Brief History

• AirTran Airlines was originally founded by an executive group from the former Southern Airlines, flight attendants from the former Eastern Air Lines, pilots and mechanics. When Eastern Air Lines collapsed, AirTran Airlines got its start by filling the void left at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Using two former Delta Air Lines CD-9 aircraft, the company made its first official commercial flight from Atlanta to Tampa on October 26, 1993.
  
  

AirTran Airways Business Partners

• AirTran Airways currently has business partnerships with the following companies: Frontier Airlines, Hertz, AirTran Vacations, American Express Open, Stonebridge Travel Protection, XM, the Georgia Aquarium, Bags and the AeroClinic. Benefits to travelers from these partnerships include in-airport health care, discounts, remote baggage check-in and travel insurance.
  
  

Selected Accomplishments

• In 1993, AirTran Airways was the first airline to use ticketless travel, and in 1995 it was the youngest airline to serve as a launch customer for a new aircraft--what is now known as the Boeing 717. It received the top company listing in the Georgia 100 published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in the same year. In 2008 and 2009, AirTran Airways received the top place in the Airline Quality Rating for low-cost carriers and in 2009 was the first airline to equip all of its planes with Wi-Fi service. In 2010, the airline received the Market Leadership award from Air Transport World.
  
  

AirTran Airways Stock Trading

• In 1994, the company now known as AirTran Airways went public for the first time by listing its stock on the NASDAQ under the trading ticker symbol VJET. In 2001, the company listed itself on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the trading ticker symbol AAI.
  
  

AirTran Airways Management

• As of 2010, AirTran Airways is headed by Chairman, President and CEO Bob Fornano. It offers service to over 60 cities in the United States and the Caribbean with 700 flights per day and 8,500 employees.
  
  

Complaints about AirTran Airways

• The Better Business Bureau (BBB) processed 381 complaints about AirTran Airways company between July of 2007 and July of 2010. These complaints ran the gamut, from customer service issues, to collection issues, to advertising issues and more. The BBB still rates the company as "A" on an A+ to F scale.