Passenger Saved by Defibrillator on America West Flight


PHOENIX, April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- A state-of-the-art Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) was used to save a passenger's life recently aboard America West Airlines (NYSE: AWA) flight 893 from Phoenix to Wichita, Kan. This is the first time an AED has been used on a passenger in full cardiac arrest on an America West flight.

America West Airlines was one of the first airlines to voluntarily install the Heartstream FR2 on its entire fleet. The installation was completed last fall. Since that time, the FAA has required all airlines to install AEDs by April 2004.

After discovering an unconscious passenger with no pulse, America West flight attendants prepared to administer the AED. A paramedic and two doctors who were on board assisted in treating the passenger. The AED delivered two electronic pulses, which restored the passenger's heartbeat. Upon landing, the passenger was transported to a hospital in Wichita and has since been released.

America West Airlines, the nation's ninth-largest carrier, serves 92 destinations with more than 900 daily departures in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Along with its codeshare partners, America West serves more than 180 destinations worldwide. America West Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of America West Holdings Corporation, an aviation and travel services company with 2000 sales of $2.3 billion.

This press release, as well as releases issued in the past year by America West Holdings and its affiliates, can be accessed on the America West Internet site at http://www.americawest.com.


SOURCE America West Airlines
Web Site: http://www.americawest.com
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