Penton Custom Media (f/k/a PTON)

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Cathay Pacific Named Airline of the Year by Air Transport World Magazine
Friday January 27, 9:00 am ET


WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 27, 2006--Penton Media, Inc. (OTCBB:PTON - News):
Air Transport World magazine, the leading monthly magazine covering the global airline industry, selected Cathay Pacific Airways as its Airline of the Year for 2006. "One of the world's largest and most profitable airlines," Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific "is respected and admired among peers for its unwavering commitment to safety, technical excellence and customer service," ATW's editors said.

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ATW Editorial Director J.A. Donoghue added: "Cathay Pacific has been among the elite of the world's airlines for several decades. Its dedication to airline business fundamentals helped it to survive potentially devastating events such as the SARS crisis and 9/11 with its employee group intact and happy and its string of profitable years undisturbed."

Other award winners include VLM Airlines, named ATW's Regional Airline of the Year. Based in Antwerp, Belgium, VLM "is a rarity among Regionals today. It is independently owned, flying in its own livery without business links to a larger carrier, connecting busy business centers in Western Europe with a fleet of Fokker 50s and staying profitable for seven consecutive years," ATW's editors said.

JetBlue Airways received ATW's Passenger Service Award for its innovations. "It has changed passenger perceptions and raised expectations of what a 'budget' airline can and should be," the editors said. These innovations include automating passenger processing, leather seats with generous pitch and Live TV entertainment with a choice of 36 channels throughout the airplane, amenities unheard of in a so-called Low Cost Carrier.

Gol, "The Intelligent Airline", received the Market Leadership Award for bringing the Low Cost Carrier revolution to the Brazilian market. Gol "is transforming the way people travel in Brazil," pricing its product to compete with intercity bus lines. "With a route network that encompasses 47 destinations served by more than 430 daily flights," Gol has captured nearly one-third of the Brazilian domestic market.

Korean Air was named the Phoenix Award winner, presented to airlines that have gone through a major transformation. "In the late 1990s Korean's management decided a complete overhaul was needed and the company began to methodically move in the right direction." Today Korean's goal of becoming one of the best ten airlines in the world by 2010 "is highly credible," ATW said. The Joseph S. Murphy Industry Service Award was presented to the International Air Transport Association for a wide range of activities, ATW said, including opening new time and fuel-saving air routes, fighting unjustified taxes and charges, and developing new business and operating standards that increase efficiencies in airlines around the world.

Embraer, the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, received the Aviation Technology Achievement Award for its Embraer 170/190 family of large regional jets that brought new levels of technology and passenger comfort to the world's airlines.

The awards will be presented on Monday, February 20, in Singapore on the eve of the Singapore Air Show at Air Transport World's Gala Awards Dinner at the Swissotel The Stamford. Event registration is at http://conference.atwonline.com.

Air Transport World is the leading monthly magazine serving the airline and commercial aircraft manufacturing industries. The magazine began its annual awards program in 1974 to recognize excellence in the airline and commercial aerospace industries. Air Transport World is published by Ohio-based Penton Media (OTCBB:PTON - News), a diversified, global business-to-business media company.



Contact:
Air Transport World
J.A. Donoghue, 301-650-2420 ext. 110
[e-mail]

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