AirTran Airways, a
subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. , announced today that the airline
will add seven new daily nonstop flights from Chicago’s Midway Airport to
Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, Sarasota/Bradenton and Tampa. The
new service is effective January 11, 2005. “We see a great opportunity to bring our low-cost service to these new
routes and help Chicago-area travelers find affordable air fares to their
favorite vacation and business destinations,” said Bob Fornaro, AirTran
Airways’ president and chief operating officer. “This new service
demonstrates AirTran Airways’ commitment to the Chicago market, and our
service to the new and convenient Chicago Midway Airport will make getting
to and from Chicago even easier. While this is our initial expansion in
Chicago, we hope it represents the beginning of our partnership with ATA
Airlines,” he added. Although the larger deal previously announced with
ATA Airlines is subject to approval by the City of Chicago among others,
these new flights are independent of the ATA transaction and will operate
as scheduled.

AirTran Airways currently operates eight daily roundtrip flights to the
airline’s hub in Atlanta. This new service includes one flight to Fort
Lauderdale, two flights to Fort Myers, two flights to Orlando, one flight
to Sarasota/Bradenton and one flight to Tampa.
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