FLYI Flyi (MM)

After Just One Year, Independence Air Ranks 3rd in Travel + Leisure Magazine List of Top Domestic Airlines; 2005 is the First Year None of the Six Largest U.S. Carriers Rank in the Top-10 DULLES, Va., July 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Low-fare airline Independence Air (NASDAQ:FLYI) is proud to announce it has been ranked third best domestic airline by the readers of Travel + Leisure, published by American Express Publishing Corporation. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031119/DCW018LOGO-a ) The rankings were the result of a questionnaire developed by the editors of Travel + Leisure, in association with Harris Interactive, made available to subscribers at http://www.tlworldsbest.com/ during the first quarter of this year. Airline rankings were based on scores in the following categories: -- Cabin comfort -- In-flight service -- Customer service -- Food -- Value The complete survey methodology is available in the August issue of Travel + Leisure, and online at http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest. Travel + Leisure notes in its survey results that 2005 is the first year that none of the largest six carriers in the U.S. -- including the legacy airlines that are Independence Air's primary competitors -- were even ranked in the top-10. The final results are as follows: 1. Midwest Airlines 75.22 2. JetBlue Airways 74.73 3. INDEPENDENCE AIR 68.71 4. Song 68.66 5. Alaska Airlines 63.21 6. Hawaiian Airlines 62.30 7. Frontier Airlines 62.29 8. Southwest Airlines 61.81 9. Aloha Airlines 60.73 10. Horizon Airlines 60.39 Independence Air Chairman and CEO Kerry Skeen said, "To jump all the way to third place on a list this prestigious after just one year of service is an accomplishment we are very proud and excited about. Our people have worked so hard during the past year to create a new airline that feels measurably different from what passengers in the Washington, D.C. area and our other cities have experienced in the past -- and this ranking confirms that all the hard work has really been worth it to our customers." He added, "We offer our sincere thanks to the readers of Travel + Leisure for rewarding the extraordinary efforts of the entire FLYi service team. This is very meaningful to all of us, and we greatly appreciate the recognition." Independence Air offers low fares every day to 45 destinations from Maine to Florida and across to the West Coast with comfortable leather seats and Tender Loving Service(TM). The Independence Air operation at Washington Dulles International Airport is one of the largest low-fare hubs in America. For more information about Independence Air and FLYi, Inc., please visit our website at http://www.flyi.com/. Independence Air is the low-fare airline that makes travel fast and easy for its customers with a customer first attitude, innovative thinking and a willingness to challenge the status quo. Independence Air, FLYi, the "i" logo mark, FLYi.com and Tender Loving Service are service marks of Independence Air, Inc. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031119/DCW018LOGO-a http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Independence Air CONTACT: Rick DeLisi, Director, Corporate Communications, of Independence Air, +1-703-650-6019 Web site: http://www.flyi.com/ http://www.tlworldsbest.com/ http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest

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