A US Airways representative said Thursday that a coming change in carriers for its flights at Meadows Field will not mean fewer available seats.
Earlier this month, US Airways said by next spring it will use SkyWest Airlines as a carrier for certain regional flights, including between Phoenix and Bakersfield.
Currently, there are three outbound and three returning flights a day between Bakersfield and Phoenix. All three are operated by Mesa Airlines, another regional airline, for US Airways.
With the change, one outbound and one inbound flight will move to SkyWest.
Most of SkyWest's planes are Bombardier CRJ200 jets, which hold 50 passengers. SkyWest will use that model for the flight it will take on at Meadows Field. Mesa operates larger planes out of Bakersfield, the CRJ900 model, which holds up to 90 passengers.
But, said US Airways spokesman Andrew Christie, one of Mesa's three flights to Phoenix and back is on a CRJ200. Because SkyWest will also use a CRJ200 and Mesa will keep operating CRJ900 jets for the other two flights, there will be no change in seat availability between Bakersfield and Phoenix.
"At this time there are no planned changes to the level of service provided by US Airways in Bakersfield," Christie said. "SkyWest Airlines, in spring 2012, will replace the flight being operated by Mesa Airlines' CRJ200 with a SkyWest CRJ200 and Mesa Airlines will continue to operate the two remaining CRJ900 flights."
SkyWest spokesman Wes Horrocks said that airline hasn't received a final schedule on which flights it will operate for US Airways in Bakersfield. He referred additional questions to US Airways. Under the agreement US Airways announced earlier this month with SkyWest, SkyWest will operate 49 flights to 19 destinations, including Bakersfield, for US Airways by spring 2012.
Whether or not things will change in the future is an open question. The current agreement, or "term sheet," for Mesa to operate the 38 CRJ900 planes it now flies for US Airways will expire in September 2015.
"The term sheet with Mesa Airlines is currently set to expire September 2015," Christie said. "At this time there are no plans past that point as it relates to the term sheet, and I cannot speculate on what carrier(s) will operate as US Airways Express out of Bakersfield."
Jack Gotcher, director at Meadows Field, said airlines in general are signaling they will start moving away from smaller jets, which they view as less efficient, to larger ones to deal with high fuel prices. He hopes that down the road, the CRJ200 flight between Bakersfield and Phoenix may be upgraded to a larger jet, such as a CRJ900.
"My anticipation is that as (airlines) take the 50-seat airplanes out of the market, they will put more of the (CRJ)700 and (CRJ)900 series planes in," Gotcher said. "Maybe we can get SkyWest to fly a larger plane.
"I think we are big enough that we can see airplanes over 100 seats coming to us in the next few years," Gotcher added, speaking about all flights at the airport. Currently, the largest commercial flights leaving and arriving at Meadows are on CRJ900 jets, with up to 90 seats.
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