FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 

Contact: Dick Fontaine
Senior VP- Marketing
(712)264-3190
(712)262-1000
 

GREAT LAKES AVIATION REPORTS FEBRUARY TRAFFIC; RPM'S UP 38.9% AND PASSENGERS CARRIED UP 54.9%
 

Spencer, Iowa -- March 5, 1999 -- Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. (NASDAQ:GLUX) today announced preliminary passenger traffic results for the month of February.

Scheduled service generated 18,602,000 revenue passenger miles (RPMs), a 38.9 percent increase from the same month last year. Available seat miles (ASMs) increased 47.2 percent to 43,729,000. As a result load factor declined 2.6 points to 42.5 percent. The company carried 70,674 passengers, a 54.9 percent increase compared to February, 1998.

For the two month period ended February 28, 1999 compared to the same two month period in 1998, RPMs increased 38.4 percent to 37,099,000 while ASMs increased to 45.2 percent to 88,677,000, resulting in a load factor of 41.8 percent compared to 43.9 percent for the same two month period in 1998. The company carried 140,578 revenue passengers for the two month period ended February 28, 1999, a 56.1 percent increase on a year over year basis.

FEBRUARY AND YEAR-TO-DATE STATISTICS

	Feb. 1999	Feb. 1998	Change
Passengers Enplaned	70,674	45,626	+54.9%
Revenue Passenger Miles (000)	18,602	13,390	+38.9%
Available Seat Miles (000)	43,729	29,697	+47.2%
Load Factor	42.5%	45.1%	-2.6 Pts.
	YTD 1999	YTD 1998	Change
Passengers Enplaned	140,578	90,029	+56.1%
Revenue Passenger Miles (000)	37,099	26,810	+38.4%
Available Seat Miles (000)	88,677	61,053	+45.2%
Load Factor	41.8%	43.9%	-2.1 Pts.

As previously announced, the company will discontinue scheduled service at Sterling/Rock Falls, Illinois and Aberdeen, South Dakota after April 3, 1999 due to continuing losses at both points.

As of February 28, 1999, scheduled service was being provided at 69 airports in thirteen states with a fleet of eight Embraer EMB-120 Brasilias and 40 Beechcraft 1900D regional airliners. A total of 312 weekday flights are offered at its three hubs with 96 flights at Chicago-O'Hare, 194 at Denver and 22 at Minneapolis-St. Paul. In addition, the company operates 8 weekday flights between Springfield, IL and Chicago-Meigs Field. The flights are operated under the United Express marketing identity.