I've flown on AirTran several times recently, on the the 717's, from ATL-GSO, ATL-FLL and ATL-Gulfport/Biloxi; on-time, pleasant FA's, nice planes - all-round good experience. I, too, have wondered why they continue to be stuck with the ValuJet baggage; I can't think of a major airline that hasn't had its share of "catastrophic events", as well as many that were near-catastrophic. The bottom line, IMHO, is that there are no indications (that I know of) that AirTran is not just as safe today as any other carrier, and besides, the fact that they serve ATL gives some of us an option other than DL. Give 'em a chance, guys!