America West Airlines today
announced it is offering customers an easier way to give the gift of air
travel, with the America West gift card—the first airline gift card.
The credit card-sized gift cards can be purchased at thousands of
neighborhood stores throughout the country this holiday season, including
many Kroger Co. stores (including locations in Ohio, Michigan, Texas,
Indiana, Georgia and Illinois, along with Fry’s and Smith’s), Valero Food
Shops, Diamond Shamrock Corner Stores, Staples, Winn-Dixie, Bashas’ and
more. A complete list of retailers that have America West gift cards and
their locations may be accessed at any time at

http://www.americawest.com/travelplanning/gift/default.htm?c=PRGiftCards111
804

“We are delighted to bring our customers the convenience of purchasing
travel at their local retailer,” said Travis Christ, vice president,
marketing. “There has never been an easier way to provide the gift and
convenience of air travel to friends and relatives without planning for a
specific date and time. Now, just in time to serve as a great holiday
gift, America West gift cards allow people to buy flexible air travel for
families and friends.”

“Gift cards are being used by more and more people as a way of giving a
gift,” said Christie Frazier-Coleman, senior vice president of marketing
and advertising, Bashas’ Inc. “At Bashas’ we’re always looking for ways to
add convenience for our customers, and the ability to purchase America
West gift cards at our supermarkets will make holiday shopping easier for
our shoppers.”

Joanne R. Gage, vice president of advertising and marketing for Winn-Dixie
Stores, Inc., said, “We’re happy to offer our customers a new and
convenient way to purchase what is sure to be a popular gift item this
holiday season—air travel. The America West gift cards, which will soon
be available at Winn-Dixie Stores, will make shopping at Winn-Dixie even
more convenient.”

Gift cards are also available for use as a fundraising tool for
non-profits or as employee incentives. Details on these programs are
available at

http://www.americawest.com/searchredirect.htm?c=PRGiftCards111804

America West worked with Stored Value Systems of Louisville, Kentucky, the
nation’s premier provider of Cash Card Solutions to create and market the
first airline gift card. Since introducing the first-ever magnetic-striped
retail gift card to shoppers in 1995, Stored Value Systems, Inc. (SVS) has
grown into one of the world’s leading providers of electronic gift cards
and other card-based transaction programs. Headquartered in the United
States, SVS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comdata(R) Corporation.
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