Since its inception, Pinnacle Air has purchased two fixed-base operators (FBOs) and 12 multimillion dollar jets that operate throughout North America. It logs 50-60 hours of flight time per plane per month. Pinnacle Air's investors surveyed some "key potential customers early on and found that there was not another premier operator in the region with first-class equipment, and professionally trained /  two-man crews.

There also was no competitor with anywhere near the level of liability insurance coverage Pinnacle Air was prepared to offer -- $100 million -- which is critical for a firm that wants to fly corporate executives and the super wealthy across the country.