New low-fare carrier means more choices for passengers

RDU Airport, NC – Independence Air announced today it has chosen Raleigh-Durham International Airport as one of its 35 summer launch destinations with new low-fare service to begin June 16 th . The schedule starts with nine daily nonstop flights to Washington Dulles International Airport and quickly grows to 14 flights by July 17 th . Connections to 25 cities will also be available later this summer.

The airline begins service at RDU just in time for the busy summer travel season. Since late last year, the number of passengers traveling through RDU has steadily increased. In April, passenger activity jumped 15% compared to the same period last year. In the first quarter of 2004, two million used RDU.

The number of daily departures has also increased. RDU passengers can now choose from 225 daily departures to 38 destinations. Airport officials expect the number of daily departures to rise to 250 per day by the end of the summer.

Independence is the first new carrier to arrive at RDU since the arrival of America West in the spring of 2002.

Flights from RDU to Washington will be aboard newly-upgraded 50-seat i JETs with all-leather slimline seats that provide more legroom than ever before.

Independence Air will also begin adding 27 brand new 132-passenger Airbus A319s at Washington Dulles this fall. The Airbus aircraft—scheduled to launch in November—will allow Independence Air to offer low-fare service from Washington to major destinations in Florida, the Midwest and across the country to the West Coast. Independence Air plans to add live satellite TV in every seatback of its Airbus aircraft early next year. With the addition of the A319s, Independence Air will operate a fleet of over 110 jet aircraft.