Business Travelers Admit That Relaxing En Route is the Way to Go; The Weather Channel's New Business Travelers Survey Indicates Travelers Prefer to Read, Sleep or Watch a Movie.

Business/Travel Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 2000

While the average business traveler brings a laptop for well-intentioned work while traveling, he or she tends to relax instead. A recent survey conducted by Greenfield Online, Inc. for The Weather Channel indicates that the amount of business travel is on the rise from five years ago, as are travel delays, adding to the amount of time spent on business travel.

The cable network surveyed 1,000 Americans about the current experience of business travelers. More than half of those surveyed admit that travel delays routine, but 20 percent more men than women tend to build in extra time to compensate for this. As weather can be a factor in delays, The Weather Channel suggests travelers consult its 5:00 a.m. (E.S.T.) First Outlook program for tips planning for efficient travel. Meteorologist Dennis Smith said "The Weather Channel knows how to get timely information to travelers who want a heads-up on inclement conditions and alternatives to getting where they need to go."

The Weather Channel survey results:

- Favorite modes of transportation: Most business travelers, 34% of those
surveyed, tend to fly, while 23% drive. By comparison, a marginal number take
trains.

- Delays now vs. five years ago: More than half of those surveyed noticed more
delays in business travel now than five years ago. But, this hasn't affected
the inclination to travel, which remains the same.

- Do travelers build in extra time for potential delays? The survey showed 20
percent more men than women prepare for potential delays by factoring in more
time and bringing along a laptop.

- How do business travelers spend time in flight? Even though the trip is
designated for business purposes, most people - men and women - will opt to
read, sleep, or watch the movie while on the plane instead of work.

- Is O'Hare, or LaGuardia, or National more conducive to conducting business
than other airports? Midwesterners can rejoice since the Windy City's O'Hare
airport beat the East Coast's LaGuardia and National by 2 to 1 on being more
conducive to travel.

The survey canvassed a random selection of 1,000 people across the U. S., from 25 years of age to 55+. The majority who participated were white, middle-class, married, and from the southeast.

BACKGROUND

The Weather Channel, Inc. is the nation's leading weather information provider and an indispensable source for understanding and planning for weather. Headquartered in Atlanta, The Weather Channel hosts a staff of more than 100 expert meteorologists in various specialties, 24-hour tracking of international, national and local weather, state-of-the-art systems for speed and accuracy, and in-depth analysis of weather conditions that reaches more than 75 million U.S. homes. The Weather Channel offers up-to-the-minute forecasts and weather-related lifestyle information on its Web site, www.weather.com, and distributes timely weather information through The Weather Channel Radio Network, 1-900-WEATHER, newspaper pages and wireless devices such as pagers and cellular phones. The Weather Channel owns and operates all-weather networks in Latin America and is owned by Landmark Communications, Inc., a Norfolk, Virginia-based media company.