* Lotz's affidavit said that many of the aircraft were leased for periods longer than the code-sharing agreements with the larger airlines, opening up Mesa to risks that it could lose a partner or its partner wanted fewer or different airplanes on renewal.
"These risks were recognized at the time these aircraft were leased but given the fundamental changes to the aviation industry and the more recent downturn in the credit markets during the past year, it was not foreseeable that demand for certain regional aircraft would literally evaporate in less than three years," the affidavit said.


That sums it up right there. Poor management, greed and bottom feeding to the point where UA didn't need to dump their RJs but did anyways.