CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE IN THE AIR:
Independence Air Welcomes The Arrival Of Low Fares At Washington Dulles
Thursday, Febuary 5, 2004 11:18 AM ET
DULLES, Va., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACAI, news) and Independence Air today welcomed the announced arrival of United's "Ted" product at Washington Dulles International Airport.
(Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/200311...19/DCW018LOGO-a )
With United as the dominant carrier at Washington Dulles, the airport has acquired a reputation for having some of the highest fares in the U.S. But Independence Air will turn Dulles into the largest low-fare hub in America once implemented, with plans to grow quickly to more than 350 flights to 50 destinations up and down the East Coast, to Florida, the Midwest and West Coast.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kerry Skeen said, "We're proud to be part of the transformation of our home airport into what will become one of the great low-fare airports in America, and once Independence Air's schedule of 350 daily low-fare flights is available we think the idea of flying from Dulles will be more popular than ever before."
He added, "We think United's 15 low-fare departures will merely be the appetizer for Independence Air's new 350 flight low-fare all-you-can-fly buffet."
Independence Air service will be provided using a fleet of over 100 jet aircraft fitted with new leather seats, including the fast, quiet 50-seat CRJ and at least 25 new Airbus 319s with free satellite TV available at every seat.
The "preview" website for Independence Air is available now at
http://www.flyi.com. Once an official start date for service is announced, customers will be able to make reservations directly on the site. Web visitors who sign up for membership to the i club will receive additional information about Independence Air services, and be offered the opportunity to take advantage of special offers and promotions available only to members.
Atlantic Coast Airlines currently operates as Delta Connection and United Express in the Eastern and Midwestern United States as well as Canada. On July 28, 2003, the company announced plans to operate as Independence Air -- an independent low-fare airline based at Washington Dulles -- once it ceases to operate as United Express.
The company has a fleet of 145 aircraft -- including a total of 120 regional jets -- and offers 800 daily departures, serving 84 destinations. The company employs approximately 4,400 aviation professionals.
For more information about Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings, Inc., please visit our website at
http://www.atlanticcoast.com. For more information about Independence Air, please visit our "preview" site at
http://www.flyi.com.