approval by the respective Board of Directors for both SkyWest Airlines and US Airways, further diversifies the SkyWest Airlines flying portfolio and provides US Airways customers with SkyWest Airlines' quality and reliability.

"We are pleased to add US Airways to SkyWest Airlines' strong partner portfolio," said Russell "Chip" Childs, SkyWest Airlines' President and COO. "SkyWest's people have done incredible work to provide a reliable, efficient product, and we look forward to offering that quality to US Airways customers."

Once finalized, the three-year agreement provides flying as US Airways Express for 14 50-passenger Bombardier CRJ200 regional jet aircraft with options to up gauge to larger CRJ700 aircraft, replacing the CRJ200 and Dash8 Express service currently provided to US Airways in the Phoenix hub by Mesa Airlines. SkyWest Airlines service as US Airways Express is anticipated to begin early to mid-2012 and it is anticipated that the aircraft will be allocated from SkyWest's existing fleet. SkyWest will be compensated in similar fashion to its existing capacity purchase agreements with other major codeshare partners. Details of the agreement are being finalized and are subject to approval by both entities' Board of Directors.

About US Airways

US Airways, along with US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express, operates more than 3,200 flights per day and serves more than 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Central and South America. The airline employs 32,000 aviation professionals worldwide and is a member of the Star Alliance network, which offers its customers more than 21,000 daily flights to 1,185 airports in 185 countries. Together with its US Airways Express partners, the airline serves approximately 80 million passengers each year and operates hubs in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Phoenix, and a focus city in Washington, D.C. at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. US Airways was the only airline included as one of the 50 best companies to work for in the U.S. by LATINA Style magazine's 50 Report for 2010. For the sixth year in a row, the airline also earned a 100 percent rating on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality index, a leading indicator of companies' attitudes and policies toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees and customers. US Airways also ranked #1 among its competing hub-and-spoke network carriers for 2010 performance as rated by the Wichita State University/Purdue University Airline Quality Rating (AQR). For more company information visit usairways.com, follow on Twitter @USAirways or at Facebook.com/USAirways.

About SkyWest Airlines

SkyWest Airlines is the world's largest independently owned regional airline. With a fleet of more than 300 aircraft, SkyWest's more than 11,000 aviation professionals operate more than 1,800 flights each day to 162 destinations throughout North America. As a leading air service provider offering global access to millions of passengers each year, SkyWest partners with the world's largest network carriers, including United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, AirTran Airways and Alaska Airlines. SkyWest is known for its industry-leading workforce, exceptional leadership team, and continued solid operational and economic performance. The airline's headquarters are in St. George, Utah. Learn more at www.skywest.com.

SOURCE SkyWest Airlines