SkyWest, a regional airline, negotiated a financial arrangement with Delta and United Airlines to provide regional jet service. SkyWest agreed to paint its jets the colors of Delta Connection and United Express and to fly routes specified by the two airlines. In return, Delta and United agreed to pay SkyWest a predetermined profit margin and to cover most of the regional airline%u2019s costs. While the deal limited the amount of profit SkyWest could earn, it also insulated the smaller airline from volatility in earnings since the major airlines covered SkyWest%u2019s fuel costs, increased its percentage of seats occupied and managed its ticket prices.

Wall Street responded by increasing SkyWest%u2019s market valuation from $143 million to $1.1 billion after the arrangement was made. Explain, in economic terms, how this arrangement with Delta and United could have caused the value of SkyWest to increase so dramatically even though it limited the amount of profit the company could earn.