A new breed of aircraft could be set to spread its wings to Bermuda starting with a service from the US East Coast.

But there is also uncertainty over the future of routes between four gateway cities to the Island with the proposed purchase of US Airways by United Airlines.

If the deal goes through, which is expected to be by next year, United Airlines plan to start a new flight from Washington DC's Dulles airport to the Island.

Bermuda was identified as one of several new routes for the carrier to fill a void on the east coast. And the service could coincide with the first regional jet coming to the Island.

The small, 40 to 100 seater aircraft are seen as a great opportunity for destinations like Bermuda. Their range of about 800 miles, smaller size and cheaper operating costs are seen as key factors.

And in addition to United Airlines, other carriers are understood to be looking at the viability of the planes -- enabling them to bring small numbers of premium paying passengers on a high yield route.

Airline consultant to Bermuda, Tulinda Larsen, said existing carriers could look to smaller airports in the north east such as Hartford or Westchester, where they could tap into affluent markets and link up to larger hubs.

"Bermuda is a high yield market. It has a talent for getting premium service,'' she said.

"Most of the service (with regional jets) is on a seasonal basis, but with regional jets being so small, they have the potential of doing year-round service.'' But the dividend bonus from the potential sale could also have drawbacks with US Airways having no control over its own services if the deal goes through.

Presently it serves Bermuda from Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York and Charlotte.

US Airways spokesman David Castelveter said he could not comment on what United's plans were.

However, Baltimore is an hour from Washington's airport, which has its own population base to draw from.

Ms Larsen, who is vice president of business development for Back Aviation Solutions, said she believed Charlotte would be strengthened as a hub, Dulles would also grow and Philadelphia would prosper.

However, she added that she thought Baltimore would be downsized, but the Bermuda service would be retained.