Originally Posted by
lolwut
Mesaba was parking aircraft with more on the way. The Saabs were done for and the CRJ-200s probably at risk.
Colgan lost Pinnacle Corp more money than it cost to buy them. Without the money gained by Pinnacle Airlines (yes, the one with the pilots), Colgan would probably have ceased to exist long ago. The potential for aircraft and upgrades had nothing to do with Colgan itself other than than its cheap, easy to manipulate labor.
Pinnacle had solid finances, a large operation, and fairly stalled growth (both in fleet and hiring).
None of these airlines have anything to be proud of, some more than others.