UAL Picks SkyWest for United Express

UAL Corp.’s United Airlines said it picked SkyWest Airlines to provide United Express flights to and from San Francisco, replacing WestAir Commuter Airline. Chicago-based United said that SkyWest would begin flying San Francisco International Airport routes June 1, offering 168 flights and connecting San Francisco with 12 California markets. WestAir, a unit of Farmington, N.M.-based Mesa Air Group, disclosed this month that United wouldn’t renew its commuter partnership, which expires May 31. United, the nation’s second-largest airline, wouldn’t say why it dropped WestAir. SkyWest, based in St. George, Utah, offers about 300 United Express flights to 15 cities in California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. In Nasdaq trading Friday, SkyWest stock jumped $2.13 to close at $33.63, while Mesa increased 16 cents to $5.66. UAL rose $1.50 to close at $89 on the New York Stock Exchange.