Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. Releases July Performance Data

MEMPHIS, TN--(Marketwire - August 7, 2009) - Pinnacle Airlines Corp. PNCL today released capacity and operational results for its Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. subsidiary for July 2009.

July Performance 2009 2008 Change --------- --------- -------- Passengers 1,055,590 925,164 14.1 % Available Seat Miles (000) 533,472 549,332 (2.9)% Revenue Passenger Miles (000) 436,575 439,189 (0.6)% Load Factor 81.8% 79.9% 1.9 pts. Block Hours 37,371 37,188 0.5 % Departures 24,872 22,753 9.3 % Fleet CRJ-200 124 125 (0.8)% CRJ-900 16 11 45.5 % Year-To-Date Performance 2009 2008 Change ----------- ----------- ---------- Passengers 6,218,942 6,076,013 2.4 % Available Seat Miles (000) 3,662,773 3,665,457 (0.1)% Revenue Passenger Miles (000) 2,737,960 2,825,898 (3.1)% Load Factor 74.8% 77.1% (2.3) pts. Block Hours 253,086 261,300 (3.1)% Departures 160,328 156,542 2.4 %

Pinnacle reports its total Passengers, Revenue Passenger Miles (RPMs), and Load Factor each month, even though fluctuations do not affect revenues received under capacity purchase agreements with Delta Air Lines, its mainline partner.

The average length of a Pinnacle flight was 408 statute miles compared to 470 statute miles in July 2008.

About Pinnacle Airlines Corp.

Pinnacle Airlines Corp. PNCL, an airline holding company, is the parent company of Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. and Colgan Air, Inc. Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. operates a fleet of 140 regional jets in the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Mexico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Turks and Caicos Islands under Delta brands. Colgan Air, Inc. operates a fleet of 48 regional turboprops as Continental Connection, United Express and US Airways Express. Pinnacle Airlines Corp. operating units fly over 1,000 daily flights and transport 13 million passengers annually to 144 cities and towns in North America. Visit www.pncl.com for more information.

This press release contains various forward-looking statements based on management's beliefs, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Such statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available to investors at our web site or online from the Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove erroneous, actual results July vary materially from results that were anticipated or projected. The Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements before its next required filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.