PRNewswire-FirstCall PHOENIX Nov. 3 :

America West Airlines , the nation`s second largest low-fare airline,
announced today that it is kicking off its 2004 growth plan. America West
is adding roundtrip flights between nine existing West Coast cities and
Las Vegas. With these new flights, which are listed below, America West
will offer 100 daily departures to 41 destinations from its Las Vegas hub.
The Las Vegas growth will be accomplished through increased fleet
utilization.

“By eliminating long aircraft ground times, we`ve been able to introduce
an additional roundtrip flight between these nine West Coast destinations
and Las Vegas without incurring the expense of additional aircraft,” said
Dion Flannery, vice president, scheduling, route planning and
distribution. “America West customers can now enjoy new, nonstop daytime
flights to Las Vegas, one of the most popular destinations in the country,
and benefit from the convenience of additional opportunities to connect to
many other America West destinations.”

America West Airlines` second and third quarter profitability positions
the airline to increase its mainline capacity (available seat miles) by
approximately 10 percent by the fourth quarter of 2004. America West is
adding flights because of growing customer demand for quality air service,
business-friendly fares and flexible ticketing policies, including no
Saturday night stay requirements. The growth will occur through increased
fleet utilization and additional aircraft. The airline currently has plans
to receive two Airbus aircraft in the fourth quarter of 2004 and is
exploring the most efficient means of additional fleet expansion.

In addition to the nine new Las Vegas flights, America West has
implemented other expansion opportunities including new point-to-point
service. America West recently initiated new nonstop transcontinental
service between New York/JFK and Boston Logan International Airport on the
East Coast and Los Angeles International Airport on the West Coast.
Flights between JFK and San Francisco will begin Dec. 19, and flights
between Boston and San Francisco will begin March 1, 2004.

Founded in 1983 and proudly celebrating its 20-year anniversary in 2003,
America West Airlines is the nation`s second largest low-fare airline and
the only carrier formed since deregulation to achieve major airline
status. America West`s 13,000 employees serve nearly 55,000 customers a
day in 92 destinations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks
and uncertainties that could cause America West`s actual results and
financial position to differ materially from these statements. The risks
and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, 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; limitations on our ability to
obtain additional financing due to high levels of debt and the financial
and other covenants in our debt instruments; changes in federal and state
laws and regulations; changes in prevailing interest rates and the
availability of and terms of financing to fund our business; the ability
to attract and retain qualified personnel; the cyclical nature of the
airline industry; competitive practices in the industry; the impact of
changes in fuel prices; relations with unionized employees generally and
the impact and outcome of the labor negotiations and other factors
described from time to time in the company`s publicly available SEC
reports. We caution you that these risks may not be exhaustive. We operate
in a continually changing business environment, and new risks emerge from
time to time. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances that may
arise after the date of this press release.

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