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SkyWest Airlines Names Michael Thompson New Vice President - Market Development

Posted on: Tuesday, 6 March 2007, 15:00 CST

ST. GEORGE, Utah, March 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SkyWest Airlines, a subsidiary of SkyWest, Inc., , announced that Michael Thompson will assume responsibilities as vice president - market development for SkyWest Airlines effective April 2, 2007. Thompson replaces Steven Hart, SkyWest Airlines current vice president - market development. With the transition, Thompson will be responsible for SkyWest Airlines strategic planning, scheduling, pricing, inventory control and production planning. After a 20-year history with the airline, Hart is retiring.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070306/LATU082 )

"It would be hard for me to name anyone that has had a greater impact at SkyWest for the last 20 years," explained Ron Reber, SkyWest Airlines president and chief operating officer. "Steve has an extraordinary understanding of our industry and has helped SkyWest make several complex transitions. We would be a much different airline today if not for Steve, and I'm grateful that Mike has had an opportunity to work with Steve for the last five years."

Thompson holds both a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from Brigham Young University. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering. Thompson recently served as the chief financial officer at Ivy Logistics Inc., where he had profit and loss responsibility for the growth and profitability of the company. He was instrumental in creating the financial infrastructure of the company as well as establishing policies that improved cash flow and increased operational efficiency.

Thompson was the executive operational analyst for SkyWest from 2001 to 2005. In that role, he provided analytical support for operations and was the driving force in creating "Performance Rewards," a monetary reward program for SkyWest employees. His engineering and business education proved integral in facilitating positive change at SkyWest.

Thompson has volunteered for the Boy Scouts of America as well as contributed to the Idaho National Engineering & Environmental Laboratory as a research associate. He is co-author of "Project Based Computer-Aided Engineering Applications." Thompson resides in St. George, UT with his wife Kristen and their two sons Joshua and Jacob.

"I'm certain Mike will do a fantastic job," added Hart. "In the past five years, Mike and I have worked closely on numerous projects for the company and are friends on both a personal and professional level. While it was certainly a difficult decision to leave," he continued, "I am ready to take my life in a different direction. With Mike stepping into this position, I can walk away confident that my replacement will do great work in this new position."

Hart will retire to his home in Phoenix, Arizona, where he's been telecommuting from for more than a year.

SkyWest Airlines employs more than 10,000 people and serves a total of 138 cities in 37 states and five Canadian provinces with more than 1,700 daily departures system-wide.

This press release and information on SkyWest Airlines can be accessed at http://www.skywest.com/skywest/.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070306/LATU082AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

SkyWest Airlines

CONTACT: Corporate Communications of SkyWest Airlines, +1-801-258-4556,or +1-435-634-3548

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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