I'm always amazed at how dead this board is considering how full most of my recent AirTran flights have been.
Seems to me that AirTran is the most underrated US airline...they're not dominant in any major market thanks to Delta's ATL hub and heavy presence at MCO, and they don't have any one amenity (i.e. JetBlue's DirecTV) that differentiates them from the competition.
The best things about AirTran to me are 1) no RJs, even to smallish cities like RIC, CAK, FNT, ICT, etc.; 2) upgrades that are a good value, even for non-elites; and 3) generous frequent flyer benefits if your flights are mostly shorter segments (credits instead of miles).
I wonder if AirTran will ever get the good reputation it deserves among travelers (and even here on FT, if it makes a difference). Many people, even here in RIC where AirTran's arrival was promoted very positively by the local media, haven't heard of the airline or at the very least, know little about it.
Just some thoughts I've had.