Colgan airlines to be phased out
Created 7/9/2010

Pinnacle Airlines, a small airline holding company that also owns Colgan Airlines, has announced plans to phase out the brand after a wave of safety lapses.

Pinnacle and its subsidiaries operate short regional flights under contract for bigger airlines. Colgan's planes operate under the United Express, Continental Connections, and US Airways Express names. Pinnacle, meanwhile, operates some Delta Connections flights.

The company, independent from the larger ones, recently purchased Mesaba Airlines, which runs Delta Connection flights as well, from the airline. Now, it is using the acquisition as an opportunity to say goodbye to the tarnished reputation of its Colgan subsidiary.

Colgan has been cited by the Federal Aviation Administration six times over the past several years. Repair violations and pilot error contributed to a crash in Hyannis, Massachusetts, in 2003, which killed both pilots. Colgan also operated the flight that crashed in Buffalo, New York, in 2009, which killed fifty people. The National Safety Transportation Board has heavily criticized the airline's hiring, supervision and training practices.

Travelers may be flying on Pinnacle or Colgan flights and not even know it. For that reason, it pays to invest in flight accident insurance for protection in the case of a crash.

Related Products: Flight Accident Insurance Products

Related Articles: Flight Accident Insurance

View TravelInsuranceCenter.com News Archive