IBM and SITA Join Mercury's Strategic Advisory Board

Business Wire, Sept 21, 2000

Business Editors

VANCOUVER, B.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 21, 2000

Mercury Scheduling Systems Inc. (OTCBB:MYSYF)(CDNX:MRY.)(Frankfurt:MEU.) announced that a Strategic Advisory Board has been established to reinforce the successful execution of the Company's aggressive new marketing plan.

Executives from Mercury and its partners, IBM and SITA, will each take a seat on the strategic advisory board. The new board will advise Mercury's senior management and the Board of Directors on the marketing of the Company's unique software solutions for the airline industry.

The establishment of this new Advisory Board comes on the heels of Mercury's announcements of partnerships with both IBM and SITA earlier this summer. As a result of these partnerships, both IBM and SITA have recently created their own dedicated internal sales forces to compliment the Mercury sales team.

The major partnership agreement with IBM, announced in June, links Mercury with the world's largest information technology company and fast tracks Mercury's Magellan system for immediate availability to the market. In July, Mercury announced a strategic marketing agreement with SITA, the world's largest provider of telecommunications and information solutions to the air transport industry. SITA will be re-branding Mercury's airline crew tracking products under its own name and offering sales, integration and support facilities to its customers.

Mercury's Strategic Advisory Board members:

Ms. Katherine Evans, Alliance Executive with the IBM Travel Industry Group, is responsible for managing IBM ConnectEdge Partner relationships in North and South America. Katherine has been working with Mercury for the past year and is responsible for the coordination and facilitation of marketing activities identified for the IBM ConnectEdge initiative.

Mr. Charles Bones, Director of Flight Operation Services of SITA, has been working with the company for over 16 years. In his current position as head of SITA Flight Operations, Charles oversees 90 staff supporting 200 airlines. Charles was the individual who first approached Mercury with the idea for the SITA alliance and will be responsible for development and coordination of sales activities originating with SITA.

Mr. Al-Karim Haji, an experienced management consultant, has also been appointed to the board. Al-Karim has been working with Mercury since December of 1999 and will be advising the company with regards to the financial markets, corporate vision and merger and acquisition strategies.

"This is an important step in the life of Mercury Scheduling Systems," said Graham Whitmarsh, President and CEO of Mercury. "We're very pleased to have this kind of senior and experienced representation from our partners on this new body. We look forward to receiving the valuable input of the Advisory Board members and using the board as a forum to further develop our marketing alliances with IBM and SITA."

Mercury's corporate objective is to be the leading supplier of airline crew management systems worldwide. Crew costs can make up 20 % of overall airline expenses, often exceeding aircraft and fuel costs. Airline spending in the field of crew management and field support is currently estimated at over a billion dollars and is expected to grow substantially as airlines seek to improve crew efficiency resulting in reduced overall operating costs.

Mercury Scheduling Systems Inc. is a software development company that licenses some of the most innovative airline operations software in the world. With a broad range of software products, Mercury is positioned to meet the needs of all sizes of airlines. The company has an established client base that includes leading companies such as British Airways Regional, Aloha Airlines, Legend Airlines and Ansett Australia. Mercury is one of 30 select companies that make up the CDNX Technology Index, which contains 80% of the top technology listings by market cap.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Mercury Scheduling Systems Inc., Graham Whitmarsh, President & CEO

Cautionary not for US Investors: This news release may contain forward-looking statements that may address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks or uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

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