EXHIBIT 99.1

                                  PRESS RELEASE


                   PINNACLE AIRLINES RELEASES JANUARY TRAFFIC

                            PASSENGER LOAD FACTOR 69%


MEMPHIS TENN. (FEBRUARY 7, 2006) Pinnacle Airlines, Inc., a wholly owned
subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. (NASDAQ: PNCL), released its passenger and
traffic levels for January 2006 today.

For January, Pinnacle flew 463.4 million Available Seat Miles ("ASMs"), an
increase of 11.1% over January 2005 levels. Revenue Passenger Miles ("RPMs")
expanded 33.3% to 319.6 million. Passenger Load Factor was 69.0%, an increase of
11.5 points over January 2005 levels. Pinnacle transported 653,962 Customers
during the month, 31.6% more than the same period last year.

Also for the month, Pinnacle operated 35,385 block hours and completed 20,957
cycles, increases of 7.4% and 12.8%, respectively, over January 2005 levels. The
term "block hour" refers to the elapsed time between an aircraft leaving a gate
and arriving at a gate, and the term "cycle" refers to an aircraft's departure
and corresponding arrival.

                                 JANUARY TRAFFIC




                           2006         2005         CHANGE
                                           
ASMs (000)                463,388      416,929         11.1%
RPMs (000)                319,629      239,802         33.3%
Load Factor                  69.0%        57.5%     11.5 pts
Passengers                653,962      497,103         31.6%
Block Hours                35,385       32,945          7.4%
Cycles                     20,957       18,578         12.8%


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 124 Canadair 44 and 50-seat Regional Jets from Northwest hubs
at Detroit, Memphis and Minneapolis - St. Paul, and its focus city of
Indianapolis. Pinnacle Airlines maintains its headquarters in Memphis, Tenn.,
and employs approximately 3,450 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.

                                      # # #