MidAtlantic Airways, US Airways new regional jet division, officially takes off this morning with a quiet ribbon-cutting and a 7:45 a.m. flight from Pittsburgh International Airport to Albany, N.Y.

Here is what to expect:

The strategy

Annie O'Neill, Post-Gazette Retired US Airways pilot Jeff Christiana trys out the the seats of a MidAtlantic Airways jet. Christiana was a pilot for 36 years. Click photo for larger image. Related article Behind-the-scenes player has key role in talks between US Airways, unions

The deployment of MidAtlantic's regional jets, which mimic the service of normal jets but are smaller and cheaper to operate, is a critical part of US Airways' strategy to boost revenue and regain profitability as a company. US Airways relies on a number of short-haul routes to connect smaller cities to its major hubs, and while the smaller communities are important to US Airways' route network, they typically do not generate enough traffic to fill the larger, costlier mainline jets. Sometimes, turboprops are used to make the short flights but US Airways believes passengers prefer the larger, roomier and quieter regional jets.

The jets
MidAtlantic is using 72-seat Embraer 170 regional jets made by Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica of Brazil. US Airways ordered 85 of the planes in May 2003, agreeing to pay $2.1 billion. Three of the planes have already arrived at Pittsburgh International, dressed in the familiar US Airways colors of dark blue, red and gray. The cabin's elliptical design allows for two seats on either side of the aisle and offers plenty of leg and head room. Each plane can fly a distance of 2,000 miles without refueling.

The flights
Initial service starting this Sunday will be from Pittsburgh to Albany, Atlanta, Boston, Nashville, Newark, N.J. and Syracuse. MidAtlantic also will be flying from Philadelphia to Kansas City and Syracuse. Starting May 2, MidAtlantic will add flights from Pittsburgh to Buffalo, N.Y., Kansas City and Philadelphia. By June, MidAtlantic is expected to be flying 24 routes from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

The prices
Although MidAtlantic will fly under the airline's US Airways Express commuter banner, fares will not vary from prices on the rest of US Airways' mainline fleet. On Friday, one-way fares for MidAtlantic's opening day ranged from $193 to $554, according to online travel site Travelocity.com.

The pilots
All of MidAtlantic's flying will be done by furloughed US Airways pilots. Pilots flying MidAtlantic as captains will make about $58,000, which is about half of what they would make flying a larger mainline jet. Pay for all MidAtlantic workers is about half of their mainline counterparts at US Airways.

The hub
US Airways said in 2002 that it wanted to place MidAtlantic in Pittsburgh and make it a hub for the regional jet division, perhaps employing 500 to start and thousands over time. But the scope of its operations at the airport remains in doubt, according to Airport Authority director Kent George, who cites the airline's recent decision to put two regional jet simulators in Charlotte, N.C., as a sign that US Airways may be backing away from its original promises. Still, US Airways currently employs 244 MidAtlantic workers in the Pittsburgh area, 229 of whom had been laid off by US Airways, and it keeps a MidAtlantic headquarters near the airport.