AirTran ranks LAST in monthly DOT on-time report

[haze]

...just watch the movie "Tucker" and you'll understand exactly why the "entrenched" want to squash AirTran

Whenever a new kid on the block comes along and does things differently for a lower price, the status quo always goes nuts

[haze]

Originally Posted by haze

...It's pure jingoism, Southwest Airlines is from his neck of the woods and he doesn't want anybody else cutting in on their territory (like AirTran's recent and increasing expansion of their mini-hub in Dallas)....

Speaking of cutting in on Southwest's territory:

AirTran Airways Announces New Nonstop Service Between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Los Angeles; Nonstop Service Begins July 1, 2004
Source: Comtex News Network (Business Wire)

AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AAI), today announced it will begin new nonstop service between Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport. The new nonstop flights will begin July 1, 2004.

"We are pleased to add this new service for our Dallas/Ft. Worth and Los Angeles customers," said Kevin Healy, vice president of planning and sales for AirTran Airways. "We are confident this new route will be a popular one for travelers seeking our high quality brand of low-fare service." AirTran Airways also currently offers nonstop service between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Atlanta, Baltimore, Orlando, and Las Vegas.

By the way, like dbaker I'm a big fan of Southwest airlines so this is not intended as a jab against them in any way. But I'm also a big fan of AirTran and Song and JetBlue and Frontier and...

You get the general idea. If you haven't already noticed, I'm a fiercely independent free market capitalist and that's why I have a problem with the stale, lumbering, entrenched network that are the legacy carriers. And that's also why I'm so enthralled by the dynamic go getters like Southwest, AirTran, and JetBlue. God knows I'm well aware that we need the legacy carriers, the loss of Delta would devestate my beloved state. But we also need the Southwests and the AirTrans and the JetBlues so the big boys stay on their toes. Nothing like a little fierce competition to keep everyone sharp as a tack

[haze]

Originally Posted by dbaker

They suck, not the weather.

Not according to Entrepreneur Magazine, who in the April 2004 issue named AirTran as best low-fare airline

[mduell]

Yes, someone needs to service ATL, but given the horrendous weather there, wouldn't it make sense to hub out of somewhere else?

[haze]

Originally Posted by mduell

Yes, someone needs to service ATL, but given the horrendous weather there, wouldn't it make sense to hub out of somewhere else?

Yes SOMEONE does need to service little ole Atlanta, it being the busiest airport in the world and all. But it definately makes a lot of sense to hub out due to their high volumes and inclement weather...

And that is exactly what AirTran is doing. If you'll go back to the main AirTran forum, you'll notice an article I recently posted about AirTran's expansion in Dallas (ironically not the best weather in the world either). In that post I also mention AirTran's movement away from the hub-and-spoke system in Atlanta and toward several mini-hubs in strategic regions, like Baltimore in the Northeast and Dallas in the Southwest. They've just begun implementing that structure in both Baltimore and Dallas over the past year or two, so the number of flights at either of those two airports isn't that substantial as of yet. Regardless, Atlanta will probably always be their main hub and there's even talk of moving their headquarters up from Orlando to there.

Atlanta has always been the home of Delta, was the home of Eastern, was the short-lived and unfortunate home of ValuJet, and just may become the new home of AirTran