FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Dave Thomas, VP Marketing and Planning

       (307) 432-7000

Great Lakes Airlines To Cease Service Between Denver, Colorado and Rapid City, South Dakota

CHEYENNE, Wyo., July 8, 2004 � Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. (OTC Bulletin Board: GLUX.OB � news) today announced that it will cease its scheduled air service between Denver, Colorado and Rapid City, South Dakota Effective August 23, 2004.   This decision was made based on lower than expected revenue and the seasonality of the market.

Passengers booked on Great Lakes flights in or out of Rapid City after this date should contact their travel agent or the Great Lakes Reservations Center at (800) 554-5111 for reaccommodation options.

Great Lakes is providing scheduled passenger service at 36 airports in ten states with a fleet of Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia and Raytheon/Beech 1900D Regional Airliners.  A total of 194 weekday flights are scheduled at three hubs, with 184 flights at Denver, 4 flights at Minneapolis/St. Paul, and 6 flights at Phoenix. All scheduled flights are operated under the Great Lakes Airlines marketing identity in conjunction with code-share agreements with United Airlines and Frontier Airlines at their Denver hub.

Additional information is available on the company web site that may be accessed at www.greatlakesav.com