ARLINGTON, Va., April 18 (Reuters) - US Airways (U) and its pilots union finalized an agreement on Thursday to double the number of regional jets the company can operate on its express service. The airline said the deal with the Air Line Pilots Association to use an additional 70 cost-efficient regional jets with up to 50 seats on East Coast routes was central to its financial recovery plan. US Airways reported a loss on Thursday of $269 million in the first quarter and said it was likely to seek federal loan guarantees to boost its financial prospects. Under the agreement with its pilots, US Airways now can fly 140 regional jets on its US Airways Express service. "The agreement addresses both the pilots and the company's needs," said Chris Beebe, a US Airways captain and chairman of the union's chapter at the carrier based in Arlington, Va. Beebe said the union had unanimously ratified terms of a tentative agreement reached last week. The previous arrangements with pilots that restricted regional jet use put the No. 6 carrier at a disadvantage to competitors Delta Air Lines (DAL) and Continental Airlines (CAL) that both have much larger regional fleets. Past efforts with pilots to expand the regional fleet at US Airways stalled over job protection issues. ©2002 Reuters Limited.