PHOENIX, Ariz. (July 9, 2001) Skyway Airlines is ensuring that passengers and crew are able to properly respond to inflight medical situations by providing them with immediate access to an on-the-ground physician.  To do so, the regional airline has recently acquired the services of MedAire, Inc., a company that specializes in providing real-time medical assistance to people in remote environments around the world.

Under the agreement, MedAire will provide Skyway with 24-hour access to emergency physicians and communication specialists working at its MedLink Emergency Telemedicine Center.  The hospital-based Center can be contacted from anywhere around the world using the aircraft’s existing communications system.

"Providing MedAire services reinforces our strong commitment to our passengers and to our employees,"  says James Rankin, Skyway president and CEO. “MedLink will help our crews deal immediately and effectively with health-related emergencies."

“Medical emergencies can occur anytime and even on short connecting flights,” said Joan Sullivan Garrett, MedAire’s president and CEO.  “This agreement speaks to Skyway’s customer commitment of ensuring passengers travel safely and comfortably.”

MedLink physicians, who have extensive experience in the field of aviation-specific medicine, manage thousands of medical emergencies every year.

About Skyway Airlines

Skyway Airlines is operated by Astral Aviation, Inc., a subsidiary of Milwaukee-based Midwest Express Airlines.  Skyway serves 27 cities in the upper Midwest and Toronto, Canada, providing connections throughout the Midwest Express and Skyway systems, and point-to-point service between select markets.