Pinnacle Airlines
Encyclopedia
Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. (formerly Express Airlines I) is an American
regional airline
, which is a subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp.
, and operates as Delta Connection
for Delta Air Lines
. It is based in Memphis, Tennessee
, with its main flying operations based at Memphis International Airport
, with hubs at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport
.
in May 1985. Republic was the dominant carrier in Memphis but, in keeping with the hub-and-spoke concept
, wanted to add more smaller cities and free up its larger DC-9 jets
to serve longer stage-length routes. Express I was able to accomplish this by beginning service on June 1, 1985, to 3 cities using BAe Jetstream 31 aircraft. Within six months, Express Airlines I was operating in ten markets using nine Jetstream 31s and two Saab 340
aircraft.
On December 15, 1985, a second contract opened operations at a Republic Airlines home base at Minneapolis-St. Paul. By its first anniversary, Republic Express was operating 20 Jetstream 31s and seven Saab 340s in 32 markets. In Spring 1986, Northwest Airlines
announced the acquisition of Republic, which was completed on October 1, 1986, following regulatory and shareholder approvals.
Over the next decade, Express I provided airline services to 56 cities in the Southeast and upper Mid-West. In 1997, Northwest Airlines elected to make changes in the structure of Express I, which was a privately held company. On April 1, 1997, Express I became a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines. In order to consolidate the many Airlink systems operated at that time, Express I transferred flying at Minneapolis-St. Paul, allowing it to concentrate on the Memphis Hub.
In August 1997, Express I moved its corporate headquarters to Memphis, allowing all the various departments to function from its main base of operations. On 7 May 1999, Express I announced a major transition into the jet age as its parent company announced that Express would be the launch operator of the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet
(CRJ) at Northwest. This award was for a minimum of 42 CRJs designated to operate as Northwest Jet Airlink. Delivery of the CRJs began in April 2000 and the first Northwest CRJ lifted into the sky on June 1, 2000, bound for Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP)
. The first CRJ (N8390A) was named "The Spirit of Memphis Belle," although it has since been repainted into Delta Connection colors, but the title "The Spirit of Memphis Belle" still remains painted on the forward part of the fuselage. Express I changed its name to Pinnacle Airlines on May 8, 2002.
did not agree on a new pilot contract by 31 March 2007, then Northwest could remove up to 17 CRJs from Pinnacle's fleet. After the deadline passed with no new pilot contract, Northwest exercised its right to remove 17 CRJs from Pinnacle, starting in September 2008 at a rate of two CRJs per month. Ironically, these 17 CRJs were removed from Pinnacle and handed over to Mesaba Airlines
in 2008, which Pinnacle acquired in 2010.
Northwest has also allowed Pinnacle to seek flying from other carriers. On April 30, 2007, Pinnacle Airlines Corp. signed a 10 year contract with Delta Air Lines
to be a Delta Connection
carrier. The 16 Bombardier CRJ 900's began delivery in November 2007 and the deliveries are scheduled to be complete by May 2009. The first batch of delivered aircraft are based in Atlanta and began service in December 2007. As of July 2008, Pinnacle has 11 CRJ-900 operating for Delta Air Lines. On June 10, 2008 Pinnacle announced that Delta planned to withdraw from the contract by 31 July 2008 for failure to make its timetable. However, on July 18, 2008 Delta announced that an agreement had been reached that would allow Pinnacle to continue flying for Delta under the terms of the initial contract. The remaining 4 CRJ-900s will be delivered between January and May 2009, at which point all 15 CRJ-900s will be in service for Delta Connection.
The airline has 3,436 employees (at March 2007).
The CRJ-200 is operated by a flight crew of 2: a pilot and a co-pilot. It also requires only 1 cabin crew member or flight attendant. This airframe is the smallest airframe that Pinnacle operates, with a seating capacity of 50. The inside cabin of the aircraft is approximately 48 feet long, with a height of six feet. The exterior of the plane is 87 feet long with a wing span of 69 feet. The plane is powered by two General Electric CF34-B1 jet engines. The planes cruise speed is .81 mach.
The CRJ-900 is the larger of the two airframes that Pinnacle operates. The seating is broken up into two sections a first class which usually seats 12 and a coach class that seats 64 for a total seating of 76. For this aircraft the seating is set up with four seats abreast with the center isle down the middle. The interior of the cabin measures 69 feet long and six feet high. The exterior of the plane is 119 feet long and a wing span of 81 and half feet. The aircraft is powered by two General Electric CF34-8C5 Turbofan engines with a cruise speed of .83 or 547 mph.
The Pinnacle Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft as of December 2009:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
regional airline
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
, which is a subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp.
Pinnacle Airlines Corp.
Pinnacle Airlines Corp. is an American holding company headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, which is the parent company of three airlines: Pinnacle Airlines, Mesaba Airlines and Colgan Air...
, and operates as Delta Connection
Delta Connection
Delta Connection is the name under which a number of individually owned regional airlines and one wholly owned regional carrier operate short and medium haul routes in association with Delta Air Lines Inc...
for Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
. It is based in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, with its main flying operations based at Memphis International Airport
Memphis International Airport
Memphis International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Memphis, a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States....
, with hubs at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport....
, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is the largest and busiest airport in the five-state upper Midwest region of Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.-Overview:...
, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport , known locally as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport, and Hartsfield–Jackson, is located seven miles south of the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States...
and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
.
History
The airline was established in February 1985 as Express Airlines I with the intent of offering regional airline passenger feed to a code sharing, major airline’s hub. Express I began its first code sharing agreement with Republic AirlinesRepublic Airlines (1979-1986)
Republic Airlines was an airline formed on July 1, 1979 by the merger of North Central Airlines, Southern Airways, and Hughes Airwest. Its headquarters were located on the grounds of Minneapolis-St...
in May 1985. Republic was the dominant carrier in Memphis but, in keeping with the hub-and-spoke concept
Spoke-hub distribution paradigm
The hub-and-spoke distribution paradigm is a system of connections arranged like a chariot wheel, in which all traffic moves along spokes connected to the hub at the center...
, wanted to add more smaller cities and free up its larger DC-9 jets
McDonnell Douglas DC-9
The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner. It was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights. The final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.The DC-9 was followed in subsequent modified forms by...
to serve longer stage-length routes. Express I was able to accomplish this by beginning service on June 1, 1985, to 3 cities using BAe Jetstream 31 aircraft. Within six months, Express Airlines I was operating in ten markets using nine Jetstream 31s and two Saab 340
Saab 340
The Saab 340 is a discontinued Swedish two-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65:35 ratio...
aircraft.
On December 15, 1985, a second contract opened operations at a Republic Airlines home base at Minneapolis-St. Paul. By its first anniversary, Republic Express was operating 20 Jetstream 31s and seven Saab 340s in 32 markets. In Spring 1986, Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
announced the acquisition of Republic, which was completed on October 1, 1986, following regulatory and shareholder approvals.
Over the next decade, Express I provided airline services to 56 cities in the Southeast and upper Mid-West. In 1997, Northwest Airlines elected to make changes in the structure of Express I, which was a privately held company. On April 1, 1997, Express I became a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines. In order to consolidate the many Airlink systems operated at that time, Express I transferred flying at Minneapolis-St. Paul, allowing it to concentrate on the Memphis Hub.
In August 1997, Express I moved its corporate headquarters to Memphis, allowing all the various departments to function from its main base of operations. On 7 May 1999, Express I announced a major transition into the jet age as its parent company announced that Express would be the launch operator of the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet
Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet
The Bombardier CRJ is a family of regional airliners manufactured by Bombardier:* CRJ100 - 50 seats* CRJ200 - 50 seats* CRJ700 - 70 seats* CRJ705 - 75 seats* CRJ900 - 90 seats* CRJ1000 - 100 seats...
(CRJ) at Northwest. This award was for a minimum of 42 CRJs designated to operate as Northwest Jet Airlink. Delivery of the CRJs began in April 2000 and the first Northwest CRJ lifted into the sky on June 1, 2000, bound for Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP)
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport , also known as GSP International Airport or Roger Milliken Field, is a public airport located in unincorporated Greenville and Spartanburg counties in South Carolina, United States, 3 miles south of central Greer; the airport serves Greenville and...
. The first CRJ (N8390A) was named "The Spirit of Memphis Belle," although it has since been repainted into Delta Connection colors, but the title "The Spirit of Memphis Belle" still remains painted on the forward part of the fuselage. Express I changed its name to Pinnacle Airlines on May 8, 2002.
Current operations
Northwest agreed with Pinnacle on a new Air Service Agreement (ASA) on December 21, 2006. The agreement contracts Pinnacle to fly 124 CRJs until 2017. A clause within the ASA stipulates that if Pinnacle and Air Line Pilots AssociationAir Line Pilots Association, International
The Air Line Pilots Association, International , is the collective bargaining representative for over 59,000 pilots of 39 U.S. and Canadian airlines. ALPA was formed in 1931 and is a member of the AFL-CIO and the Canadian Labour Congress...
did not agree on a new pilot contract by 31 March 2007, then Northwest could remove up to 17 CRJs from Pinnacle's fleet. After the deadline passed with no new pilot contract, Northwest exercised its right to remove 17 CRJs from Pinnacle, starting in September 2008 at a rate of two CRJs per month. Ironically, these 17 CRJs were removed from Pinnacle and handed over to Mesaba Airlines
Mesaba Airlines
Mesaba Airlines is an American regional airline based in Eagan, Minnesota. The airline operates under Mesaba Aviation, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corporation...
in 2008, which Pinnacle acquired in 2010.
Northwest has also allowed Pinnacle to seek flying from other carriers. On April 30, 2007, Pinnacle Airlines Corp. signed a 10 year contract with Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
to be a Delta Connection
Delta Connection
Delta Connection is the name under which a number of individually owned regional airlines and one wholly owned regional carrier operate short and medium haul routes in association with Delta Air Lines Inc...
carrier. The 16 Bombardier CRJ 900's began delivery in November 2007 and the deliveries are scheduled to be complete by May 2009. The first batch of delivered aircraft are based in Atlanta and began service in December 2007. As of July 2008, Pinnacle has 11 CRJ-900 operating for Delta Air Lines. On June 10, 2008 Pinnacle announced that Delta planned to withdraw from the contract by 31 July 2008 for failure to make its timetable. However, on July 18, 2008 Delta announced that an agreement had been reached that would allow Pinnacle to continue flying for Delta under the terms of the initial contract. The remaining 4 CRJ-900s will be delivered between January and May 2009, at which point all 15 CRJ-900s will be in service for Delta Connection.
The airline has 3,436 employees (at March 2007).
Destinations
Pinnacle flies out of five hubs, Detroit MI, Memphis TN, Minneapolis-St. Paul MN, New York, NY (JFK) and Atlanta GA. Pinnacle currently serves over 110 cities in 39 states and Canadian provinces. It operates well over 800 flights a day.Fleet
Pinnacle Airlines is currently in the process of painting all of its CRJ-200 fleet from Northwest Airlink to Delta Connection. 2 aircraft are being painted per 8–10 days and the project should take about 16 months.The CRJ-200 is operated by a flight crew of 2: a pilot and a co-pilot. It also requires only 1 cabin crew member or flight attendant. This airframe is the smallest airframe that Pinnacle operates, with a seating capacity of 50. The inside cabin of the aircraft is approximately 48 feet long, with a height of six feet. The exterior of the plane is 87 feet long with a wing span of 69 feet. The plane is powered by two General Electric CF34-B1 jet engines. The planes cruise speed is .81 mach.
The CRJ-900 is the larger of the two airframes that Pinnacle operates. The seating is broken up into two sections a first class which usually seats 12 and a coach class that seats 64 for a total seating of 76. For this aircraft the seating is set up with four seats abreast with the center isle down the middle. The interior of the cabin measures 69 feet long and six feet high. The exterior of the plane is 119 feet long and a wing span of 81 and half feet. The aircraft is powered by two General Electric CF34-8C5 Turbofan engines with a cruise speed of .83 or 547 mph.
The Pinnacle Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft as of December 2009:
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | Y | Total | ||
| Bombardier CRJ-200LR | 126 | — | 50 | 50 |
| Bombardier CRJ-900 | 16 | 12 | 64 | 76 |
Incidents and accidents
- Flight 3701Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701 crashed on October 14, 2004, near Jefferson City, Missouri, United States. It was an overnight ferry flight from Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, U.S...
was a Bombardier CRJ200Bombardier CRJ200The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 are a family of regional airliner manufactured by Bombardier, and based on the Canadair Challenger business jet.-Development:...
with a crew of two operating a re-position flight (with no passengers) from Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
to Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. It crashed on October 14, 2004 in a residential area in Jefferson City, MissouriJefferson City, MissouriJefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...
due to the flight crew pushing the plane past its capabilities and ignoring warnings. Both pilots were killed. - Flight 4712 was a Bombardier CRJ200Bombardier CRJ200The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 are a family of regional airliner manufactured by Bombardier, and based on the Canadair Challenger business jet.-Development:...
LR from Traverse City, MichiganTraverse City, MichiganTraverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
that overran the runway when landing at Cherry Capital AirportCherry Capital AirportCherry Capital Airport is a public-use airport located two nautical miles south of the central business district of Traverse City, in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, United States...
(TVC), Traverse City, MichiganTraverse City, MichiganTraverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
. The plane was damaged, but nobody was hurt. The NTSB determined that the cause of the accident was the "pilots’ decision to land at TVC without performing a landing distance assessment" which in turn was caused by fatigued pilots and unclear directions from the TVC controller tower. The report recommended more landing distance training, post-accident drug testing, and further criteria for runway closures in snow and ice conditions.
- FAA fines pinacle over $1million for allegedly operating two canadaair jets in 2009 and 2010 wen they were not in compliance with FAA regulations. On one of the aircraft, flight crew performed procedures which should have been conducted by maintenance personnel; FAA inspectors had denied a request to make the work an operations task. On a second aircraft, Pinnacle is accused of failing to conduct proper monitoring of a cracked low-pressure turbine case.