AirTran Airways grew from humble roots as a tiny discounter into a big player in the U.S. air travel market. A tragedy in the Florida swamps played a pivotal role. Here is a history of the company and its new partner, Southwest Airlines:
- Texas investors in 1967 pool their money to incorporate Air Southwest Co., a commuter airline serving that state. In 1975, the stock starts trading publicly and the next year the name changes to Southwest Airlines.
- Southwest expands its reach beyond Texas, flying to New Orleans beginning in 1979. By 1982, the company also is flying to California.
- In 1993, ValuJet Airlines is founded in Atlanta to fill a void in the air travel market after deregulation in the 1980s, when several major carriers collapsed.
- 1994, AirTran Airways grows out of Mesaba Aviation, an affiliate of Northwest Airlines. The new Florida-based airline establishes service up and down the Eastern Seaboard as far north as Albany, N.Y., and as far west as Omaha, Neb.
- May 11, 1996, ValuJet Flight 592 crashes into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 aboard.
- 1997, ValuJet, struggling to escape the tarnish of tragedy, acquires AirTran and operates under a new name, AirTran Airlines. The merged company ultimately becomes AirTran Airways.
- Sept. 27, 2010, officials from Southwest and AirTran announce their merger. The deal gives Southwest access to more airports, including Hartsfield-Jackson International.
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