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                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DART GROUP ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF SETTLEMENT WITH HERBERT H. HAFT

         LANDOVER, MD, February 5, 1998...Dart Group Corporation (Nasdaq: DARTA)
announced today that it has consummated the closing under its settlement
agreement with Herbert H. Haft that was executed on October 16, 1997 and
approved at a hearing before the Delaware Chancery Court in November 1997 as
fair, reasonable and adequate to the company and its stockholders.

         The consummation of the closing means that Mr. Haft's equity interests
in, and management involvement with, the company and its subsidiaries comes to
an end. The company repurchased all remaining equity interests of Mr. Haft in
Dart Group and its two publicly traded majority owned subsidiaries, Trak Auto
Corporation (Nasdaq: TRKA) and Crown Books Corporation (Nasdaq: CRWN) for cash.
As part of the settlement, Mr. Haft has also agreed generally not to acquire
stock of the company and its subsidiaries until October 16, 2007. In addition,
Mr. Haft resigned from his position as a director and officer of the company and
its subsidiaries. Richard B. Stone, who has been serving as acting chief
executive officer of the company and its subsidiaries, is expected to become the
chief executive officer.

         Consummation of the settlement with Mr. Haft also means that all
litigation between Dart Group and members of the Haft family has been settled
and will be dismissed, and the company will no longer be subject to the
standstill imposed by the Delaware Chancery Court.

         As a result of the settlement closing, the only involvement of the Haft
family in the ownership and management of the company and its subsidiaries is
through the ownership by Ronald Haft of certain shares of class A non-voting
stock and all of the outstanding class B voting stock of Dart Group, which
shares are subject to a voting trust agreement, the voting trustee of which is
Senator Stone. The company has the option to acquire all such shares from Ronald
Haft, and it is the company's intention to do so later this month and thereby
terminate the voting trust agreement. Simultaneously therewith, the company
intends to make all class A non-voting shares held by the public, as well as all
class B voting shares, a single class of voting common stock.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995: The statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are
forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those
projected in the forward-looking statements, which statements involve risks and
uncertainties. Investors are directed to the other risks



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discussed in documents filed by Dart Group Corporation with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.

CONTACT:  Marina Ein, 202-223-2922, for the Dart Group.



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