Capital Cargo Pilots Call on ABX Holdings Shareholders to Address Contract Issues and Pave Way for Business Success

WILMINGTON, Ohio, May 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Captain CJ Johnson, chairman of the Capital Cargo unit of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), which is one of the labor groups within ABX Holdings, released the following statement after attending the ABX Holdings Annual Shareholders meeting on May 13 where management displayed no concern for the below-industry wages and work rules provided to their pilots.

"ABX Shareholders need to know and rectify the fact that ABX Holdings has disgruntled crewmembers who are not being treated with the respect the piloting profession compels. All three airlines under the ABX Holdings umbrella, ABX Air, Air Transport International (ATI) and Capital Cargo Int’l Airlines (CCIA) have long standing disputes with crewmembers over fair new collective bargaining agreements. Crewmembers simply seek benefits, schedules and pay on par with their peers at other airlines, yet management continues to stall. In attending this meeting, it was clear to us that ABX Holdings management will continue to duck, deny, and delay any meaningful dialog with its shareholders about the condition of the company's labor situation with all three airlines.

"ABX management cannot continue to enjoy the cash flow provided by the synergies of the acquisition of Cargo Holdings, Inc. while neglecting the very basic needs of its employees. The serious nature of this situation needs to be resolved before any future business plans are executed to ensure their complete success. Building a business on the backs of disgruntled, overworked, unappreciated employees is not prudent and should be alarming to all of the employee organizations, shareholders, and customers.

"The crewmembers of Capital Cargo will not allow whipsawing our groups against one another as a viable business model. Shareholders should demand that management resolve these disputes in short order."

ABX Air pilots voted down one tentative agreement and are in mediated negotiations. ATI pilots, also in mediation, voted down two tentative agreements since their 2004 amendable date. CCIA pilots are working under a contract that became amendable in 2004 with three tentative agreements voted down since then. They are currently in intense negotiations.

December 31, 2007, marked the completion of the acquisition of Cargo Holdings, Inc. (CHI) to ABX Holdings, Inc. ABX Holdings has two principal operating businesses: ABX Air, an air cargo services provider operating out of Wilmington, Ohio, and CHI. CHI’s four operating subsidiaries include two separate airlines, ATI and CCIA.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilots union representing 55,000 pilots at 40 airlines in the U.S. and Canada, including 115 cockpit crew members at CCIA. Visit the ALPA Web site at www.alpa.org.