Hudson Group Co-Sponsors 'Hero Miles' Program to Aid War Veterans

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., May 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Travel retailer Hudson Group, owner and operator of more than 450 Hudson News airport newsstands across the U.S. and Canada, is co-sponsoring with CNN and Fisher House Foundation an appeal to the traveling public to donate their frequent flyer miles to wounded veterans and their families through a program called "Hero Miles."

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060705/NYW034LOGO )

Eight participating airlines will match the miles donated by the public, and the Foundation will provide free airline tickets to reunite families with military men and women wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Participating airlines include: AirTran, Alaska, Continental, Delta, Midwest, Northwest, United and US Airways. To date, the Foundation has provided more than 9,500 airline tickets worth more than $12 million to hospitalized service members and their families.

Throughout the coming Memorial Day weekend, Hudson will make available at its airport newsstands cards outlining the Hero Miles program and providing the website ( http://www.fisherhouse.org ) where customers can log on and donate their miles. Fisher House Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports American service men and women and their families in a variety of ways.

According to Joseph DiDomizio, executive vice president and chief operating officer, members of Hudson Group's executive team have kicked off the program by themselves donating more than a quarter of a million miles: "Our people are constantly traveling to our 58 airports and accrue many frequent flyer miles. In addition to distributing the cards, they decided as a group to donate their own miles to this very worthy cause."

About Hudson Group

Hudson Group is a privately held corporation that operates more than 500 premier newsstands, bookstores and specialty retail shops in 58 airports and 11 transportation terminals throughout North America. Hudson News, is North America's only national newsstand brand. Under the familiar blue sign can be found the most complete selection of magazines and books in the transportation industry, along with newspapers, gifts and a wide variety of travelers' necessities, snacks and bottled soft drinks.