The effervescent Ornstein, now 42, is chief executive of Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group.

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Mesa Air Group Inc. said it would begin training its pilots to carry and use non-lethal stun guns in the cockpit in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration.

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And he notes that Mesa Air Group, which operates primarily as a contract carrier throughout the U.S., recently signed a joint venture agreement with Shenzhen Airlines to create a Chinese regional airline.

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The smaller carriers that do have a significant percentage of hub-and-spoke routes, such as Mesa Air Group and SkyWest, do so as contract carriers for the Big Six: AMR, Delta Air Lines , UAL, Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and U.S. Airways.

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