AirTran a great Airline to fly with

Just a thread to collect your memories about this great little airline before the network shrinks completely and fades away in the LUV system...

2005 - December - 15th - FL236
First flight on AirTran from Atlanta to Chicago Midway.
I was delighted to fly on yet another airline and a new aircraft type with the Boeing 717-200. I was further surprised to see they were still providing earphones and free sat radio despite them being branded as a LCC. Well, I was accustomed to Ryanair in Europe.

Upon arrival in MDW, Captain said on the PA thanks for flying one of the few profitable airline in the US.

Well in my mind, I was glad I flew AirTran. Definitely way better than the hometown gorilla. I was preparing for the worst (again, Ryanair effect) and was pleasantly surprised. Now I have moved the ladder all the way up and I am glad to be Elite at Airtran (well while it still means something)

2009 - May - 05th - FL339
Was on a direct flight from ATL to Vegas. Had an IFSD while over Meteor Crater and diverted to Phoenix with a single-engine, limited flaps and therefore high speed landing. Fire trucks all around us upon touching down. That was thrilling.
Captain was great to keep us informed. Once on the ground, the employees were apologetic and tried to help us the best they could while Citrus was dispatching another aircraft from Atlanta. They really made their best to offset the inconvenience (despite the repeated verbal assaults from some couples of ill-behaved, over-entitled, discount-airfare flyers).

Please, share your fond memories of AirTran!

Minos

Only fond memories?

Gotta plead the fifth as an FL/WN employee. But this should be a good one.

Just wait till someone releases a book on all this...this is going to make the UNICAL guys over on their forums say "Jesus Christ, Im sorry I ever said a bad word about Tilton"

I will say this though: Thank all of you guys for flying FL, I feel your pain and if I ever meet any one of you who held Elite status I am buying the first round.

Yeah mostly.

Thanks PA42. Since you've joined FT you have been an unbiased and downright honest contributor to the forum. I for one have appreciated your candor. As FL unwinds its operations over the next year or two, perhaps we should plan a gathering of the FL loyal to finally meet, reminisce and say goodbye to our once favorite airline; an "UN-DO" if you will. @:-)

Where do I find you for this free beer you mention? Or will it have to come from an FL stewardess in C?

Dallas. ^

That's going to be hard to meet you in Dallas flying AirTran... Just sayin..

Thank you Captain Obvious.

Flew a Cheyenne on your way to Exile?

Unfortunately drove a really long way down I-10 westward.

Now Im surrounded by people who know not what the godly taste of a Publix sub is.

Does anyone remember when Airtran partnered with Wendys? I think it was 2006 or so. Large sodas at Wendys had a coupon on it and when you saved up enough, you could mail them in for a free ticket on Airtran. A friend of mine started going to Wendys and buying six large sodas to go. He had no problem with flat soda so he'd go home and put them in his fridge and drink them over the course of the week. Eventually, he saved up enough and got his round trip ticket!

...which he never used

There are three things they don't have in Texas - Publix, Disney World, and ummm.....oops!

It was great while it lasted. I took my last trip in December.

I've been thinking about proposing something like this - maybe in either ATL or MKE sometime in the next year or so...