ATLANTIC COAST AIRLINES JET SERVICE

Atlantic Coast Airlines Applies for 36 O`Hare Slots

DULLES, Va. -- December 17, 1996 -- Carrier Seeks To Serve Six Smaller Cities from Chicago

Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA) (NASDAQ/NM: ACAI), which operates in the Eastern United States as United Express, Wednesday announced that it has applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation for 36 "slots" to operate three daily round-trip flights with 50-passenger regional jet aircraft between Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and each of the following cities: Charleston, W.Va.; Duluth, Minn.; Fayetteville, Ark.; Montgomery, Ala.; Shreveport, La.; and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa. Authority to conduct a takeoff or landing at O'Hare is commonly referred to as a "slot."

If granted the slots, ACA will roll out service to the six cities - each of which currently lacks non-stop, round-trip service to Chicago O'Hare - starting in March 1998.

ACA's flights, in addition to being convenient to the local passenger, will connect to its code-share partner, United Airlines, and its O'Hare hub which offers service to more than 90 destinations around the world.

The proposed service would be provided by the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ), one of the quietest commercial aircraft on the market today. ACA operates a fleet of four CRJs and will take delivery of its fifth on Friday, Dec. 19.

The company has a commitment for 24 regional jets. The first 18 are firm orders to be delivered by January 1999; the next six are conditional. The company also has options for an additional 24 jet aircraft.

The CRJ is manufactured by the Canadair Unit of Bombardier Inc. of Montreal. It has a cruising speed of 534 mph, offers a two-by-two seating configuration and can cruise to an altitude of 41,000 feet.

ACA currently offers more than 480 non-stop flights serving 41 destinations in 18 states. Its route system spans the East Coast from Maine to Florida. ACA operates a fleet of 65 jet and turboprop aircraft with an average age of approximately five years.