AirTran

United States Based Discount Carrier

Formed from an assortment of now-defunct airlines and/or their employees, including Eastern Airlines and Southern Airways, the current AirTran began life as ValuJet in 1992. The crash of Flight 592 in the Florida Everglades nearly devastated the company in 1996, but in 1997 ValuJet acquired an Orlando-based airline called AirTran and later took its name.

Affordable yet comfortable is the premise behind AirTran's low fares and affordable business class. The Boeing 717s and 737s are less than 10 years old, helping to keep maintenance costs to a minimum Even though AirTran has jumped on the bandwagon of charging for even the first checked bag, XM Satellite Radio and the usual selection of non-alcoholic beverages are free of charge.

AirTran serves mostly not-so-major (and thus less expensive) business and pleasure destinations in the U.S. and Mexico. When it first got off the ground in 1993, the airline connected Atlanta with three Florida cities including the ever-popular Orlando. Atlanta continues to be its main hub. Sample destinations include Branson, MO, Flint, MI, and Cancun, MX, as well as Washington, DC, Seattle, Phoenix, and Newark.

Although customers give mixed reviews, AirTran remains committed to providing exceptional customer service at competitive fares. Search!