EXHIBIT 99.1
PINNACLE AIRLINES RELEASES FEBRUARY TRAFFIC
MEMPHIS TENN. (MARCH 8, 2005) Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. (NASDAQ: PNCL) released
its passenger and traffic levels for February 2005 today. Additionally, the
Company has provided block hour and cycle information.
For February, Pinnacle flew 402.8 million Available Seat Miles (ASMs), an
increase of 54.7% over February 2004 levels. Revenue Passenger Miles (RPMs)
expanded 58.4% to 249.3 million. Passenger Load Factor was 61.9%, up 1.5 points.
Pinnacle transported 514,102 Customers during the month, 34.5% more than the
same period last year.
During February, Pinnacle operated 31,521 block hours and 17,973 cycles,
increases of 53.4% and 33.1% over February 2004 levels, respectively. The term
block hour refers to the elapsed time between an aircraft leaving a gate and
arriving at a gate, and the term cycles refers to an aircraft's departure and
corresponding arrival.
Separately, Pinnacle accepted delivery of 1 new Canadair Regional Jet during the
calendar month of February bringing its total fleet to 120 CRJs on February 28,
2005.
FEBRUARY 2005 TRAFFIC
2005 2004 CHANGE
ASMs (000) 402,835 260,400 54.7%
RPMs (000) 249,282 157,402 58.4%
Load Factor 61.9% 60.4% 1.5 pts
Passengers 514,102 382,184 34.5%
Block Hours 31,521 20,547 53.4%
Cycles 17,973 13,503 33.1%
YEAR-TO-DATE TRAFFIC
2005 2004 CHANGE
ASMs (000) 819,764 520,910 57.4%
RPMs (000) 489,084 304,318 60.7%
Load Factor 59.7% 58.4% 1.3 pts
Passengers 1,011,205 740,313 36.6%
Block Hours 64,466 41,617 54.9%
Cycles 36,551 27,152 34.6%
Pinnacle Airlines, Inc., operates under the name Northwest Airlink and provides
service to destinations in the United States and Canada. Pinnacle operates an
all-jet fleet of Canadair 44 and 50-seat Regional Jets from Northwest hubs at
Detroit, Memphis and Minneapolis - St. Paul. Pinnacle Airlines maintains its
headquarters in Memphis, Tenn., and employs approximately 3,250 People. For
further information, please contact Philip Reed, Vice-President, Marketing at
901-348-4257, or visit our web-site at www.nwairlink.com.
This press release contains various forward-looking statements that are
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 on line from the
Commission. Should one of 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.
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