Republic Airways profitable but down 57.5%

While its peers posted losses, Republic Airways Holdings managed a USD9 million profit on a 7.9% increase in operating revenues to USD767.9 million during the third quarter, despite struggles with its branded division, Frontier, which posted a USD4 million GAAP loss.

Frontier was the company's answer to revenue diversification in the changing regional airline space even as peers SkyWest and Pinnacle sought increased diversification from adding new major-carrier partners to their capacity purchase portfolios. While Frontier has been troubled since its 2009 acquisition and integration with Midwest Airlines, CEO Bryan Bedford painted a promising future for the division.