Airline Pilot Central Forums - Phaseout is Set for Colgan Name

Not sure if anyone here posted the official notification, but I'm sure this comes as no big surprise to anyone.

Phaseout is set for Colgan Air name : Local Business : The Buffalo News

The name Colgan Air, synonymous with the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 in Clarence Center, is going away.
No one will comment on when the Colgan name will be phased out, but the airline’s parent, Pinnacle Airlines, confirmed that the name will eventually disappear.
“Over time, our intent is to phase out the Colgan name as we reorganize into two operating airlines,” Pinnacle spokesman Joe Williams said in a statement.
Pinnacle’s confirmation that the Colgan name is being phased out came just days after it announced its $62 million purchase of Mesaba Airlines, a regional carrier owned by Delta Air Lines.
Pinnacle did not offer a timetable on when the name change would occur. Colgan, which flies under the name Continental Connection, operated the plane that crashed in Clarence Center in February 2009, killing 50 people. Continental subcontracted the Newark-to-Buffalo route to Colgan.
The crash resulted in nearly three dozen lawsuits against Colgan, Pinnacle, Continental Airlines and Bombardier Aviation Services, maker of the twin-engine turboprop plane that crashed.
“The Pinnacle, Colgan and Mesaba names will continue for the foreseeable future, as we will operate three separate fleets,” Williams said.
Pinnacle indicated that its long-term plan is to continue Colgan’s operations — its flights, planes and employees — but consolidate it with its two other air carriers, Pinnacle and Mesaba.
“We will still count on the people at all three airlines to make this work,” Williams said. “That’s our intent. There are many complex issues to be addressed, and this will take time. We plan to work closely with our internal organizations and our union partners as this moves forward.”
Under the parent company’s new strategy, Pinnacle would operate flights involving jets, while Mesaba would handle flights involving turboprops, including those now operated by Colgan.
Pinnacle’s decision to end the Colgan name came as one of its pilots, Todd S. Ewanko, 46, was arrested in Texas last week on charges of possessing video and still images of child pornography. The airline said the pilot has been placed on “indefinite suspension pending outcome of the investigation.”
A Pinnacle spokesman said that Ewanko has been fired, adding that a criminal background check had turned up no criminal arrests before his hiring.
The arrest came as Colgan continues to face criticism that the hiring, training and supervision of its pilots contributed to the crash of Flight 3407.