The CRJ-550 is a great product. It’s 50 seats on a 70 aircraft. It keeps our scope limit at 50 seats while providing a good product for our customers on 50 seat routes. Like it or not, there are some markets that need service on a 50 seater, or else they will disappear. Not only do we lose that revenue, but we lose the revenue once they get to our hubs and want to connect on. 50 seaters are not going to replace mainline jobs today. Not with fuel prices, pilot labor supply, lack of gates, lack of runways, etc… The CRJ-550 there to replace our CRJ-200’s which are crap.

I do expect the CRJ-550 weight increase in some form to be in our next TA, and I will support it.