AZBIZ.COM

Mesa Air ordered to pay $80M
for misusing confidential info


Published on Friday, November 02, 2007



A federal judge in Honolulu ordered Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group to pay Hawaiian Airlines $80 million in damages for using confidential information to "gain a competitive advantage" in launching its own inter-island airline as competition.

Mesa had gained the information in 2004 when it was considering investing in Hawaiian. In its lawsuit, Hawaiian had sought more than $170 million in damages and a court order to stop Mesa’s airline called go! from operating for one year.



U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Faris on Oct. 30 declined to order the airline to stop flying.

Jonathan Ornstein, chairman and CEO of Mesa, said his company would appeal the ruling.