Private equity and regional airlines

There’s an excellent and informative article on regional airlines, particularly Pinnacle Air, at SmartMoney.com’s “Under the Radar” column.

Pinnacle, flying as Northwest Airlink, recently acquired Colgan, which will be its platform for growth.

Airline consultant Michael Boyd is quoted as saying regional airlines are headed for a round of mergers.

Private equity leveraged buyouts are touching every industry. Expect them to push consolidation among regional carriers as well.