SEATTLE - March 3, 1997 - Airborne Express today announced the introduction of LIGHTSHIP SHIPPER^TM, the most advanced PC-based on-line business shipping software of its kind.

From a user-friendly, Windows® environment, customers can use SHIPPER to process their U.S. and international shipments from the convenience of their computer, saving time and eliminating errors. By entering their Airborne account information, they can obtain estimated rates and delivery times, fill out and print airbills, schedule pickups, and track the status of multiple shipments anywhere in the world in minutes - all from a computer.

"LIGHTSHIP SHIPPER offers distinct advantages over other PC-based shipping software," said Jill Gwazdauskas, Airborne vice president, customer automation. "For example, it goes further than any program in its class in giving customers the power to store shipment information and analyze reports. For the first time, business shippers of all sizes will be able to fully access information regarding their shipping history, costs, and budgets over time."

The capabilities offered by SHIPPER were previously only available to customers through Airborne’s sophisticated LIBRA II^SM system, which included hardware, software, and shipping scales. "Of course, if you’re shipping hundreds of packages a week from a warehouse or corporate mailroom, LIBRA may still be best for you," explained Gwazdauskas. "But the beauty of the SHIPPER software is that anybody can use it, whether they send one package a day or dozens. That’s going to be a big help to business and office shippers nationwide."

After a customer has entered their account and shipment information, the software activates their modem to connect with Airborne’s mainframe computer. The information for all shipments is processed, and airbills are printed right on the customer’s laser printer. By selecting the pickup option, Airborne drivers are automatically alerted to the scheduled pickup.

The initial release of LIGHTSHIP SHIPPER follows nine months of intense development, including the study of existing shipping programs and gathering extensive customer feedback. A much-anticipated follow-up to Airborne’s popular LIGHTSHIP TRACKER^TM program, it is available free of charge. The software will initially be available on a limited basis, and then be made available to virtually every customer by Fall.

For more than 50 years, Airborne Express has served the shipping needs of business customers around the world. Today, Airborne offers total distribution solutions by providing time-sensitive delivery of documents, letters, small packages, and freight to virtually every U.S. ZIP code and more than 200 countries. Customers can select from a variety of services including same-day, next-morning, next-afternoon or second-day delivery, air freight, ocean service, and logistics management.