This week, AirTran Airways employees begin converting to the Southwest Airlines workforce, where they’ll be encouraged to embrace the gospel of the Dallas-based low-cost carrier.
In the latest step to integrate the two carriers after Southwest acquired Orlando-based AirTran last year, about 100 corporate AirTran cemployees in Atlanta officially become Southwest employees this week on what the airline calls "People Day 1." The employees work at AirTran's Atlanta corporate center near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. AirTran is the second largest carrier at Hartsfield-Jackson behind Delta.
The human relations, technology and marketing employees that are handing over their AirTran badges and getting Southwest badges in Atlanta and other cities are the first wave in what could be a two-year process of employee transitions from AirTran to Southwest, according to Southwest regional manager Travis Peterson. Southwest added nearly 8,000 employees with the AirTran acquisition, combined the two companies have about 45,701 employees.
"It is a beautiful match between two corporate cultures," Peterson said.
Also this week, supervisors will begin preparing at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for Southwest's launch of its own flights there next month. The airline has already hired nearly 90 ground operations workers for the operation, according to Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins.
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