I remember faintly reading an interview with Joe Leonard a few years ago, where he was pondering the launch of transatlantic service by partnering with another airline that would fly the long-hauls, while AirTran would provide the domestic connections. (I believe it was in 'Flight International'). In any case, 9/11 put any such plans on hold. Is it possible that AirTran has quietly pulled them out of the drawer again? I came across this piece in a German magazine for the tourism industry :
 May 17, 2004
Â
Cologne airport plans transatlantic low-cost flights
A new era of low-cost transatlantic flights could be launched from Cologne/Bonn airport next May. The airport authority has "binding commitments†from two airlines to start no-frills flights between the USA and Germany in 2005, the airport’s managing director, Michael Garvens, said. He declined to name the carriers involved but said flights were planned from Cologne to 2-4 US destinations. The main airline candidates are reportedly Atlanta-based AirTran and Chicago-based American Trans Airways (ATA).Cologne-based Germanwings and Hapag-Lloyd Express could provide feeder flights within Europe but Garvens admitted there was no technology yet to book a single no-frills ticket combining two flights. Garvens said Cologne/Bonn, where passenger numbers rose 43% to 7.8 million last year, was clearly Europe’s second-largest no-frills airport behind London Stansted and forecast some 8.5 million passengers this year.
ATA has since confirmed the rumor, but I haven't heard anything from AirTran as of yet. Anybody here, who can add some grease to the rumor mill?
 May 17, 2004
Â
Cologne airport plans transatlantic low-cost flights
A new era of low-cost transatlantic flights could be launched from Cologne/Bonn airport next May. The airport authority has "binding commitments†from two airlines to start no-frills flights between the USA and Germany in 2005, the airport’s managing director, Michael Garvens, said. He declined to name the carriers involved but said flights were planned from Cologne to 2-4 US destinations. The main airline candidates are reportedly Atlanta-based AirTran and Chicago-based American Trans Airways (ATA).Cologne-based Germanwings and Hapag-Lloyd Express could provide feeder flights within Europe but Garvens admitted there was no technology yet to book a single no-frills ticket combining two flights. Garvens said Cologne/Bonn, where passenger numbers rose 43% to 7.8 million last year, was clearly Europe’s second-largest no-frills airport behind London Stansted and forecast some 8.5 million passengers this year.
ATA has since confirmed the rumor, but I haven't heard anything from AirTran as of yet. Anybody here, who can add some grease to the rumor mill?
