MEMPHIS, TN -- (Marketwire) -- 06/16/09 -- Pinnacle Airlines Corp. (NASDAQ: PNCL) today released capacity and operational results for its Colgan Air, Inc. subsidiary for April and May 2009.

                                          April 2009 Performance
                                    ----------------------------------
                                       2009        2008       Change
                                    ----------  ----------  ---------
Passengers                             223,857     194,936       14.8 %
Available Seat Miles (000)              88,935      77,571       14.6 %
Revenue Passenger Miles (000)           52,466      41,655       26.0 %
Load Factor                               59.0%       53.7%       5.3 pts
Block Hours                             11,278      12,631      (10.7)%
Departures                               9,045      10,114      (10.6)%
Fleet
    SAAB 340                                34          41      (17.1)%
    Beech 1900                               -           4     (100.0)%
    Q400                                    14          12       16.7 %
                                           May 2009 Performance
                                    ----------------------------------
                                       2009        2008       Change
                                    ----------  ----------  ---------
Passengers                             236,520     227,782        3.8 %
Available Seat Miles (000)              89,749      91,683       (2.1)%
Revenue Passenger Miles (000)           54,961      51,808        6.1 %
Load Factor                               61.2%       56.5%       4.7 pts.
Block Hours                             11,203      13,630      (17.8)%
Departures                               9,183      10,801      (15.0)%
Fleet
    SAAB 340                                34          40      (15.0)%
    Beech 1900                               -           5     (100.0)%
    Q400                                    14          12       16.7 %
                                         Year-To-Date Performance
                                    ----------------------------------
                                       2009        2008       Change
                                    ----------  ----------  ---------
Passengers                           1,036,930     861,444       20.4 %
Available Seat Miles (000)             439,171     349,849       25.5 %
Revenue Passenger Miles (000)          239,736     182,184       31.6 %
Load Factor                               54.6%       52.1%       2.5 pts.
Block Hours                             56,392      59,395       (5.1)%
Departures                              45,316      47,715       (5.0)%

The average length of a Colgan flight was 221 statute miles compared to 203 statute miles in April 2008, and 219 statute miles compared to 211 statute miles in May 2008.

About Pinnacle Airlines Corp.

Pinnacle Airlines Corp. (NASDAQ: PNCL), an airline holding company, is the parent company of Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. and Colgan Air, Inc. Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. operates a fleet of 141 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 may 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.