AirTran Airways
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AirTran Airways Template:Airline codes is a low-cost airline based in the United States and is a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings. Its principal hub is at Atlanta, Georgia's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport while it also operates smaller "focus city" operations at Philadelphia's Philadelphia International Airport, Baltimore's Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Orlando's Orlando International Airport and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Irving.The airline operates routes from coast to coast with a heavy concentration in the East and Midwest.
History
In October of 1997, AirTran began assigning seats on its planes, a first for a low fare carrier. The next month they added business class seats on every flight, also a first for a low fare carrier. The old routes from Orlando by AirTran were systematically ended following a merger with ValuJet Airlines to focus on Atlanta. In March of 1998, AirTran began a frequent flier program. In June of 1998, Entrepreneur Magazine gave the airline its 1998 award for "Best Domestic Low-Fare Airline". They also won this award in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005. In July of 1998, AirTran reported its first profitable quarter since early 1996.
On September 24, 1999, AirTran Airways took delivery of its first Boeing 717-200; it entered service on October 12th. On December 12, 2000, AirTran launched service from Atlanta to its first international destination, Grand Bahama Island International Airport.
Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, AirTran reduced its flight schedule by 20%. However, On October 7, AirTran returned to its normal schedule. On October 15, AirTran became the first airline in the nation to reinforce the cockpit doors on all its aircraft. In November of 2002, AirTran entered into an agreement with Air Wisconsin to provide regional jet service on some AirTran routes to free up 717 aircraft, a service called AirTran JetConnect. This agreement was terminated in mid-2004.
In June of 2003, AirTran began new service operated by Ryan International Airlines to Denver, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, making it a coast-to-coast airline. On July 1, 2003, AirTran placed an order for 100 Boeing 737s. In October of 2003, AirTran began service to Washington D.C.'s Reagan National Airport and to San Francisco the following month. On January 5, 2004 AirTran's last DC-9 was retired leaving it with a fleet of more than 70 B717s. The first 737 entered AirTran's fleet in June of 2004.
Fleet
The Air Tran fleet consists of the following aircraft (at March 2005):
External links
- AirTran (http://www.airtran.com/)
- AirTran Fleet Detail (http://www.planemad.net/Airline/US/AirTran_Airways_(FL_TRS)/Fleet.htm)de:AirTran
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