Manuel A. Diaz Served As Mayor From 2001 To 2009

Former Miami Mayor Manuel A. Diaz has been elected as an independent director on the board of Eastern Air Lines Group effective September 3. Diaz is expected to bring extensive public service and community expertise to the Board, having served as Mayor of Miami from 2001 to 2009, and is credited with Miami's resurgence as a world class, vibrant city. While in office, he was chosen to lead the United States Conference of Mayors, the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more.

Diaz is currently a senior partner at Lydecker Diaz, a prominent Miami law firm, where he specializes in urban development issues and corporate transactions. He also serves as a director of CBS Outdoor, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, Institute of Politics Senior Advisory Committee and University of Pennsylvania Institute for Urban Research. Mr. Diaz is the author of Miami Transformed: Rebuilding America, One Neighborhood, One City at a Time.

"We are very pleased to have Manny join our board and provide us his unique perspectives on Miami and the regions we will serve. His experience will be invaluable to us," said Admiral (Ret.) William Owens, Eastern's Chairman. Added Eastern's CEO, Ed Wegel, "Mayor Diaz has been extraordinarily supportive of our efforts over the past few years to re-launch Eastern here in Miami, and we are honored to have him on our board and to advise our management team as well as continue to serve as an inspiration through his prior leadership of this city and continued work in the community and across the United States."

Mayor Diaz commented, "For over 50 years, Eastern was part of the DNA of this great city, and in many ways it still is, so I look forward to working with the board and management in the development of the new airline."

FMI: www.easternairlines.aero