AirTran wants to fly to JA

[evanovitch]

AirTran wants to fly to JA
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Another US-based airline is eyeing Jamaica as a new travel route.

AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings Incorporated, has filed applications with the United States Department of Transportation to begin offering service to Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Aruba. 

If approved, service to the destinations will begin later this year and early next year from a combination of key cities. 

In the application, the airline proposed service to Nassau, Bahamas and Montego Bay, Jamaica from Atlanta, Baltimore and Orlando.

Service to Aruba would originate in Atlanta and Orlando. 

[RichD]

Re: AirTran wants to fly to JA

the more airlift the better for us travelers

[St_Bess]

Re: AirTran wants to fly to JA



Isn't this the the airline that was formerly known as ValueJet? They have cornered the maket from EWR/NYC to ATL and other southern cities.

[RichD]

Re: AirTran wants to fly to JA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: St_Bess</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Isn't this the the airline that was formerly known as ValueJet? They have cornered the maket from EWR/NYC to ATL and other southern cities. </div></div> was hearing that they top the list in terms of safety and service in a recent US airline survey

[RichD]

Re: AirTran wants to fly to JA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">AirTran, JetBlue Top Airline Quality Survey
CBS News Interactive: Airline Industry Turbulence
WASHINGTON (AP) &amp;#8213;


AirTran and Jet Blue have taken the top spots in a national survey of airline quality. They were followed by Southwest, Northwest and Frontier airlines. At the bottom of the list was Atlantic Southeast Airlines. (File)


AirTran and Jet Blue have taken the top spots in a national survey of airline quality.

They were followed by Southwest, Northwest and Frontier airlines. At the bottom of the list was Atlantic Southeast Airlines.

The annual Air Quality Rating survey released Monday found that overall the industry did a poor job last year. There were more lost bags, more bumped passengers, more consumer complaints and fewer on-time flights than in the previous year.

The rate of consumer complaints was up 60 percent. US Airways had the most complaints last year. Southwest had the fewest.

All these problems are making travelers grumpy, the annual survey said.

The past year &quot;was the worst year ever for the U.S. airlines,&quot; said Brent Bowen, a study co-author and professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Aviation Institute. &quot;Overall operational performance and quality declined once again to the lowest level that it's ever been.&quot;

The industry posted declines last year in every area of the Airline Quality Rating, amid rising fuel prices, safety problems and bankruptcy filings that shut down three carriers last week alone.

The rate of consumer complaints, for example, more than doubled at US Airways and Comair, and rose for 15 of the 16 airlines included in the study. The exception was Mesa Airlines.

On-time arrivals dropped for the fifth straight year, with more than one-quarter of all flights late, according to the survey. The rates of passengers bumped from overbooked flights and bags lost, stolen or damaged also jumped in 2007.

&quot;The trend is bad and it doesn't look like it gets any better,&quot; said Dean Headley, an associate professor at Wichita State University and co-author of the study. The survey results mesh with the spate of problems that have beset U.S. carriers, starting with surging fuel costs, Headley said.

ATA, Aloha Airlines and Skybus stopped flying just last week because of financial pressures. Major airlines have slashed jobs and passenger amenities while adding fees for second bags, traveling with pets and booking tickets by phone.

It is not surprising that people responded to higher prices and more frequent delays by complaining more, Headley said.

Six airlines - Frontier, Northwest, SkyWest, Southwest, United and US Airways - showed declines in every area in the survey, although Southwest still had the best on-time arrival mark at 80.1 percent.

The Dallas-based carrier also had the lowest rate of consumer complaints, 0.26 per 100,000 passengers.

Still, the airline has not been immune from problems. It is fighting a record $10.2 million fine from the Federal Aviation Administration for continuing to fly dozens of Boeing 737s that hadn't been inspected for cracks in their fuselages.

American, Delta and United airlines recently canceled flights to perform unscheduled inspections of certain aircraft, and US Airways found problems on some Boeing 757s after a wing part on one of its planes fell off during a flight.

The Airline Quality Rating study, compiled annually since 1991, is based on Transportation Department statistics for airlines that carry at least 1 percent of the passengers who flew domestically last year. The research is sponsored by the Aviation Institute at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and by Wichita State University.

The other airlines in the survey were AirTran, Alaska, American Eagle, Atlantic Southeast, Continental, Jet Blue and Mesa.

Among the study's conclusions:

- The rate of consumer complaints about Mesa dropped by one-third and the airline also showed improvement in its rates of bumping passengers and mishandling bags.

- More than one-third of Atlantic Southeast Airlines flights were late, the worst on-time performance in 2007. The airlines also bumped passengers more often, at a rate of 4.5 per 10,000 passengers.

- JetBlue and AirTran were far ahead of their competitors in avoiding bumping passengers from flights, at 0.02 and 0.15 per 10,000 passengers, respectively.

- AirTran had the best baggage handling rate, at 4.06 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers.

- American Eagle ranked last in baggage handling with 13.55 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers. </div></div>

[LusciousJohnson]

Re: AirTran wants to fly to JA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">AirTran wants to fly to JA
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Another US-based airline is eyeing Jamaica as a new travel route.

AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings Incorporated, has filed applications with the United States Department of Transportation to begin offering service to Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Aruba. 

If approved, service to the destinations will begin later this year and early next year from a combination of key cities. 

In the application, the airline proposed service to Nassau, Bahamas and Montego Bay, Jamaica from Atlanta, Baltimore and Orlando.

Service to Aruba would originate in Atlanta and Orlando. 
</div></div>

Thank goodness!

[St_Bess]

Re: AirTran wants to fly to JA


Speaking of JetBlue - they now fly from NYC to Montego Bay
(effective this May) and will begin flights to KIN on October 30 or 31st. This is a great airline with leather seats and own TV consoles at seats. Fares are from $129 O/W up.

[jamaica_dreamin]

Re: AirTran wants to fly to JA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RichD</div><div class="ubbcode-body">the more airlift the better for us travelers </div></div>

I agree!

I almost always fly on Air Jamaica. Air Jamaica's prices out of Florida have improved since Spirit start flying to jamaica. So the more competition the better. But, I would hate to see air Ja fold.

[ILP]

Re: AirTran wants to fly to JA

wonder if airtran would fly to kingston or dem would just do mobay like di rest of di airlines.

[Gen]

Re: AirTran wants to fly to JA

errr yup. same airline with the crash weh kill off 105 people in the florida everglades

<span style="font-style: italic">shudder</span>


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: St_Bess</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Isn't this the the airline that was formerly known as ValueJet? They have cornered the maket from EWR/NYC to ATL and other southern cities. </div></div>

[Marilyn]

Re: AirTran wants to fly to JA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">AirTran wants to fly to JA
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Another US-based airline is eyeing Jamaica as a new travel route.

AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings Incorporated, has filed applications with the United States Department of Transportation to begin offering service to Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Aruba. 

If approved, service to the destinations will begin later this year and early next year from a combination of key cities. 

In the application, the airline proposed service to Nassau, Bahamas and Montego Bay, Jamaica from Atlanta, Baltimore and Orlando.

Service to Aruba would originate in Atlanta and Orlando. 
</div></div>

Air Tran has a presence here in Memphis...why not a direct flight from here, one is sorely needed.

[Suesumba]

Re: AirTran wants to fly to JA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Gen</div><div class="ubbcode-body">errr yup. same airline with the crash weh kill off 105 people in the florida everglades
</div></div>

oye.

[Magician]

Re: AirTran wants to fly to JA

Yes. But it would be unfair to blame them for the crash. A contractor called Sabre-Tech illegally placed cargo onboard that flight that caused an uncontrollable fire. It could have happened to any airline and no pilot could save the aircraft as it was about 5 minutes from the start of the fire to the crash.

That contract company was criminally convicted in that accident.
However since the investigation took many months, ValueJet was forced to
purchase a small company named AirTran and take their name to survive.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Gen</div><div class="ubbcode-body">errr yup. same airline with the crash weh kill off 105 people in the florida everglades

<span style="font-style: italic">shudder</span>


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: St_Bess</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Isn't this the the airline that was formerly known as ValueJet? They have cornered the maket from EWR/NYC to ATL and other southern cities. </div></div> </div></div>

[Gen]

Re: AirTran wants to fly to JA

know the story magix.

regardless of whether dem use contractor or if the flight attendant dem did load it on demself, that was just sheer negligence on the airline's part, even if they were cleared of any wrong doing.

everyone working on/around the aircraft needs to be on the same page

i bet the same thing is still happening today despite the excessive fees that the customers have to pay

if yuh a drive inna my cyar yuh bettah believe mi know wah inna yuh hand bag.

[Magician]

Re: AirTran wants to fly to JA

Well it's hard to tell if oxygen canisters have oxygen in them or if they're empty. And you should be able to trust your maintenance contractor that repairs your aircraft to do what's right.

The root of the problem lies in the US Goverment, for underfunding the FAA who is not capable of proper oversight of then domestic contractors.

Now, 20 years later, US airlines like United and Northwest don't use domestic contractors. They get their maintenance done aborad in places like the Philippines. If the FAA coundn't monitor a Miami contractor, do you think they have an inspector in Manila?