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Founded | 1993 (as Conquest Sun Airlines) | ||||||
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Ceased operations | December 28, 2014 (merged into Southwest Airlines) | ||||||
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Frequent-flyer program | A+ Rewards | ||||||
Subsidiaries | AirTran JetConnect (2002–2004) | ||||||
Parent company |
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Headquarters | Orlando, Florida, United States | ||||||
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AirTran Airways was a low-cost airline in the United States that operated from 1993 until it merged with Southwest Airlines in 2014.
Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, AirTran Airways was established in 1993 as Conquest Sun Airlines by the management of two small airlines, Destination Sun Airways and Conquest Airlines, with Conquest Airlines co-founder Victor Rivas being heavily involved in the establishment of Conquest Sun. The airline was purchased by the AirTran Corporation in 1994 and was renamed to AirTran Airways. The airline was later spun off under the new Airways Corporation holding company by the AirTran Corporation.
The airline and the Airways Corporation holding company was purchased in 1997 by the ValuJet holding company, which owned the struggling ValuJet Airlines. The ValuJet holding company became known as AirTran Holdings and merged ValuJet Airlines into AirTran Airways. ValuJet Airlines was renamed "AirTran Airlines" before it was merged into AirTran Airways.
AirTran Airways and parent AirTran Holdings were acquired by Southwest Airlines on May 2, 2011 and gradually integrated, with AirTran's final revenue flight operating on December 28, 2014.[1]
AirTran operated nearly 700 daily flights, primarily in the eastern and midwestern United States, with its principal hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where it operated nearly 200 daily departures. AirTran's fleet consisted of Boeing 717-200 aircraft, of which it was the world's largest operator, and Boeing 737-700 aircraft.