Could 76-seat, two-class American Airlines jets soon be based at Harrisburg Int'l Airport?
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — It still has fewer flights and higher fares than larger airports, but that has been changing at Harrisburg International Airport, which also has something few other airports its size have: an airline's maintenance and crew base.
Since 2022, Piedmont Airlines, which flies the 50-seat ERJ-145s commonly seen at the airport ('ERJ' stands for 'Embraer regional jet'), has based dozens of pilots and flight attendants at the airport, complementing a maintenance base that opened years earlier.
Piedmont — which is headquartered in Salisbury, Maryland, and is a subsidiary of American Airlines — also has a Harrisburg-based human resources team.
The Harrisburg presence means a lot of direct jobs and — although this part is harder to quantify — indirectly perhaps some flights that might not otherwise exist, because American has to route planes through Harrisburg for maintenance and to get its people to and from work.
For perspective, Delta operates three daily flights to its Atlanta hub, which is the world's busiest airport, according to an abc27 analysis of Cirium schedule data; American operates seven daily flights to Charlotte. (Delta, operating larger aircraft, offers about half as many seats to Atlanta as American offers to Charlotte despite having fewer than half as many flights.)
But there was an important potential problem for Piedmont's future — and thus for the future of its base in Harrisburg: Manufacturers haven't produced 50-seat jets in years, and airlines have been phasing them out in favor of larger regional jets, which passengers generally find to be more comfortable and airlines generally find to be more economical to operate. Piedmont currently operates 69 ERJ-145s, which are on average almost 22 years old, according to an abc27 analysis of Cirium airline fleet data.
That meant one of two things: Sooner or later, either the airline would have to either phase in new planes — or phase itself out of existence, as other regional airlines have done (most recently Silver Airways just Wednesday, which once flew small planes branded 'Continental Express' for United's predecessor Continental Airlines).
Fortunately for Piedmont — and by extenstion, for Harrisburg — the far better outcome is emerging: Piedmont announced it'll get 76-seat Embraer 175s, known as E175s, beginning in 2028. Unlike the current all-economy 50-seat jets, Piedmont's E175s — like others already flown for American by other regional airlines — will have 12 business-class seats in addition to 64 economy seats.
'So seeing that they're getting an upgrade in aircraft that allows them to continue their mission of flying for American and being part of the Central Pennsylvania community is really good news,' Scott Miller, Harrisburg International Airport's spokesman, said.
'The expansion represents a significant investment by parent company American Airlines Group,' Piedmont said in a statement of the 45 eventual E175s it expects to receive. During the transition, the airline plans to continues operating its 50-seat jets 'well into the 2030s,' the statement said.
'They provide all of our service to Philadelphia, to Boston, as well as some to Charlotte,' Scott Miller said of Piedmont. 'So upgrading to larger aircraft — more comfortable aircraft — is a huge benefit for the airport, for the region and for those who fly American.'
Download the abc27 News+ app on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV devices
Harrisburg is just one of three crew bases for Piedmont, alongside much larger Philadelphia and Charlotte, which are both American Airlines hubs. Piedmont has maintenance bases at those three airports plus Salisbury; Albany, New York; and in Virginia, Richmond and Roanoke.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Compass sues Zillow for allegedly stifling competition for home listings
By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -Compass, the largest U.S. residential real estate brokerage by sales volume, sued Zillow on Monday, accusing the nation's largest online real estate portal of violating federal antitrust law by conspiring to restrict private home listings. In a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, Compass said Zillow employs an "exclusionary" policy where if sellers and their agents market homes off Zillow for more than one day, Zillow and its brokerage "allies" Redfin and eXp Realty will ban those homes from their platforms. Compass said the "Zillow ban" is designed to steer all U.S. home listings to Zillow's platform, and ensure that the company can maintain a monopoly while boosting profit. "Zillow's ambitions are clear: it wants to use its monopoly power in home search to own every facet of the home selling and buying process," thereby "crushing competition" in the home search market, according to the complaint. Compass, based in Manhattan, is seeking an injunction against the Zillow ban, compensatory damages, and triple damages for Zillow's alleged willful misconduct. Redfin and eXp were not named as defendants. Zillow did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Seattle-based company said it has about 160 million homes in its database, receives 227 million unique visitors a month, and received 2.4 billion visits between January and March. Leo Pareja, eXp's chief executive, said in a statement that eXp developed its strategies in response to market conditions, and "any implication of co-conspiracy is categorically false." Redfin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Compass sued as rising prices and elevated mortgage rates deter some prospective homebuyers, causing the pace of home sales to stagnate. While the National Association of Realtors on Monday said U.S. sales of existing homes rose 0.8% in May from April to a seasonally adjusted 4.03 million unit annual rate, May's sales pace was the slowest for that month since 2009. The inventory of existing homes, meanwhile, rose 6% to 1.54 million units in May. Supply increased 20% from a year earlier. Compass said Zillow is undermining its strategy of first releasing some listings to agents and buyers as Private Exclusives, and then posting the listings to its public search platform in a "Coming Soon" phase. Zillow plans on June 30 to start blocking listings that are publicly marketed for more than one day before appearing in a public listing database, known as a multiple listing service. That prohibition also covers Trulia, a real estate portal that Zillow bought for $2 billion in 2015. The case is Compass Inc v Zillow Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 25-05201. Sign in to access your portfolio
20 minutes ago
Jets owner Woody Johnson buys 43% stake in English soccer club Crystal Palace
LONDON -- New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is finally set to get his hands on an English soccer team. Premier League side Crystal Palace announced on Monday that Johnson has signed 'a legally binding contract' to buy the shares of fellow American John Textor, who has a 43% stake in the London club. Reports have placed the price between $220 million and $260 million. 'Whilst the completion is pending approval from the Premier League and Women's Super League, we do not envisage any issues and look forward to welcoming Woody as a partner and director of the club,' Palace said in a statement. 'We would like to go on record to thank John Textor for his contribution over the past four years and wish him every success for the future.' Johnson submitted a bid to buy Chelsea in 2022 but was unsuccessful. The sale of Textor's shares boosts Palace's hopes of playing in the Europa League next season, having qualified thanks to its FA Cup final victory over Manchester City last month. Textor is also a shareholder in French side Lyon, which is set to enter the same competition, and under UEFA multi-club ownership rules, it looked as if Palace could miss out.
Miami Herald
22 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Love your job? You're more likely to be a manager
Love your job? You're more likely to be a manager Nearly three-quarters of U.S. workers say they love or like their jobs, according to a new YouGov survey that explores how Americans feel about their work. However, this overall positive sentiment masks significant differences across demographics, job types, and industries. The YouGov study, Employment enjoyment: U.S. job satisfaction report 2025, explores how Americans feel about their jobs, drawing insights from over 12,000 surveys of full-time and part-time workers across the nation, conducted via YouGov's online research panel. The findings paint a nuanced picture of the American workforce, revealing both encouraging trends and areas of concern. One of the most striking findings is the disparity between manager-level employees and individual contributors. Managers are 54% more likely to love their jobs compared to those they supervise. The report also sheds light on the impact of work arrangements on job satisfaction. Hybrid workers, who split their time between office and remote work, are more likely to love their jobs (42%) compared to fully remote (33%) or on-site workers (32%). This finding could have significant implications for companies as they continue to refine their post-pandemic work policies. Interestingly, the study reveals a correlation between physical health and job satisfaction. Workers who exercise daily are significantly more likely to love their jobs (45%) compared to those who don't exercise monthly (28%). This underscores the potential benefits of workplace wellness programs and the importance of promoting healthy lifestyles among employees. The report also highlights disparities in job satisfaction among different demographic groups. Notably, Americans with LGBTQ+ identities report lower levels of job satisfaction, with only 63% liking or loving their jobs compared to 74% of all U.S. workers. This finding emphasizes the ongoing need for inclusive workplace practices and policies beyond Pride Month. Industry-wise, the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting sector leads in job satisfaction, with an impressive 89% of workers loving or liking their jobs. On the other hand, Wholesale trade and Insurance industries have the highest percentage of workers who say they hate their jobs (8% each). Geographic location also shows differences in job satisfaction. Salt Lake City-based employees report the highest levels of job love (50%), while Austin, Texas workers are the most dissatisfied, with 11% hating their jobs. Other cities with notable levels of job dissatisfaction include Charlotte, St. Louis, Baltimore, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Denver. The report also touches on the impact of job changes on satisfaction levels. Interestingly, 68% of Americans who started a new job in the last 12 months love or like their jobs, compared to 62% who plan to start a new one this year. This suggests that the reality of a new job often exceeds expectations. As companies continue to navigate the evolving landscape of work, YouGov's report provides valuable insights that can inform strategies to enhance employee satisfaction and engagement. By understanding the factors that contribute to job satisfaction across different segments of the workforce, organizations can tailor their approaches to create more fulfilling work environments for all employees. This story was produced by YouGov and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. © Stacker Media, LLC.
