Looking for info on the original AirTran

[LGBGUY]

I''m currently in the process of building an AirTran webpage for my website www.angelfire.com/dc/douglasjets and I''m having a hard time locating any info on the beginnings of AirTran in 1994. I''ve talked to the editors at Airliners and Airways magazines and they never did any stories on them, can anyone help with some info.
Thanks LGBGUY

 

[frntvngd]

The very very original Airtran flew 737-200s with a base in Orlando with the call sign citrus. They did nonstops from MCO to cities like Huntsville, AL, Newburg, NY, (those are the only ones i can think of off the top of my head) mainly smaller cities. Umm...

Thats all i can think of now...I have some brochures that i can dig out with lots of info to give u...if needed...

 

[The Real Deal]

Airtran Airlines was origanlly owned by Mesaba Holdings (Northwest Airlink). It was created by then president Robert Swenson. Northwest Airlines was not happy with the situation, so Mesaba Holdings spun Airtran off and Robert Swenson went with Airtran. Brian Bedford then came in to run Mesaba and Swenson went to Orlando. This is the abridged version..haha.

 

[lowfareair]

They flew the 732s to more out of the way airports(TOL, SYR, ISP, ABE, MCI, etc.) mostly to places where they were the only airline. Most of the time there was just one or two flights/day on any given route, and it was about entirely O/D, although I seem to remember an intra-florida connecting route route for some reason.

FL/J7 dismantled the operation in MCO except to ATL b/c they thought that they would lose more with Metrojet and DLX coming in, along with WN. Now it is building it up again(3 flights to PHL/BWI, one to CAK/ROC/FNT/MKE/PHF, Sat-only to BMI/DAY).

There actually is a little bit about their past in Airways, Dec. 1998(cover is about alliances). It is mostly an article about J7 and the new FL, although there is a route map with some of the old routes left before MCO was completely dismantled.

 

[rumorboy]

actually the call sign for airtran before the merger was manatee. After the merger there was a contest so to speak to come up with a new call sign. Citrus was picked.

 

[dfw79]

Many here have given you a good overview of what AirTran Airways was originally. In my boxes upon boxes of timetables and brochures over the last 15 or so years, I have a good deal of AirTran material. Most of this material is about to be scanned and entered into the history section of the TOL website. Drop me an e-mail at [email protected] and I'll see how much I can help out.

 

[rocaduro]

What about the connection to Conquest airlines Via the Conquest Sun name.

As I remember they started as a charter arm of Texas ( Austin ) based Conquest. Seems like they had two a/c at 1st.
N460AC a 737-214 s/n 20158
and
N461AC 737-2E1(A) s/n 20976
this was somewhere around mid 1994.

Am I correct in thinking they were bought by Comair then sold to Mesaba?

I need to dig that up.

 

[N989AT]

Weren't those Regos supposed to be N460AT, and N461AT and not AC?

 

[rocaduro]

Well yes and no !

You are right. But so am I.


N460AT is the same aircraft as N460AC s/n 20158. It was with Air Cal at one point. Delivered N988PS to PSA on July 24th 1969. It was also with New Zealand National Airways, Air New Zealand, American ( via AirCal ) Braniff, Valtec Airlines, and more. Regos were N460AC, N460AT, N985PS, ZK-NAL, N4264Y, and T3-VAL.

N461AT is the same way. It was delivered to Eastern Provincial Airways as C-GEPA on 6 Dec 1974. It served with EPA, Canadian, and CP Air. Regos were N461AC, N461AT, C-GEPA.

Both aircraft were b/u and scrapped some time back.

Anyway I believe it was Air Tran (pre-Valujet ) that changed AC to AT.

 

[donnygriffin]

I was Chief Pilot of the certification of AirTran and have been here since inception. I will supply any information you request.

[email protected]

 

[LGBGUY]

Thank you everyone for the information and offers of help. I will be contacting those of you that have offered additional info in the coming days. Work has been keeping me very busy this past week (I work for an airline) and this has been my first chance to check for any replies.
Thanks again.

LGBGUY