AirTran Airways

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Image:AirTran logo.png
AirTran Airways
IATA
FL 		ICAO
TRS 		Callsign
Citrus
Founded 1993
Hubs H. J. Atlanta Int'l Airport
Orlando International Airport
Focus cities/ secondary hubs Philadelphia International Airport
Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Frequent flyer program a+ Rewards
Fleet size 100
Destinations 43
Parent company AirTran Holdings
Headquarters Orlando, Florida
Key people Joe Leonard (Chairman & CEO), Robert Fornaro (COO), Stan Gadek (CFO)
Website www.airtran.com

AirTran Airways (IATA: FL, ICAO: TRS, and Callsign: Citrus) is a low-cost airline based in Orlando, Florida, USA and is a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings. AirTran operates over 500 daily flights throughout the eastern USA and the Midwest, including over 130 daily departures from Atlanta. It is the world's largest Boeing 717 operator. Its main base is Orlando International Airport, with a principal hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It also operates smaller "focus city" operations at Philadelphia International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Contents

History

The airline was established in June 1993 and started operations on October 26, 1993 as Conquest Sun Airlines. It was renamed AirTran Airways in August 1994.

Following objections from Northwest Airlines to AirTran Airways's entry into the jet carrier business, its parent company signed an agreement with Northwest for the spin-off to shareholders of the non-airline businesses. They became part of a new holding company, Airways Corporation, which also owned Mesaba Aviation.

In July 1997 AirWays Corporation announced a merger with ValuJet Airlines parent company ValuJet of Atlanta. On September 24, 1997 the parent companies became AirTran Holdings Inc, ValuJet was renamed AirTran Airlines and operations under that name began on September 1, 1998.

In October 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 the merger with ValuJet Airlines to focus on Atlanta. In March 1998, AirTran began a frequent flier program. In June 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 1998, AirTran reported its first profitable quarter since early 1996.

On September 24, 1999 AirTran Airways became the first airline in the world to take delivery of the Boeing 717; it entered service on October 12, 1999. On December 12, 2000, AirTran launched services from Atlanta to its first international destination, Grand Bahama Island.

Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, AirTran reduced its flight schedule by 20%. However, On October 7, 2001, 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, although with one of the smallest fleets of any US airlines and a much smaller service area, this was a greatly simplified task by comparison. In November 2002, AirTran entered into an agreement with Air Wisconsin to provide regional jet service on some AirTran routes to free up Boeing 717 aircraft, a service called AirTran JetConnect. This agreement was terminated in mid-2004.

In June 2003, AirTran began new services operated by Ryan International Airlines to Denver, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, making it a coast-to-coast airline. In 2004, an engine cowling broke off in-flight from a Ryan International Airlines 737 painted in AirTran's colors and operated as an AirTran Flight. AirTran came under fire after they maintained that it was not their aircraft and so it was not their responsibility because this was reminiscient of when ValuJet Airlines (now AirTran) executives testified that they outsourced maintenance and safety, so the crash of ValuJet Flight 592 was not their fault.

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 Int'l.

AirTran is also in the process of installing in-flight entertainment onboard all its aircraft in both Business class and coach. AirTran plans to feature over 100 channels of XM satellite radio and has used Elton John's face as a promotional tool for the new service. As of July 26, 2005 AirTran has eqipped 46 of its aircraft with XM.

In June 2005, AirTran announced plans to launch services from Atlanta and Tampa to Cancun, Mexico, its second international destination, beginning in December.

Destinations

AirTran Airways operates to the following destinations as of July 2005:

United States, U.S. Territories, and Canada

Bermuda and the Caribbean, excluding US territories

Fleet

The Air Tran fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of October 2005):

Incidents and Accidents

  • Previous Incidents and Accidents as ValuJet
  • AirTran Airways flight 867 (November 1, 1998) lost control and crashed 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. Cause was an improperly repaired hydraulic line leak, due to inexperienced mechanics from ValuJet. 13 minor injuries. NTSB summary
  • AirTran Airways flight 913 (August 8, 2000) executed an emergency landing due to an in-flight fire and smoke in the cockpit. 13 minor injuries were reported. NTSB summary
  • AirTran Airways flight 956 (November 29, 2000) executed an emergency landing shortly after takeoff, due to an electrical fire that caused smoke in the forward cabin. 13 minor injuries were reported. NTSB summary
  • AirTran Airways flight 356 (March 26, 2003) experienced an electrical fire. 1 passenger was seriously injured, and 22 passengers received minor injuries. NTSB summary
  • AirTran Airways flight 460 (August 1, 2003) collided with a baggage tug while backing away from the ramp. No injuries. NTSB summary
  • AirTran Airways flight 852 (March 5, 2004) executed an emergency landing, due to a complete electrical power failure and smoke in the aft part of the cabin area. No injuries. NTSB summary
  • AirTran Airways flight 4 (July 13, 2004) executed an emergency landing, due to fan cowl doors of the engine separated from the airplane in flight. No injuries. NTSB summary

External links


Lists of Aircraft | Aircraft manufacturers | Aircraft engines | Aircraft engine manufacturers

Airports | Airlines | Air forces | Aircraft weapons | Missiles | Timeline of aviation

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