All Motorists to Receive Free Access to AAA's Online Mapping and Driving Directions Through New AAAmaps.com Web Site

WASHINGTON--May 1, 20048, 2004--

World-Class Travel Information Gives Members and Non-Members Alternative to MapQuest and Other Travel-Planning Sites

AAA, the nation's largest organization for motorists, today announced plans to make its world-class routing and mapping technology available to all Internet users through a new Web site, AAAmaps.com. AAA is launching the new site today, just in time for travelers to plan their Memorial Day driving getaways.

AAAmaps.com leverages AAA's robust Internet TripTik(R) mapping and routing technology which the Wall Street Journal called its "Top Choice" for online mapping services. The new AAAmaps.com site has many of the same mapping and routing capabilities as Internet TripTik and includes valuable information from AAA's extensive data base of proprietary travel information, such as Diamond Ratings for hotels and restaurants unavailable from other online mapping services.

"AAAmaps.com is designed to offer Web users quick access to a mapping and travel planning solution whether they are driving across town or planning a lengthy driving vacation this summer," said Sandra Hughes, vice president, AAA Travel, at today's annual Memorial Day/Summer Travel news conference where the Web site launch was announced.

While Internet TripTik, which is available only to AAA members, is a much more comprehensive mapping and trip-planning tool, AAAmaps.com includes many of the same features and capabilities.

AAAmaps.com users can select a wide variety of locations from an easy-to-use drop-down menu or fill in address information, add a stopover such as an attraction or restaurant, zoom in or out, pan, add notes or choose to avoid/include tolls or ferries. Travelers can even compare hotels and reserve a room directly on the AAAmaps.com site.

"We believe AAAmaps.com is the link that consumers want and need to the industry's best mapping and trip planning information at a time when more people are traveling to their vacation destinations by car," said Hughes.

AAAmaps.com uses state-of-the-art hardware, software and data to deliver high-quality mapping and routing results worthy of the AAA brand, including hardware from Sun Microsystems, software from Kivera, Inc., ESRI and Oracle, coupled with data from NAV TEQ., Inc., Geographic Data Technology, Inc., and AAA's proprietary highway and TourBook(R) guide content and AAA proprietary software.

As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides its 47 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.