MEDIA ADVISORY

Delta Connection Pilots Protest Four Years without a New Contract at Memphis Shareholders Meeting

MEMPHIS, TN — The pilots of Pinnacle Airlines (NASDAQ: PCLA), represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), will conduct informational picketing prior to the start of the 2009 Pinnacle Airlines Shareholders Meeting on Thursday, May 21. Now in their fifth year of negotiations, pilots are urging management to bring this round of bargaining to a close. Substantial progress has been made in recent weeks, and the pilots want that progress to continue.

“Our on-time performance puts us at the top of the industry in the contiguous United States,” said Capt. Scott Erickson, chairman of the ALPA arm at Pinnacle, “and we continue to post profits. The pilots’ dedication and commitment to this airline should finally be acknowledged with a fair contract.”

Why:
The Pinnacle pilots’ contract became amendable May 1, 2005. Pinnacle pilots are the only Pinnacle employee group that has not had a raise in more than five years. Pinnacle management has used revenue generated by the hard work of its pilots and other employees to acquire new airlines (with its purchase of Colgan Air in 2007) without committing to the future growth of Pinnacle and job security protection of existing pilots. Pinnacle Airlines continues to grow, while its pilots are near the bottom of the industry in pay and work rules compared to other regional carriers.

When:
Thursday, May 21, 2009, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Informational Picketing

Where:
Madison Hotel, 79 Madison Avenue, Memphis

Background:
Pinnacle pilots and management have been negotiating for a new contract since February 2005. Substantial progress has been made during the past several weeks and the pilots are pushing for the completion of the remaining contract issues. The parties entered mediated negotiations in late September 2006. Pinnacle employs 1,244 pilots.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilots union and represents nearly 55,000 pilots at 36 airlines in the U.S. and Canada.

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ALPA CONTACT: Capt. Scott Erickson (651) 226-3797
Capt. Amy Kotzer (612) 385-1885
Kimberly Seitz (703) 609-1650 or Kimberly.Seitz@alpa.org