US Airways to Match Miles with Mercy Medical Airlift

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The gift of wings is the gift of life for patients in need of charitable medical air transportation, and US Airways is raising the bar for giving miles of hope.

For nine straight years, the airline has partnered with Mercy Medical Airlift and awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in gift cards to the charity for purchasing tickets to give patients needing to travel for distant, specialized treatment. But through its Dividend Miles program, US Airways has recently expanded its philanthropic outreach by announcing a mileage matching program that will match 1,000 miles up to 25,000 miles for every 5,000 miles donated by its frequent flyers to Mercy Medical Airlift. (To donate miles, visit www.MercyMedical.org. Or, you can donate by visiting www.usairways.com/donatemiles.)

"We are extremely pleased to learn that our good partner, US Airways, is going the second mile in launching this campaign. Donated miles mean life for the patients we serve. Without free medical air transportation, they would have no way to get to specialized treatment that can mean the difference between life and death."

The airline will match donations up to 25,000 miles for eligible donations between November 24 through December 31. All terms and conditions of the Dividend Miles program apply.

US Airways is the fifth largest domestic airline employing more than 36,000 aviation professionals worldwide. US Airways, US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express operate approximately 3,700 flights per day and serve more than 230 communities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. The new US Airways — the product of a merger between America West and US Airways in September 2005 — is a member of the Star Alliance network, which offers customers 18,100 daily flights to over 900 destinations in 162 countries worldwide.

Mercy Medical Airlift is the nation's oldest and largest air transportation charity, providing free medical flights to ensure that no patient in need is denied access to distant, specialized medical care because of a lack of financial resources.

    Contact: Jim Smith, Vice President of Operations
             (757) 318-9174    Email:  jsmith@MercyMedicalAirlift.org
             4620 Haygood Rd., Suite 1, Virginia Beach, VA 23455

             Julie Coleman, Director Community Relations
             (480) 693-5730   Email: Julie.Coleman@usairways.com
             4000 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034

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Jim Smith

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