FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Charles Howell IV, CEO

       (307) 432-7000

Great Lakes Airlines Introduces Vice President of Maintenance

CHEYENNE, Wyo., January 3, 2005 � Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. (OTC Bulletin Board: GLUX.OB � news) today announced the promotion of Kurt Franklin to the position of Vice President of Maintenance, a new position overseeing Maintenance Operations.

Kurt has been with Great Lakes in several positions since July 1991 and currently holds the position as the Manager of the Certified Repair Station and Ground Support. 

�Kurt will bring his years of experience and knowledge to this new position in the Company and we are pleased to have him assume his new role�, said Charles Howell IV, CEO of Great Lakes.

Great Lakes is providing scheduled passenger service at 31 airports in nine states with a fleet of Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia and Raytheon/Beech 1900D Regional Airliners. 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