US Airways to Expand Charlotte Hub with Two New European Routes

US Airways (NYSE:LCC) announced today that it will expand its international presence at its Charlotte, N.C. hub when the airline begins daily, nonstop seasonal summer service between Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Madrid and Dublin in May 2011. The new flights will complement US Airways’ daily, nonstop year-round service to both destinations from Philadelphia, the airline’s international gateway.

“We’re delighted to offer our customers throughout the southeastern and western United States another convenient option for traveling to two of our most popular destinations in Europe.”

The new flights bring the number of international destinations US Airways serves from its largest hub to 31 – six cities in Europe and 25 in Latin America and the Caribbean. US Airways’ membership in the Star Alliance network offers customers traveling beyond Madrid and Dublin access to other destinations served by Star Alliance member carriers.

“Our new summer service from Charlotte will meet the peak travel demand for Madrid and Dublin,” said US Airways Senior Vice President, Marketing and Planning Andrew Nocella. “We’re delighted to offer our customers throughout the southeastern and western United States another convenient option for traveling to two of our most popular destinations in Europe.”

“This announcement of nonstop service to two of Europe’s most popular destinations from Charlotte is great news for the community and reaffirms the strength of Charlotte Douglas International Airport as an emerging international gateway,” said City of Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx.

Madrid service, which starts May 4 and ends Oct. 29, will be operated with Boeing B767-200 ER aircraft with seating for 18 in Envoy, US Airways’ international business class, and 186 in the main cabin. Dublin service, which starts May 6 and ends Sept. 30 will be operated with Boeing B757-200 ETOPS aircraft with seating for 12 in Envoy and 164 in the main cabin.

Customers may book their flight beginning Sept. 25 through US Airways’ website at www.usairways.com, by calling US Airways Reservations at 1-800-428-4322 or through their travel agent. Complete vacation packages are also available at www.usairwaysvacations.com. The flight schedule is as follows:

*Service begins May 5, 2011. Flight times subject to change.

**Service begins May 7, 2011. Flight times subject to change.

US Airways currently offers nonstop service from its Charlotte hub to London’s Gatwick Airport, Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, Rome and Frankfurt, Germany and also codeshares with Star Alliance carrier Lufthansa on Munich service from Charlotte. Last December the airline began its first-ever service to South America from Charlotte with daily nonstop flights to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

On June 7, Charlotte Douglas International Airport was awarded the prestigious Eagle Award from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The award comes under the “Best Airport” category. Eagle Awards honor air navigation service providers (ANSPs) and airports for outstanding performance in customer satisfaction, cost efficiency, and continuous improvement.

About US Airways

US Airways, along with US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express, operates more than 3,100 flights per day and serves more than 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Central and South America. The airline employs more than 31,000 aviation professionals worldwide and is a member of the Star Alliance network, which offers its customers more than 21,200 daily flights to 1,172 airports in 181 countries. Together with its US Airways Express partners, the airline serves approximately 80 million passengers each year and operates hubs in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Phoenix, and a focus city in Washington, D.C. at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.