SITA has announced the successful implementation of the SITA AIRCOM services
for 100 percent of AirTran Airways’ fleet.  “We are very pleased to announce this milestone, which is the culmination of an
excellent working partnership,” said Jim Tabor, vice president-Operations for
AirTran Airways.  “SITA did a great job working closely with the airline to
ensure that the implementation was smooth and seamless to our crews and ultimately,
to our customers.  We chose SITA because we believe they offer superior service and
systems functionality, and they have not disappointed us.” 

AirTran Airways uses the SITA AIRCOM services to exchange cockpit data via SITA Very
High Frequency (VHF) ground stations throughout the USA.  The applications include
real-time engine and aircraft performance monitoring, as well as automated delivery
of flight data to the cockpit that will result in reduced turnaround times at
airports.  AirTran Airways operates nearly 700 daily flights to 52 destinations, and
its hub is at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where it is the
second largest carrier.

The services provided include the SITA AIRCOM Server solution, an intelligent
message router that handles the distribution of downlink reports and message
reformatting into human and/or machine-readable formats, as well as centralising and
monitoring uplink requests. The system also manages real-time delivery notification
and automated message customisation freeing the pilots and ground staff to focus
upon their operational priorities with improved flight safety and efficiency.

SITA’s Sandra Girona, regional vice president for sales and relationship
management, North America, said, “AirTran Airways is constantly looking for new
ways to stay on the cusp of technology, and we are very pleased to be one of their
partners in that pursuit.  The completion of this implementation means that AirTran
Airways will continue to realise reduced costs and greater process efficiency,
benefiting the company and passengers in turn.”
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