Chautauqua Airlines, which operates a heavy-maintenance facility at Port Columbus International Airport, launches nonstop service Friday from Columbus to Orlando and Tampa, Fla., as the newest airline in the Delta Connection network. Chautauqua will operate three round-trip flights daily to Orlando and three round-trip flights daily to Tampa, using the 50-seat Embraer ERJ145 regional jet.

Delta Connection carrier Comair also will inaugurate new, nonstop regional jet service Friday between Columbus and Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., offering three daily round-trip flights on the Bombardier CRJ regional jet. Delta and Delta Connection now serve Columbus with a total of 26 daily flights.

“Delta Connection will rely on the quality service provided by Chautauqua to serve more customers in Florida, the Midwest and Southeast as we expand our leadership role in regional jet travel,” said Fred Buttrell, president and chief executive officer of Delta Connection, Inc. “Columbus customers will enjoy the frequent Chautauqua service to Florida and Comair’s convenient new daily service to Washington.”

“We are excited to join the Delta Connection network, Delta has long been recognized as the standard bearer in the deployment of regional jets and we are pleased to partner with them to expand their regional jet operation,” said Bryan K. Bedford, president and chief executive officer of Chautauqua Airlines. “The addition of this Florida service will expand our presence in Columbus and allow us to leverage our Port Columbus facilities on behalf of our new partner.”

Chautauqua will utilize its 62,000-square-foot maintenance facility in Columbus to support its Delta Connection aircraft. The company has a total of more than 225 employees in the Columbus area, including 80 technicians at the maintenance facility. Delta is the fourth airline partner for Chautauqua.

Chautauqua will operate 22 Embraer regional jets by the end of 2003 under a contract with Delta Connection, providing 160 daily flights serving Florida destinations. The Indianapolis-based airline, a subsidiary of Republic Holdings Company, is the fifth regional carrier in the Delta Connection system, which also includes Delta Air Lines’ (NYSE:DAL) wholly owned subsidiaries Atlantic Southeast Airlines and Comair and other contract carriers Atlantic Coast Airlines and SkyWest Airlines. The Delta Connection carriers operate more than 270 regional jets throughout North America. For more information, please visit delta.com or flychautauqua.com.

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