Originally Posted by
ingy
Not because I fly them, but they kept prices somewhat reasonable.
That's always the problem with low cost carriers. People don't understand the whole "use it or lose it" issue. Yes, the presence of AirTran forces other carriers to lower their fares, but AirTran's not going to make money unless they lure at least some of the passengers away from the other carriers.
Delta has such a loyal frequent flyer base in SAV that I'm not surprised AirTran is pulling out. Two flights a day, especially with both being midday turns instead of an early morning departure/late evening arrival, is not a very convenient schedule for business travelers.
I feel bad for all of AirTran's reservation call center employees in SAV...according to one of the news articles I read, they're all keeping their jobs, but they'll have to drive 4 hours to ATL (or drive to JAX or CHS and connect in ATL) in order to use their non-rev flight benefits!