DULLES, VA - OCTOBER 2, 2002 - It is estimated that 85% of people chose to drive rather than fly to their destinations this summer*, making it one of the busiest summer driving seasons ever. As a record number of people hit the roads, they turned online for help, and MapQuest, the world's leading online mapping, routing and global location services company and wholly owned subsidiary of America Online, Inc., topped the list as the most popular travel and mapping source for summer 2002. According to the latest Comscore/Media Metrix data for August, the number of unique visitors to MapQuest.com jumped to nearly 23 million, up 63% over last summer.

Overall, the online mapping and directions service added nearly as many users in the past six months as it did in its first three years combined. Given the overall decrease seen by the travel industry, MapQuest's phenomenal growth is an indicator that people continue to increase their use of the interactive medium to get to their destinations and that MapQuest's industry-leading maps and directions were reliable and convenient resources during a period of travel uncertainty. In fact, MapQuest.com served nearly 900 million maps and directions this summer alone.

"Undeniably, MapQuest is the number one source for getting people where they need to go because we believe in providing people with the highest-quality and most useful mapping and routing services available, packaged in an easy and timesaving format," said Tommy McGloin, Senior Vice President and General Manager of MapQuest. "This fall, our users can expect to see even more improvements to the MapQuest.com site as we make enhancements to the design and functionality of our services that will provide them with a simpler and faster experience."

MapQuest.com provides comprehensive coverage of the globe when it comes to detailed maps and driving directions. Easy to read and take along on the road, MapQuest maps and driving directions can be printed, downloaded to a PDA, emailed or faxed. A business locator feature helps travelers find restaurants, ATMs, entertainment and attractions along the way; aerial views enable people to learn more about the surrounding areas; and the MapQuest Road Trip Planner provides a customized travel package of maps, directions and destination information.

MapQuest's mapping and location services are also available to consumers across the Web. In fact, MapQuest leads the industry with more than 1,400 partners who are currently using MapQuest products on their business websites, and hundreds of thousands of other websites link directly to MapQuest.com every day. *Source: Travel Industry Association of America