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AirTran Airways

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AirTran Airways
File:AirTran Airways Logo 2009.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
FL TRS CITRUS
Founded1992 (as ValuJet)[1]
Commenced operationsSeptember 24, 1997[1]
Hubs
Secondary hubs
Focus cities
Frequent-flyer programA+ Rewards
Fleet size136 (+ 65 orders)
Destinations75
Parent companyAirTran Holdings NYSE: AAI
HeadquartersOrlando, Florida
Key peopleRobert L. Fornaro
(Chairman, President and CEO)
Website

AirTran Airways is an American low-cost airline. A subsidiary of AirTran Holdings,[2] AirTran operates over 750 daily flights, primarily in the eastern and midwestern United States.[3] AirTran's principal hub is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where it operates over 270 daily departures. AirTran Holdings is headquartered at Orlando International Airport, where AirTran also maintains a secondary hub. AirTran is the world's largest Boeing 717-200 operator.

History

Early Years

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.

Created to fill the void at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after Eastern Air Lines' demise, ValuJet Airlines started with two former Delta Air Lines' DC-9 aircraft, and the first commercial flight occurred between Atlanta and Tampa on October 26, 1993. The airline was the first to launch ticketless travel in 1993.

In the spring of 1994, barely eight months after launching service between Atlanta and three Florida cities, the airline went public by listing its stock on the NASDAQ and trading under the ticker symbol VJET.

In late 1995, the airline placed an order with the then McDonnell Douglas Corporation to be the launch customer for the MD-95 aircraft (now known as the Boeing 717). Serving as the launch customer meant the airline would have significant input into the design of the aircraft, and ValuJet was the youngest airline ever to serve as a launch customer for an aircraft type.

At the end of 1995, ValuJet was named as the top company in the Georgia 100 as published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the airline posted high margins with a $67 million net profit on revenues of $367 million.

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.

On July 10, 1997, ValuJet, Inc., the holding company for ValuJet Airlines, Inc., announced plans to acquire Airways Corporation, Inc., the holding company for AirTran Airways, Inc. of Orlando, Florida. The deal was scheduled to close on November 17, 1997.

On September 24, 1997, ValuJet Airlines changed its name to AirTran Airlines. So, for a couple of months, the two holding companies, even though they had not yet merged, operated airlines with similar names – AirTran. ValuJet, Inc., operated AirTran Airlines with a hub in Atlanta and Airways, Inc., operated AirTran Airways with a hub in Orlando. Finally, on November 17, 1997, ValuJet, Inc., acquired Airways, Inc., and renamed the holding company, AirTran Holdings, Inc. In the summer of 1998, the two airlines merged onto the same FAA certificate and the AirTran Airways name survived. While the hub remained in Atlanta, the headquarters of the new entity was combined in Orlando, Florida, on January 28, 1998.

In January 1999, a new management team led by Joe Leonard, a veteran of Eastern Air Lines, and Robert Fornaro, of US Airways, took the reins at the airline. On August 15, 2001, the company's stock began trading under the ticker symbol AAI on the New York Stock Exchange. The airline grew to serve 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.

In November 2007, Bob Fornaro took over as CEO, as well as President. Joe Leonard remained Chairman of the Board of Directors until June 2008. Upon his retirement, Fornaro then became Chairman, CEO and President.[4]

Growth

On July 1, 2003, AirTran placed an order for 100 Boeing 737 aircraft. In October 2003, AirTran began services to Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport, and to San Francisco the following month.

On January 5, 2004, AirTran's last Douglas DC-9 was retired, leaving it with a fleet of more than 70 Boeing 717s. The first Boeing 737 entered AirTran's fleet in June 2004, ending the service by Ryan. Later in 2004, AirTran sought a major expansion at Chicago-Midway Airport by buying the leases to ATA Airlines' 14 gates. Southwest Airlines made a higher bid for the gates, and AirTran lost the deal.

On May 23, 2006, AirTran accepted one of the last two Boeing 717s delivered in a ceremony with Midwest Airlines, who accepted the other 717.

New services

AirTran offers 100 channels of XM satellite radio as in-flight entertainment on board all its aircraft in both business class and coach. It used Elton John's face as a promotional tool for the new service. In June 2007, AirTran began charging passengers US$6.00 to guarantee an aisle or window seat and $20 to book a roomier emergency exit row seat.[5]

On May 12, 2009, AirTran announced they would install Wi-Fi on all of their planes by mid-summer 2009.[6]

In November 2006, AirTran Airways partnered with Frontier Airlines, allowing frequent flyers to earn airline miles in either AirTran's A+ Rewards, or Frontier's EarlyReturns frequent flyer program. This is known as reciprocal earning (as opposed to reciprocal redemption). In addition the airlines will refer customers to each other when appropriate.

Destinations

Main article: AirTran Airways destinations

AirTran Airways serves more than 70 destinations throughout the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Fleet

An AirTran Airways Boeing 737-700 jet at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport
AirTran Airways Boeing 717-200 in the new livery landing at
Baltimore-Washington International Airport

AirTran operates the youngest Boeing fleets in the industry. AirTran Airways is not scheduled for another aircraft to be delivered until mid-2011. As of June 30, 2009, AirTran has 138 aircraft in its fleet consisting of:[7]

[8]
AirTran Airways fleet
Aircraft Total Orders Passengers
(Business/Economy) 		Launch customer Largest operator Notes Aircell
Boeing 717-200 86 0 117 (12/105) Yes Yes Fleet includes First & Last 717 ever built All aircraft are equipped with inflight Wi-Fi provided by Aircell
Boeing 737-700 52 65 137 (12/125) No No Deliveries: Mid-2011
Fitted with blended winglets

As of August 2009, AirTran's average fleet age was 6.0 years.[9]

Retired

Expansion

In June 2005, AirTran announced plans to launch services from Atlanta and Tampa to Cancún, Mexico, though shelved the plans following the damage caused by Hurricane Wilma. On November 28, 2006, AirTran announced new daily nonstop service from Atlanta (ATL) to Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) which began on February 15, 2007. The new service to Phoenix resulted from an AirTran Airways' online survey which asked consumers, “Where do you want low fares next?”

On January 10, 2007, AirTran started service to Daytona Beach (DAB) and to Newburgh (SWF) using their Boeing 717 aircraft; both services since have been discontinued. Service to St. Louis began on May 8, 2007, and service to San Diego began on May 24, 2007. On February 22, 2007, AirTran announced new nonstops from their Atlanta hub (ATL) to Charleston, SC (CHS); five days later, on February 27, 2007, AirTran also announced the addition of new nonstops from Baltimore (BWI) and Orlando (MCO) to Portland, Maine (PWM).

Daily nonstop service between Atlanta and San Antonio began on June 7, 2008. On May 21, 2008, AirTran also added Burlington, Vermont, with three daily flights to Baltimore-Washington. In September 2008, AirTran announced service to Columbus, OH (CMH) and Harrisburg, PA (MDT).

AirTran is building up operations in Milwaukee at General Mitchell International Airport. The airline is now trying to compete directly with rival Midwest Airlines after Midwest chose not to agree to AirTran's bid to purchase the airline. AirTran has said that Mitchell Airport will become the airline's next focus city. [10] AirTran has been awarded two additional gates at General Mitchell International Airport which doubled their number of gates at the airport to four. In April 2009, they had increased to six gates.[11] As of January 2010 Airtran has 8 gate in the C concourse at Mitchell.

In May 2010, AirTran will begin service from Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Baltimore and Orlando.[12]

Failed acquisition

In December 2006, Air Tran Holdings announced that it had been trying to acquire Midwest Air Group. See: AirTran Holdings.

On August 12, 2007, AirTran announced its attempt to purchase Midwest Airlines had expired, while TPG Capital, in partnership with Northwest Airlines, had entered into an agreement to purchase Midwest Airlines for an amount larger than the AirTran Airways' proposal. However, on August 14, 2007, AirTran increased its offer to the equivalent of $16.25 a share, slightly more than the $16 a share from TPG Capital investors group.[13] However, Midwest announced TPG would increase its offer to $17 per share and a definitive agreement had been reached late on August 16, 2007.[14]

Employee labor relations

On September 21, 2007, AirTran pilots, represented by the National Pilots Association, rejected the carrier's contract proposal. Two weeks earlier, the pilots voted to dump the union president and vice president.[15]

Muslims removed from flight

On January 1, 2009, AirTran Airways removed nine Muslim passengers, including three children, from a flight and turned them over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after one of the men commented to another that they were sitting right next to the engines and wondered aloud where the safest place to sit on the plane was. Although the FBI subsequently cleared the passengers and called the incident a "misunderstanding," AirTran refused to seat the passengers on another flight, forcing them to purchase last minute tickets on another airline that had been secured with the FBI's assistance. A spokesman for AirTran initially defended the airline's actions and said they would not reimburse the passengers for the cost of the new tickets. Although the men had traditional beards and the women headscarves, AirTran denied that their actions were based on the passengers' appearance.[16] The following day, after the incident received widespread media coverage, AirTran reversed its position and issued a public apology, adding that it would in fact reimburse the passengers for the cost of their rebooked tickets.[17]

Cabin

AirTran Airways operates under a two-class configuration with business class and the main cabin. All seats feature live, on-demand XM Satellite Radio. All aircraft also have in-flight wifi available. Business class includes rows 1-3 and coach begins with row ten (there are no rows 4-9), skipping 13 due to superstition. Beginning in 2009, AirTran had begun the Sky Bites buy on board program (available only on certain flights) offering food for purchase in addition to the traditional complimentary beverages and cocktail snacks. In the main cabin, alcoholic drinks could be purchased for a fee, while in business class they were complimentary.[18] However, as of September 2009, this program has been discontinued and the Sky Bites menu is no longer visible on AirTran's website. Seat-back pockets hold a copy of the airline's magazine Go!, Hertz rental car coupons, and an up-to date SkyMall.

Livery

AirTran's livery is primarily white, with teal on the ventral side. The sections are divided by parallel red and blue stripes, which run horizontal at the front, and start to curve upward at the wings until they reach the top side of the plane at the back of the vertical stabilizer. The nacelles are royal blue, with "airtran.com" written in white Helvetica font. The logo version of "AirTran" is written toward the front on either side in teal above the passenger windows, and the vertical stabilizer is teal with a prominent white cursive "A", just like the beginning of the logo.

Some aircraft wear promotional liveries as part of marketing partnerships, for example with the Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, and the Orlando Magic.

Incidents and accidents

See also: Previous Incidents and Accidents as ValuJet

Since the merger of Valujet and the original AirTran, the airline has not had a fatal incident or accident.

AirTran Airways Incidents and Accidents
Flight Date Aircraft Location Description Injuries
Fatal Serious Minor
AirTran Airways 426
Summary 		May 7, 1998 Douglas DC-9-32 Calhoun, GA Flight crew failed to maintain adequate separation from hazardous meteorological conditions. The investigation revealed that the captain had been involved in two other air carrier incidents involving adverse weather conditions. It also revealed that the airline lacked adequate training and guidance regarding hazardous weather interpretation and avoidance, as well as adequate procedures to notify flight attendants about potential turbulence. A Flight Attendant and a passenger were seriously injured during a turbulence encounter. 2
AirTran Airways 867
Summary 		November 1, 1998 Boeing 737-200 Atlanta, GA Lost control and skidded off of the runway while landing, with main landing gear in a drainage ditch and its empennage extending over the taxiway. The nose gear was folded back into the electrical/electronic compartment and turned 90 degrees from its normal, extended position. The cause was an improperly repaired hydraulic line leak. 13
AirTran Airways 356
Summary 		March 26, 2003 Boeing 717-200 Flushing, New York, NY PCDU failure that caused an electrical smell leading to a precautionary landing and evacuation. 1 22

References

  1. ^ a b Norwood, Tom (2002). North American Airlines Handbook (3rd ed.). Sandpoint, ID: Airways International. ISBN 0-9653993-8-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "investor relations overview." AirTran Airways. Retrieved on May 18, 2009.
  3. ^ http://www.airtran.com/route-map/city_information.aspx
  4. ^ http://www.airtranairways.com/about-us/history.aspx
  5. ^ AirTran Now Allows Advance Seat Assignments To All Customers
  6. ^ AirTran Airways to Offer Wi-Fi on Every Flight
  7. ^ AirTran Airways Fleet Fact Sheet
  8. ^ AirTran takes delivery of 50th 737NG
  9. ^ AirTran Fleet Age
  10. ^ AirTran Announces General Mitchell Airport As New Focus City
  11. ^ JS Online: AirTran plans major expansion at Mitchell
  12. ^ AirTran to begin flights out of Grand Rapids, airfare price competition expected
  13. ^ AirTran boosts bid for Midwest Air
  14. ^ Midwest announces agreement with TPG. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 16, 2007..
  15. ^ On April 10, 2009, 87% of the pilots at Airtran voted to merge the National Pilots Association with the world's largest pilot union, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).[1]
  16. ^ 9 Muslim Passengers Removed From Jet
  17. ^ Airline Offers Apology Over Detained Muslim Passengers
  18. ^ "AirTran Airways Launches Buy-On-Board Food with Sky Bites(SM)." Yahoo! Finance. Wednesday February 11, 2009. Retrieved on February 12, 2009.

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