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Pinnacle - Delta Connection - Files Chapter 11 in Bankruptcy Court

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Pinnacle - Delta Connection - Files Chapter 11 in Bankruptcy Court

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Old Apr 1, 2012, 10:04 pm
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Pinnacle - Delta Connection - Files Chapter 11 in Bankruptcy Court

Pinnacle Airlines, Operator of Delta Connection, United Express, and US Airways Express Flights, Files Chapter 11

Pinnacle Airlines announced it has filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Pinnacle Airlines Corp. has revenues of $1 billion and 8,000 employees. It is the parent of Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. and Colgan Air, Inc. and operates Delta Connection, United Express, and US Airways Express Flights.

In a statement released Sunday night, the airline said it will develop “a comprehensive turnaround plan …
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Old Apr 2, 2012, 1:15 am
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Question

what's the speculation on the near and long-term impact? Wikipedia displays a long-list of cities served by Pinnacle.
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Old Apr 2, 2012, 2:44 am
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Originally Posted by usavvy2
what's the speculation on the near and long-term impact? Wikipedia displays a long-list of cities served by Pinnacle.
The company will shed debt, cut employee wages/benefits and then resume business as usual after the top guys get huge "retention bonuses", most likely...

I see the executive team got huge pay raises right after a 5% pilot wage cut and right before the bankruptcy filing.

Corporate bankruptcy is such a joke.
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Old Apr 2, 2012, 4:37 am
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It's the easy way to get rid of the Saabs and Q's.

Odds are they emerge with the Mesaba name.

Too bad the bankruptcy court won't have the guts to roll back those management raises.
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Old Apr 2, 2012, 5:53 am
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Originally Posted by vxmike
The company will shed debt, cut employee wages/benefits and then resume business as usual after the top guys get huge "retention bonuses", most likely...

I see the executive team got huge pay raises right after a 5% pilot wage cut and right before the bankruptcy filing.

Corporate bankruptcy is such a joke.
The pilots have not accepted any wage cuts yet. The airline has proposed a 5% cut, but it cannot be imposed unilaterally.

Last edited by xliioper; Apr 2, 2012 at 6:11 am
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Old Apr 2, 2012, 6:03 am
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Pinnacle is a joke as an airline and Delta Connection partner! They are poor performing airline along with Expressjet (formerly ASA). Yes, the employees will get pay cuts and executives get all the money & credit.
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Old Apr 2, 2012, 6:45 am
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If memory serves me correctly, Pinnacle was once a wholly-owned subsidiary of NWA under a different name. With Delta providing DIP financing and its majority creditor, does this mean that the airline is once again or will be part of NWA-Delta?
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Old Apr 2, 2012, 7:03 am
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Originally Posted by DMPM
They are poor performing airline along with Expressjet (formerly ASA).
I thought ASA stood for "Another Sh**y Airline"?

...as far as I'm concerned they're still ASA!
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Old Apr 2, 2012, 7:25 am
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This expert from the artlice quoted at The Wandering Armenean scares me...

While the company plans to operate normally in the coming days, they also intend to make significant operational changes in the coming months regarding their contracts with carriers. With Delta, the filings indicate an extension of the CRJ-200 Agreement, suggesting that those aircraft will remain in service for Delta beyond the current 2017 expiry. At the same time, they claim that the CRJ-900 flying is unprofitable and that it must be curtailed or renegotiated. To that end, the CRJ-900 aircraft currently operating for Delta will be removed from service in the first half of 2013.
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Old Apr 2, 2012, 7:51 am
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Originally Posted by james318
This expert from the artlice quoted at The Wandering Armenean scares me...
Delta has told investors that they are committed to reducing and eliminating use of 50 seat planes. I wonder what happens if Delta refuses to extend the contract for Pinnacle to use the 200s?

Also, how is it possible that the 900 is less profitable? I thought they were more fuel efficient and seat 20 more passengers, in addition to offering FC and soon EC monetization opportunities.

Maybe Pinnacle and Delta just need to part ways.
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Old Apr 2, 2012, 7:59 am
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I'm just wondering why they plan on getting of the newer, more efficient aircraft. The -900 is a good airplane, although a little cramped in back. I would take riding on a Q400 any day over a CRJ-200. No one wants 50 seat RJ's anymore. Delta sure doesn't. Not quite sure what Pinnacles strategy is here.
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Old Apr 2, 2012, 9:11 am
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Originally Posted by dcline414
Delta has told investors that they are committed to reducing and eliminating use of 50 seat planes. I wonder what happens if Delta refuses to extend the contract for Pinnacle to use the 200s?

Also, how is it possible that the 900 is less profitable? I thought they were more fuel efficient and seat 20 more passengers, in addition to offering FC and soon EC monetization opportunities.

Maybe Pinnacle and Delta just need to part ways.
The profitable 200s versus unprofitable 900s is a Pinnacle/Delta contract issue, not a characteristic of the aircraft. Two pilots and 76 seats versus two pilots and 50 seats with similar fuel burn rates is a simple mathematical advantage to the CRJ-900. All of the mainline carriers want to reduce their <= 50 pax exposure and subject to pilot contract restrictions on the allowable >= 51 pax aircraft.
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Old Apr 2, 2012, 9:14 am
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Originally Posted by saxman66
I'm just wondering why they plan on getting of the newer, more efficient aircraft. The -900 is a good airplane, although a little cramped in back. I would take riding on a Q400 any day over a CRJ-200. No one wants 50 seat RJ's anymore. Delta sure doesn't. Not quite sure what Pinnacles strategy is here.
The Q400 has an advantage over the CRJ-900 for less than 500 miles trips. For example, AS uses them very successfully for things like LAX-RNO. Delta is right sized on the CRJ-900 on the longer haul routes like SLC-STL.
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Old Apr 2, 2012, 9:46 am
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Originally Posted by ksweeney
The profitable 200s versus unprofitable 900s is a Pinnacle/Delta contract issue, not a characteristic of the aircraft. Two pilots and 76 seats versus two pilots and 50 seats with similar fuel burn rates is a simple mathematical advantage to the CRJ-900. All of the mainline carriers want to reduce their <= 50 pax exposure and subject to pilot contract restrictions on the allowable >= 51 pax aircraft.
Don't forget a 200 can be operated with a single FA, while a 900 requires 2.
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Old Apr 2, 2012, 9:53 am
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Originally Posted by javabytes
Don't forget a 200 can be operated with a single FA, while a 900 requires 2.
The single FA is an advantage for the 200 when the pax load is something under 55 on a 900. Due to the relatively low pay of FAs, the additional seat revenue quickly offsets the FA pay as the load factor rises. For example, with a conservative $100 per seat on a 400 mile segment, 26 seats will yield $2,600 in additional revenue for the 1 hour flight time. The additional FA will be paid something under $2,600 for the hour
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