AirTran Airways Exercises Options for 2 Boeing 737 Aircraft

[717Doc]

ORLANDO, Fla., July 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. AAI, today announced that the airline has converted purchase options to firm orders for two new Boeing 737- 700 series aircraft. Delivery of the two new aircraft is scheduled to take place in the first quarter of 2006. The announcement comes only a few weeks after the low-cost airline accepted delivery of the first of 100 new Boeing 737-700 aircraft.

"AirTran Airways' long-standing relationship with The Boeing Company has enabled us to maintain a world-class aircraft fleet that is unparalleled in the aviation industry," commented Joe Leonard, AirTran Airways' chairman and chief executive officer. "The Boeing 737 has set a new standard for commercial jet transport, allowing us to increase efficiency and enhance our range of service at even lower cost to the consumer."

The Boeing 737 is the world's most popular jet aircraft. The AirTran Airways' Boeing 737 seats 137 passengers and is equipped with premium Recaro seats in the airline's signature two-by-two award-winning Business Class (12 seats) and coach seats (125 seats). Similar to the Boeing 717, the Boeing 737 aircraft will feature EasyFit overhead bins with plenty of storage space for passengers' carry-on bags, and XM Satellite Radio will soon be added to all AirTran Airways aircraft.

[dbaker]

Hopefully they can operate them more safely than the current solution proved to be a couple weeks ago.

[jetmech717]

I have always said that I hated having other companies fly our routes for us. I guess at the time we needed to grab the gate space while it was available and then grow into it. I am glad that Air Wisconsin is almost gone and I'll be glad when Ryan Air is gone....I mean I'm sure we appreciate the help but its time for the AirTran Mechanics/Technicians to work on all planes that have the big "A" on the tails.

By the way we have (2) 737-700's in service now and #3 next month, and so on and so on.

[B717mech]

Baker said:

Hopefully they can operate them more safely than the current solution proved to be a couple weeks ago

Mr. baker you are making this one real easy!!!! You should have started a post of this topic under Ryan International. This aircraft is own and operated by Ryan not us. All Airtran does is ground service , Bags and catering. All maintenance and flight crews are all Ryan employees. So this post is out of place. This incident reflect nothing on AirTran. Have a nice day!!!

[dbaker]

Originally Posted by B717mech

This incident reflect nothing on AirTran

This is classic AirTran! I can see that nothing changes; definitely not the corporate culture.

The flight was operated as AirTran flight #4, sold as an AirTran flight to customers, operated at Airtran gates, and with AirTran boarding passes.

AirTran selected the vendor (Ryan) to operate the flight, it's just as if AirTran had hired the flight crew and purchased & maintained the aircraft. Anything (good or bad) reflects on AirTran and is just as much AirTran's responsibility.

You guys are definitely good at one thing -- pasing the buck. It's always the outsourced maintenace company's fault, or the previous owner of the aircraft, or the previous owner's mechanics, or the aircraft company, or the operator.

Of course, the NTSB agrees with me. For example, they previously cited the lack of ValuJet's oversight of Sabretech as a factor in the VJ592 accident. Naturally, ValuJet/AirTran accepts no blame for that either.

[B717mech]

Saying that it does reflect on AirTran was wrong, it does. Because it is in our colors, but to sit there and incinuate that it is our fault because we did not oversee the Maintenance is absurd. Why is it that there is not a post on UsAir about the UsAir Express Beech 1900 that crashed into the hangar in Charlotte that was operated by Mesa. I will ask you this question again since you ignored it on other post.

Do you (baker) have anything good to say about AirTran Airways??

[jetmech717]

Baker:

AirTran selected the vendor (Ryan) to operate the flight, it's just as if AirTran had hired the flight crew and purchased & maintained the aircraft. Anything (good or bad) reflects on AirTran and is just as much AirTran's responsibility.

All this does Baker is let the higher ups learn what type of business that the contracted company does and that maybe we need to look somewhere else for our business needs. Because all the customer knows is that that plane had a big "A" on the tail.

If you have a contract with a company then you expect them to live up to their end. If you are unhappy with the way they conduct business then the answer is simple. Obviously we cannot be happy with this. It could have happened to anyone but thats the way it goes. I know we are trying to get our flight gaps filled with our own A/C as soon as possible.

You NEVER heard any AirTran spokes person try to "pass the buck". I can assure you that all those passengers were compensated by AirTran and that they were not told "were sorry that Ryan Air did this to you...just remember our guys dont work on these planes". They were treated the way they they should have been with many apologys and thats it. The real work will happen between the big wigs.

All we do is let the passengers know (in writting on the schedules. We dont say it at the gates) that the "A/C is owned and operated by ....."
because lets face it.....Not every airline does the top notch maintenace job that AirTran technicians do on our A/C.

[ithisk]

Originally Posted by jetmech717

You NEVER heard any AirTran spokes person try to "pass the buck".

Do you gentlemen not realize that you are spokespeople for AirTran when you're posting on this forum as AirTran employees?

[jetmech717]

ithisk:

Do you gentlemen not realize that you are spokespeople for AirTran when you're posting on this forum as AirTran employees?

Well if you think I am, then you never heard me "pass the buck". I'm just letting you know the truth of the matter.

I like to think all we do is bring a different side to the stories here, with a little bit of insider info.

[trs717]

Originally Posted by dbaker

The flight was operated as AirTran flight #4, sold as an AirTran flight to customers, operated at Airtran gates, and with AirTran boarding passes.

You're wrong Baker. AirTran flight 4 is sold just like this one to LA (check AirTran.com...I can't get the link to work), which clearly indicates that it is operated by Ryan Intrnational Airlines before you select the flight for booking.

Furthermore upon boarding the flight you'll hear over PA something like "welcome aboard Ryan Int'l Airlines serving as AirTran flight # 1"

Get the point? I had a friend trying to buy tickets on us to LA. When he saw Ryans name he quickly changed his mind. I'll be glad when they finally go away.