AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings (NYSE: AAI), is a low-fare airline designed for business travelers, offering Business class, new planes with XM Satellite Radio and EasyFit Overhead Bins, assigned seats, and their accommodating frequent flier program A+ Rewards. AirTran Airways' mix of low fares and an affordable Business Class with excellent customer service and one of the world's youngest all-Boeing fleets has continued to strike a chord with the public.
Advertisement
AirTran Airways is a culmination of several airlines and lots of hard work. In 1992, the predecessor airline, ValuJet Airlines was founded by airline industry veterans including an executive group from the former Southern Airways and pilots, mechanics and flight attendants from the defunct Eastern Air Lines.
The original AirTran Airways, a Boeing 737 operator with service to/from Orlando, was founded by AirTran Corporation, the holding Company of Mesaba Airlines of Minneapolis, Minnesota, operating as a Northwest Airlink carrier with hubs in Minneapolis and Detroit. In 1994, AirTran Holdings purchased a start up 737 operator named Conquest Sun and renamed the airline AirTran Airways. Conquest Sun, similar to ValuJet, was an airline started by former Eastern Air Lines employees. The original AirTran Airways moved its headquarters to Orlando, Florida, and grew to 11 Boeing 737 aircraft serving 24 cities in the East and Midwest providing low-fare leisure travel to Orlando. In 1995, AirTran Airways was spun off by Mesaba and formed its own independent holding company named Airways Corporation.
In January 1999, a new management team led by Joe Leonard, a veteran of Eastern Air Lines, and Bob Fornaro, of US Airways, took the reins at the airline. Leonard, Chairman and CEO, improved operating efficiencies while Fornaro, President and COO, built a sustainable route network which increased the presence of the Atlanta hub while adding focus cities in Baltimore/Washington, Philadelphia and Chicago. On August 15, 2001, Leonard and Fornaro joined twelve Crew Members in ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange where the company's stock began trading under the ticker symbol AAI. The airline grew quickly under Leonard and Fornaro's leadership and has transformed itself into a strong competitor operating the youngest all Boeing fleet in the nation to more than 56 cities coast-to-coast with more than 700 flights per day and over 9,000 Crew Members serving nearly 20 million passengers per year.
Location
Those who browsed 'AirTran Airways' also found interest in following airlines . . .
- Airlines: