So now I have less cash on hand, a depreciating asset AND increased interest expense? Yeeeaaahhhh.....sounds like a great business decision, don't know why no one at XJT thought of it first.

One of ACA/Indy Air's big missteps was introducing those Airbii so quickly. I understand the operating economics are better on an aircraft that size but not the acquisition expense for an operation that size. They saddled themselves with a bunch of lease/interest expense at the same time they were burning cash to transition pilots onto the new airframe for an unproven operation. Its the same reason XJT didn't run out and buy E190s or A319s for the branded operation.

Fact of the matter is this, CAL holds the leases, CAL takes the risk. Yes, there may be a market for 50 seat RJs but it is small and unpredictable at best. The reason CHQ scrambled with those CRJs was because CAL wouldn't let 'em use the 170s (and because the arrogant SOBs running CAL and CHQ just assumed XJT would roll over and play dead.) But riddle me this: why were those CRJs available to CHQ in the first place? Because they had been sitting in the desert for years. Why had they been sitting in the desert so long? Because no one wanted them!