SkyWest has begun CRJ-550 operations under the Delta Connection brand, a spokesperson from the regional airline confirmed to AirlineGeeks on Monday. The aircraft – which feature a less dense seating configuration compared to standard CRJ-700s – are slated to serve routes previously operated by the CRJ-200.
The CRJ-550 is a variant of the CRJ-700 airframe with just 50 seats. Earlier this year, SkyWest confirmed that it would be operating the aircraft for Delta, converting 19 CRJ-700s from an expiring contract with American.
United first introduced the CRJ-550 back in 2019, which are operated by GoJet. Delta will be the second carrier to use the type within its regional network.
Data from both Flightradar24 and Planespotters.net shows the CRJ-550 flying from Delta’s Salt Lake City hub to Butte, Cedar City, and West Yellowstone among others. N708EV – one of the first aircraft to be converted – was retrofitted with 10 first class and 40 economy seats last month.
According to Cirium Diio schedule data, the CRJ-550s are largely scheduled to serve subsidized Essential Air Service (EAS) markets from Salt Lake City, all of which were served by the CRJ-200. Delta retired the CRJ-200 from its network late last year before ‘temporarily’ returning it to service in recent weeks to “ensure adequate fleet resources.”
