Horizon Airlines, the regional arm of Alaska Airlines, appears ready to order more than 30 Embraer E175 aircraft.
The company, which is in a pitched battle with Delta Airlines for dominance at Seattle’s Sea-Tac Airport, said it needs more jets in its regional fleet to offer better comfort and convenience to passengers.
In a conference call, airline officials said they would be ordering a 76-seat jet although they didn’t name the type. The most likely candidate is the E175, which is a competitor for Bombardier’s CSeries, although 25 percent smaller than the CS100.
The Horizon announcement comes after United Airlines said it would buy more than 70 Boeing 737s in a deal that Bombardier was vying for.
The company is still awaiting word from Delta Airlines, which is about to buy a fleet of smaller jets to replace ancient DC-9s and Boeing 717 aircraft.