ExpressJet boss scoffs at comparisons to Flyi
Houston-based ExpressJet joins some pretty rarefied company this month when it begins flying 44 Embraer ERJ 145s under its own colors in a point-to-point “

Houston-based ExpressJet joins some pretty rarefied company this month when it begins flying 44 Embraer ERJ 145s under its own colors in a point-to-point “spider web” network of 24 cities ranging from Monterey, Calif., to Raleigh-Durham, N.C. The new operation marks the second attempt in the last few years by a regional airline to set out on its own after failing to reach terms on code-share contract concessions with its mainline parent.

One might think the recent failed attempt by the now defunct Independence Air [dba Flyi] to fly 50-seat Bombardier CRJs without the benefit of a mainline code-share partner would serve as a highly cautionary tale. But ExpressJet CEO Jim Ream insists that the similarities between the two begin and end with the size of the airplanes in question.