America West and US Airways Unveil New, Combined Look
August 23 2005 - 7:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
New Livery Celebrates More Than 65 Years of History PHOENIX, Aug.
23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- America West Airlines (NYSE:AWA), and
US Airways (OTC:UAIRQ) (BULLETIN BOARD: UAIRQ) will show a fresh
new face to the world as they unveil the livery, or aircraft paint
scheme, that will represent the new airline when America West and
US Airways merge. Employees of both airlines -- some sporting
"retro" uniforms heralding back to various periods in the airlines'
pasts -- will celebrate the new paint scheme as a freshly painted
Airbus A320 makes its way across the country, stopping for special
events today in Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Charlotte, N.C.; Las
Vegas; and Phoenix. (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050823/LATU027 ) Onboard the
aircraft will be the merged company's Chairman, President, and
Chief Executive Officer Doug Parker, Vice Chairman Bruce Lakefield,
employees representing America West and US Airways, and union
leaders from both companies. Celebrations will take place
nationwide as the plane lands in the hubs and secondary hubs of the
combined airline. The unveiling starts in Philadelphia at 7 a.m.
(EDT), and ends in Phoenix at 6:30 p.m. (PDT). The new livery is a
fusion of both carriers' existing designs, featuring updated
editions of the US Airways stylized version of the flag and the
waving stripes inspired by those that stream across the sides of
current America West aircraft. Near the aircraft door, the airline
has positioned a Heritage mark that incorporates the classic logos
of some of the largest airlines that have merged over the years to
create the new US Airways: Allegheny Airlines, America West,
Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) and Piedmont Airlines. In
addition, "throwback" aircraft, which will be painted entirely in
the classic liveries of these airlines, will pay permanent tribute
to each of them. Operational needs and employee suggestions were
considered in the design of the new livery, with the hotter
climates of the Phoenix and Las Vegas hubs making the lighter blend
of colors both an aesthetic and comfortable choice. In addition,
lighter tones of paint tend to last longer and are easier to keep
clean. "Today we celebrate our individual pasts while looking
towards a collective, bright future," said Parker. "While we
recognize much work remains, we are making remarkable progress in
creating a well funded, national low-cost carrier. Today's new look
visually represents US Airways' fresh new start. The industry
expertise of employees from the great airlines of our past is what
ultimately will make the new US Airways a success as we move
forward together toward a brighter future." "We are excited to
position the new US Airways in a way that pays tribute to all of
the great airlines and the employees who will comprise the merged
airline," said Bruce R. Lakefield, US Airways president and chief
executive officer. "The pride and dedication of our employees has
brought us this far, and those same qualities will enable us to
become a stronger and more competitive airline." The new livery
will eventually be flown by the combined fleet of approximately 360
mainline aircraft and will also appear on the approximately 350
regional aircraft that will be operating on the US Airways Express
routes. Here are some facts regarding the process of transitioning
the combined fleets to the new US Airways livery: * Typically, 60
gallons of paint are required to paint an aircraft * It takes about
72 hours for the paint to dry * The entire process, on average,
requires a plane to be out of service for eight to nine days *
Lighter colors of paint tend to last longer and keep the plane
cooler * Aircraft require repainting every six to seven years,
depending on how the coat is maintained and polished * America West
last updated its livery in 1996 and US Airways did so in 1997 * The
new US Airways livery was designed entirely in-house About America
West Approximately 60,000 customers upgrade their low-fare
experience every day when they get on board America West. The
airline's 14,000 employees are proud to offer a range of services
including more destinations than any other low-cost carrier,
first-class cabins, assigned seating, airport clubs and an
award-winning frequent flyer program. America West operates over
900 flights daily to more than 90 destinations in the U.S., Canada,
Mexico and Costa Rica. This press release, photos of the new
livery, and additional information on America West and US Airways
can be accessed online at http://www.americawest.com/ and
http://www.usairways.com/. About US Airways US Airways is the
nation's seventh-largest airline, serving 183 communities in the
U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. US Airways,
US Airways Shuttle and the US Airways Express partner carriers
operate approximately 3,400 flights per day. (AWAG).
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain of the statements contained
herein should be considered "forward- looking statements" within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. These forward looking statements may be identified by words
such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "believe,"
"estimate," "plan," "could," "should," and "continue" and similar
terms used in connection with statements regarding the companies'
outlook, expected fuel costs, the RASM environment, and the
companies' respective expected 2005 financial performance. Such
statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the
benefits of the business combination transaction involving America
West Holdings Corporation ("America West") and US Airways Group,
Inc. ("US Airways" and, together with America West, the
"companies"), including future financial and operating results, the
companies' plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other
statements that are not historical facts. Such statements are based
upon the current beliefs and expectations of America West and US
Airways' management and are subject to significant risks and
uncertainties that could cause the companies' actual results and
financial position to differ materially from these statements. Such
risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the
following: the ability of the companies to obtain and maintain any
necessary financing for operations and other purposes, whether
debtor-in-possession financing, in the case of US Airways, or other
financing; the ability of the companies to maintain adequate
liquidity; the duration and extent of the current soft economic
conditions; the impact of global instability including the
continuing impact of the continued military presence in Iraq and
Afghanistan and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and the
potential impact of future hostilities, terrorist attacks,
infectious disease outbreaks or other global events; changes in
prevailing interest rates; the ability to attract and retain
qualified personnel; the ability of the companies to attract and
retain customers; the cyclical nature of the airline industry;
competitive practices in the industry, including significant fare
restructuring activities by major airlines; the impact of changes
in fuel prices; economic conditions; labor costs; security-related
and insurance costs; weather conditions; government legislation and
regulation; relations with unionized employees generally and the
impact and outcome of the labor negotiations; US Airways ability to
continue as a going concern; US Airways' ability to obtain court
approval with respect to motions in the Chapter 11 proceedings
prosecuted by it from time to time; the ability of US Airways to
develop, prosecute, confirm and consummate one or more plans of
reorganization with respect to the Chapter 11 proceedings; risks
associated with third parties seeking and obtaining court approval
to terminate or shorten the exclusivity period for US Airways to
propose and confirm one or more plans of reorganization, to appoint
a Chapter 11 trustee or to convert the cases to Chapter 7 cases;
the ability of US Airways to obtain and maintain normal terms with
vendors and service providers; US Airways' ability to maintain
contracts that are critical to its operations; the potential
adverse impact of the Chapter 11 proceedings on US Airways'
liquidity or results of operations; the ability of US Airways to
operate pursuant to the terms of its financing facilities
(particularly the financial covenants); the ability of US Airways
to fund and execute its Transformation Plan during the Chapter 11
proceedings and in the context of a plan of reorganization and
thereafter; and other risks and uncertainties listed from time to
time in the companies' reports to the SEC. There may be other
factors not identified above of which the companies are not
currently aware that may affect matters discussed in the
forward-looking statements, and may also cause actual results to
differ materially from those discussed. The companies assume no
obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to
reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other
factors affecting such estimates other than as required by law.
Similarly, these and other factors, including the terms of any
reorganization plan of US Airways ultimately confirmed, can affect
the value of the US Airways' various prepetition liabilities,
common stock and/or other equity securities. Accordingly, the
companies urge that the appropriate caution be exercised with
respect to existing and future investments in any of these
liabilities and/or securities. Additional factors that may affect
the future results of America West and US Airways are set forth in
their respective filings with the SEC, which are available at
http://www.shareholder.com/americawest/edgar.cfm and
http://investor.usairways.com/edgar.cfm, respectively. ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND WHERE TO FIND IT In connection with the proposed
merger transaction, US Airways Group and America West have filed a
Registration Statement on Form S-4 and other documents with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (Registration No. 333-126162)
containing a preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus regarding
the proposed transaction. The proxy statement/prospectus will be
mailed to stockholders of America West after the registration
statement is declared effective by the SEC. WE URGE INVESTORS TO
READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER
RELATED MATERIALS CAREFULLY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY
WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION.
Investors will be able to obtain free copies of the registration
statement and proxy statement, as well as other filed documents
containing information about US Airways Group and America West
(when available) at http://www.sec.gov/, the SEC's website. Free
copies of America West's SEC filings are also available on America
West's website at http://www.shareholder.com/americawest/edgar.cfm,
or by request to Investor Relations, America West Holdings
Corporation, 111 West Rio Salado Pkwy, Tempe, Arizona 85281. Free
copies of US Airways Group's SEC filings are also available on US
Airways Group's website at http://investor.usairways.com/edgar.cfm
or by request to Investor Relations, US Airways Group, Inc., 2345
Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22227. This communication shall not
constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy
any securities, nor shall there by any sale of securities in any
jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be
unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the
securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities
shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the
requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended. PARTICIPANTS IN THE SOLICITATION America West, US Airways
Group and their respective executive officers and directors may be
deemed, under SEC rules, to be participants in the solicitation of
proxies from America West's stockholders with respect to the
proposed transaction. Information regarding the officers and
directors of America West is included in its definitive proxy
statement for its 2005 Annual Meeting filed with the SEC on April
15, 2005. Information regarding the officers and directors of US
Airways Group is included in its 2004 Annual Report filed with the
SEC on Form 10-K on March 1, 2005. More detailed information
regarding the identity of potential participants, and their
interests in the solicitation, is set forth in the registration
statement and proxy statement and other materials filed with the
SEC in connection with the proposed transaction.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050823/LATU027
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: America West Airlines; US
Airways CONTACT: America West Holdings Corp., +1-480-693-5729; or
US Airways Group, Inc., +1-703-872-5100 Web site:
http://investor.usairways.com/edgar.cfm Web site:
http://www.shareholder.com/americawest/edgar.cfm Web site:
http://www.usairways.com/ Web site: http://www.americawest.com/
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