Best low-fare airline value: AirTran Airways

Entrepreneur, April, 2005 by Chris McGinnis

When AirTran landed its first Business Travel Award from us in 1998, it was a small upstart airline, flying older, hand-me-down jets, and considered nothing more than a nuisance by the major carriers. Now it towers over them in terms of profitability and customer satisfaction. None of its fleet of new Boeing jets is more than five years old. And this year, AirTran will probably join the ranks of "major" carriers, or those with more than $1 billion in annual revenue.

Over the years, AirTran has followed a smart--but slow--path to success in the airline industry, winning over value-conscious business travelers and companies fed up with major airlines. That's because of its low fares and common-sense approach to air travel.

For example, fares rarely exceed $100 each way for tickets bought at least 21 days in advance, and walk-up fares rarely exceed $300 each way. It also offers A-Plus Rewards, a simple frequent-flier program that rewards members with a free one-way flight for every eighth one-way trip flown. A program for small businesses, the A2B Corporate Travel Program, provides member companies with easier access to upgrades, reduced restrictions and waived change fees.

AirTran sets itself apart from other low-fare carriers by offering two classes of service--coach and business class--something you won't find on airlines like JetBlue or Southwest. Best of all, standby upgrades to its business class cabin (identical to first-class cabins of major airlines) cost just $35 to $75.

To keep passengers entertained on its transcontinental runs, AirTran plans to install XM Satellite Radio onboard its fleet this year, offering passengers 100 channels of live news, sports, music and games from every seat back.

Recently, AirTran has broadened its mostly East Coast/Midwest presence with new east-west flights, connecting cities like Atlanta with Western cities like Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. AirTran also offers same-day standby at no additional cost.

For more information, see www. airtran.com, or call (800) AIR-TRAN.

CHRIS MCGINNIS is Entrepreneur's "Biz Travel" columnist.