"Not Surprised" By Company's Bankruptcy Filing

Capt. Kevin Wilson, chairman of the Mesa Air Group (MAG) unit of ALPA, made the following statement Tuesday following MAG’s filing for bankruptcy with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York:

“While we are not surprised by the company’s bankruptcy filing, it is a sad day for all of us as MAG pilots. Our company experienced tremendous growth since it began operating in 1982. Unfortunately, the steady decline in the U.S. economy has had a tremendous impact on our partners and our company and MAG was forced to declare bankruptcy to eliminate excess aircraft. The bankruptcy process will allow our company to restructure its fleet and debt so that it meets the flying needs of our partners and remains competitive for future business opportunities.

“MAG has some of the lowest costs in the industry. Labor expenses are clearly not the problem, and the company indicated that they plan to honor the existing collective bargaining agreement with their pilots. The union will continue working to protect our pilots’ rights under this agreement.

“We have an extremely dedicated pilot group and are strongly committed to seeing our airline succeed. MAG pilots offer its partners and their customers quality service and proven performance, and we are committed to maintaining the same level of excellence for passengers traveling on our aircraft.”

ALPA represents the nearly 1,500 pilots—and 233 who are on furlough—at Mesa Air Group. Mesa Air Group includes Mesa Airlines, Freedom Airlines, and go!, the company’s interisland carrier in Hawaii. Pilots fly as Delta Connection, United Express, US Airways Express, and go!.

FMI: www.MesaPilots.com.