PSA Airlines Continues Fleet Growth With Additional Bombardier CRJ900 NextGen Aircraft

American Airlines exercises 24 of its 40 options and places aircraft with its Dayton-based wholly owned regional carrier

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PSA Airlines

Feb 09, 2015, 09:00 ET

DAYTON, Ohio, Feb. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- PSA Airlines has been selected by American Airlines to operate 24 new Bombardier CRJ900 NextGen aircraft. This aircraft assignment to PSA follows American exercising 24 of its 40 CRJ900 NextGen aircraft options. The options were originally acquired as part of American's large regional jet order announced in December 2013.

A CRJ-900 NextGen aircraft operated by PSA Airlines takes off from Dayton International Airport (DAY).

"We are pleased to add these new aircraft to our growing fleet and see the award as a reflection of American's continued confidence in PSA to provide friendly, reliable and cost-effective regional services for American's customers," said Dion Flannery, president of PSA Airlines. "We are proudly building, from a foundation of strength, one of the largest regional service providers for the world's largest airline."

PSA will induct the 24 additional CRJ900 NextGen aircraft beginning in November 2015, with all aircraft being received by August 2016. These modern and fuel-efficient aircraft will be operated under the American Eagle brand and will provide American's customers with a seamless transition between mainline and regional flights. The CRJ900 NextGen aircraft offers modern cabin elements including oversized overhead bins, all-leather seating and inflight Wi-Fi. The 76-seat jet features a two-class configuration with 12 First Class, 36 Main Cabin Extra and 28 Main Cabin seats, allowing American to offer an unsurpassed regional customer experience in its most competitive markets.

"Having fostered a relationship that spans over 15 years, Bombardier is proud to once again stand alongside American and its regional subsidiary PSA Airlines as PSA prepares to integrate an additional 24 CRJ900 NextGen aircraft into its fleet – a move that will add another chapter to PSA's rich aviation heritage," said Mike Arcamone, president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "We congratulate PSA on its recent successes and we are thrilled to see this award-winning airline reaching new heights with its CRJ900 NextGen aircraft – equipped with the latest enhancements allowing operational flexibility, best-in-class customer comfort along with significant operating cost savings."

Since 2013, PSA has experienced significant fleet and job growth. During this time the carrier, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group operating an all Bombardier fleet, has announced the addition of these 24 CRJ900 NextGen aircraft, 30 previously announced CRJ900s NextGen aircraft and 47 CRJ700s. PSA's fleet growth has resulted in more than 700 newly hired employees in the past year and a multitude of career and advancement opportunities for every workgroup. PSA's pilot training program is recognized as one of the industry's best, preparing crew members for a career with a rapidly expanding fleet of state-of-the-art regional jets. The company's 1,900 employees currently operate nearly 400 daily flights to more than 80 destinations.

Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, PSA has flight crew bases located in Dayton, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina, and maintains maintenance facilities in Dayton and Akron/Canton, Ohio, as well Charlotte.

About American Airlines Group
American Airlines Group (NASDAQ: AAL) is the holding company for American Airlines and US Airways and three wholly owned regional carriers, including PSA Airlines, Inc. Together with wholly owned and third-party regional carriers operating as American Eagle and US Airways Express, the airlines operate an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to 339 destinations in 54 countries from its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. The American Airlines AAdvantage and US Airways Dividend Miles programs allow members to earn miles for travel, vacation packages, car rentals, hotel stays and everyday purchases. Members of both programs can redeem miles for tickets as well as upgrades to First Class and Business Class. In addition, AAdvantage members can redeem miles for vacation packages, car rentals, hotel stays and retail products. American is a founding member of the oneworld alliance, whose members and members-elect serve nearly 1,000 destinations with 14,250 daily flights to 150 countries. Connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.