Safety Award

Island Air Sets the Standard for Aviation Safety

February 18, 2005	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts	Jacqueline Hamilton Island Air, Inc. Friday Harbor, WA (360) 378-2376	Tom Harris Phoenix Aviation Managers, Inc. Kennesaw, GA (770) 590-4950

Island Air, an on-demand air charter company based in Friday Harbor, Washington, has again been recognized for its outstanding safety record by receiving the Aviation Safety Excellence Award from Phoenix Aviation Managers Inc., aviation insurance underwriters. The award was presented on January 24, 2005 following a periodic audit of operations.

This is the second consecutive time that Island Air has received this award. Since Phoenix began their aviation safety audit Everett/Paine Field recognized for their excellence. Island Air received the highest safety score ever awarded in these audits.

This award recognizes Island Air for its continuing commitment to safety throughout the company's operations. Tom Harris, Manager of Inspection Services for Phoenix said, "Island Air is the benchmark by which we evaluate the safety of air charter operators nationally."

Island Air, founded in 1992, and now one of the largest woman-owned and managed air carriers in the U.S., provides flight services throughout the San Juan Islands, the Pacific Northwest, and British Columbia. Utilizing a fleet of six Cessna aircraft, Island Air operates about 4,500 flights per year, all of them on-demand charter. The company's staff includes nine veteran pilots, with an average of more than 13 years of Island flying experience and a combined experience of more than 75,000 accident-free flight hours.

"Every person associated with Island Air knows that safety is priority number one, in everything we do," said Jacqueline Hamilton, President and Chief Pilot of Island Air. "On-demand charter flying can present some interesting challenges, especially here in the rugged environment of the Pacific Northwest, but we won't compromise the safety of our flights for any reason."