Independence Air to Use Navitaire’s Open Skies
Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings, Inc. today announced it has signed an
agreement with Minneapolis-based Navitaire to use its Open Skies
reservations system as a key component of the customer service
infrastructure for Independence Air—the low-fare airline that will be
serving Washington Dulles International Airport and 50 other destinations
across the U.S. Reservations will be booked primarily on the airline’s
http://www.flyi.com/ website.
Independence Air Chairman and CEO Kerry Skeen said, “Making a flight
reservation on Independence Air will be just as easy as making a dinner
reservation—two or three minutes and you’re ready to fly. Thanks to the
Open Skies reservation system, the faster, easier travel experience aboard
Independence Air will begin from the moment our customers log onto
http://www.flyi.com/ to book their flight.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Navitaire will provide Independence Air
with an advanced hosted suite of technology services including the Open
Skies reservations system, which will become the airline’s primary source
of passenger transactions. Open Skies is also used by several other
low-fare airlines. Independence Air will have access to Navitaire’s
infrastructure and reliability at a fraction of the cost that would have
been required to develop and support internal systems.
Independence Air service will be provided using a fleet of over 100 jet
aircraft fitted with new leather seats, including at least 25 new Airbus
319s with satellite TV at every seat. The Independence Air hub at
Washington Dulles will be the largest low-fare hub in the U.S., quickly
growing to 350 daily departures to destinations up and down the East
Coast, to Florida and to the West Coast.
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 iCLUB 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 United Express and Delta
Connection in the Eastern and Midwestern United States as well as Canada.
On July 28, 2003, the company announced plans to establish a new,
independent low-fare airline to be based at Washington Dulles
International Airport—to be called Independence Air.
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The company has a fleet of 148 aircraft—including a total of 120
regional jets—and offers over 840 daily departures, serving 84
destinations. The company employs approximately 4,100 aviation
professionals.
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