PSA will take on 30 of the new planes over time, driven by the merger of American Airlines and US Airways Group last December. PSA is a regional subsidiary of Fort Worth, Texas-based American.
The idea behind the jets is simple, said Kevin Smith, vice president, sales, for Toronto-based Bombardier, which made the planes in Canada. They will help operators like PSA save money, he said.
Airplanes “mature” like any other product, Smith said. Designers and manufacturers look for ways to cut operation and maintenance costs. Cutting fuel costs is an urgent priority, he said.
The CRJ900 can cut fuel costs by up to five-and-a-half percent, Smith. That may not sound like a lot, but even cutting one percent of fuel costs of amounts to some $50,000 to $75,000 a year, he said.
Five times $60,000 a year means $300,000 a year in savings, Smith said. Multiply that savings across 30 planes, and the savings add up fast.
“That’s $9 million of fuel savings a year, for a small airline,” Smith said. “You tell me: Why would you stay in the past, when you have the opportunity to get an aircraft like that, which is a profit-maker.”
The CRJ900 has an extended wing tip lift, newly designed slats, a conic nozzle brought together with materials and cabin changes to create a more efficient airplane, Smith said.
“As airlines get more competitive, the manufacturers are pressured on getting the cost out of the airframe,” Smith said. “So that’s what we do every day.”
The new jets are meant to give regional travelers an experience similar to the one flyers may have on a larger “mainline” American Airlines flight, said Hunter Goodson, an onboard products designer for American Airlines.
The smaller jet is treated as an “extension” of the bigger “mainline” planes, with similar carpeting, bulkhead walls, wood-trim floor paneling, laminates and more that is supposed to be recognizable to American Airlines travelers, he said.
“It’s distinctive for its parity with mainline aircraft,” Goodson said.
Goodson pointed out the 39 inches of leg room offered to passengers in the 12 first class seats, the 35 inches given to those in the 36 extra main cabin seats and 31 inches of leg room for those in the 28 main cabin seats.
“If you’re flying from Dayton to Chicago, hypothetically, and if you’re connecting to an international flight (in Chicago), the idea is you’ll the same experience, pretty much,” Goodson said.
The new planes mean new jobs — pilots, flight attendants and maintenance personnel, many of whom will be trained in Dayton. PSA has 600 employees in Dayton, with 1,400 nationwide.
PSA is in talks with Dayton government about a further expansion, building a new operations center and laying the groundwork for a new hangar. If the expansion goes forward, the airline will add 42 jobs in Dayton during the next three years, company leaders say.
Montgomery County leaders recently approved $500,000 in a development grant for Dayton to help convince PSA to go forward with the expansion.
City leaders hold that anything that strengthens a local airport strengthens local business.
“Success at an airport is a regional effort with regional results,” Dayton City Commissioner Matt Joseph said.
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