December Performance
                                -----------------------------------
                                   2009            2008      Change
                                ----------      ----------   ------
Passengers                         867,612         866,033      0.2%
Available Seat Miles (000)         497,627         537,301     (7.4)%
Revenue Passenger Miles (000)      378,164         407,339     (7.2)%
Load Factor                           76.0%           75.8%     0.2 pts.
Block Hours                         35,949          38,642     (7.0)%
Departures                          22,282          22,252      0.1%
Fleet
      CRJ-200                          126             124      1.6%
      CRJ-900                           16              18    (11.1)%
                                      Year-To-Date Performance
                                -----------------------------------
                                   2009            2008      Change
                                ----------      ----------   ------
Passengers                      10,770,780      10,392,982      3.6%
Available Seat Miles (000)       6,108,609       6,320,269     (3.3)%
Revenue Passenger Miles (000)    4,640,392       4,844,526     (4.2)%
Load Factor                           76.0%           76.7%    (0.7)pts.
Block Hours                        426,432         442,911     (3.7)%
Departures                         273,077         267,893      1.9%

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 428 statute miles compared to 460 statute miles in December 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 142 regional jets under Delta brands in the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Mexico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Turks and Caicos Islands. 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 more than 1,280 daily flights and transport 13 million passengers a year to 152 cities and towns in North America. The corporate headquarters is located in Memphis, Tenn. Airport hub operations are located in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Newark, Washington Dulles, Houston, LaGuardia, Memphis and Minneapolis. 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 September 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.

Contact:
Joe Williams
901-346-6162

SOURCE: Pinnacle Airlines