Release #05.045
October 3, 2005

Polar Air Cargo Crewmembers Reach Labor Contract

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Leadership for the Polar Air Cargo crewmembers represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) today reached a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement with management of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (OTC:AAWW.PK). Terms of the agreement were not disclosed as both parties have agreed to keep the details of the agreement confidential at this time.

The contract is subject to a ratification vote by the Polar members of ALPA, which will take place over the next few days. 

"While we’re pleased that we’ve reached an agreement that increases pay and benefit contributions, we’re disappointed that it required withholding our services to get there. We know that a strike means that there was a failure of the labor relations process. Moreover, we offered productivity improvements in exchange for greater pay but the company declined to take us up on that offer. However, it is now time for Polar Air Cargo and its crewmembers to move forward and we will have to continue progress in our next negotiation," said Captain Bobb Henderson, chairman of the Polar Air crewmember unit of ALPA. 

On September 16th, the end of the mandated 30-day cooling off period, the National Mediation Board released Polar Air Cargo and its crewmembers into self-help. Polar crewmembers immediately withdrew their services and went on strike. Their strike lasted 16 days.

Polar Air Cargo is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. and is a U.S. certificated air carrier. Polar Air Cargo operates a fleet of Boeing 747 freighters in a global scheduled-service network that serves major trade lanes around the world.

ALPA is the world's largest pilots union, representing 64,000 members at 41 airlines in the U.S. and Canada. Visit the ALPA Website at http://www.alpa.org.

# # #

ALPA Contact: Ron Lovas (703) 481-4468