FYI from MCI™

MCI wins big in Vegas

MCI drew lots of attention — and even a little rice — at UMA Expo 2005, February 23 through 25 in Las Vegas. Here are some of the highlights:

Lucky in Las Vegas: MCI recognized Holland America Tours' recent addition of its 50th E4500 coach and gave away Holland America cruises to four lucky winners. Congratulations to John Tobin, president of Yankee Trails, Rensselaer, New York; Darlene Thomas, wife of Dennis Thomas, president of Thomas Tours, Calumet City, Illinois; Allen Lamers, president of Lamers Bus Lines, Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Steve Brown, vice president of Brown Coach Lines, Amsterdam, New York.

Bride walks down motor coach aisle: Jamie Murray, owner of Parkinson Coach, and Lynn Hewitt became Mr. and Mrs. Murray in MCI's booth on Wednesday, February 23, with the support of many friends in the industry and MCI associates. Click here for more details.

New-look D reflects upscale trend: As evidenced by the popularity of TV shows such as ABC TV's "Extreme Home Makeover" and TLC's "What Not to Wear," the masses want the luxury goods once reserved for the wealthy. MCI first recognized the trend when it launched the E4500 in 1997. With its sleek good looks, spiral entryway and sophisticated interior, the model quickly found popularity with high-end motor coach operators and baby-boomer consumers. Now, by updating the D-Series with a new look, MCI broadens its trend-setting appeal even further. Many operators got their first peek at the D's curvy new lines at the show.

Style sells: Operators flocked to the MCI booth to look over the deluxe versions of the E4500 and D4005 models on display. Louisiana Coaches Trailways founder Don Sanders, his wife Merina, and son Louis were so impressed with the D4005's new look and deluxe interior package (designed exclusively for the show) that they decided to purchase the coach from MCI sales manager Rob Lessor on the spot. "It's as if MCI went and put a tuxedo on it, making it practical and upscale," said Louis Sanders, who said he plans to market the coach to high-end corporate and wedding clients. Click here for more details.

Fleet Support notes: The MCI Fleet Support booth previewed a prototype interactive parts manual that will be available online later this year. MCI service centers presented information on wheelchair-lift retrofit kits available at its Los Alamitos and Loudonville locations as well new-look retrofit kits for D models already in operators' fleets. Prestige Transportation Systems, Wichita, Kansas, and Frontier Bus Lines, Red Deer, Alberta, are the first to opt for new-look retrofits on their pre-owned D models.

Going further! Hundreds of MCI employees have been recognized with a Going further!_SM certificate by their co-workers for going the extra mile internally or for a customer. Three employees were selected for further recognition, winning a trip to Las Vegas during UMA EXPO. There, MCI President and CEO Tom Sorrells recognized the three: Mitchell Drennan and Josè Almos, both technicians at MCI's Dallas service center, for their late-night efforts to get a customer's coach back on the road; and Adrian Ras, a Winnipeg plant employee, for his contributions upholding MCI's quality standards. MCI will continue its Going further! employee recognition program through 2005.

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