Southwest, ExpressJet sign 5-year capacity purchase agreement
Wed Apr 1, 2009 9:29am CDT

HOUSTON (AP) -- Southwest Airlines Inc. and ExpressJet Holdings Inc. have signed a five-year capacity purchase agreement to have ExpressJet provide regional jet service for Southwest on international routes.
The two carriers said late Tuesday they have entered into a an agreement primarily to provide feed for Southwest Airlines into Mexico and Central America.
The base deal, which begins May 1, calls for ExpressJet to fly 30 Embraer 135 regional jets in the first year and allows Southwest to increase the fleet by an additional 30 after that period, with options to upgrade the next 30 to the 50-seat Embraer 145XR aircraft.
Southwest said the agreement will make a significant impact to customer bookings due to the demand for air travel by the growing Latin America market segment.
Jim Ream, CEO ExpressJet Holdings said "We are very excited to begin this new partnership with Southwest Airlines. We feel that this will be an excellent opportunity for both companies to grow during these challenging economic times."