AirTran to Stop Service from Newport News/Williamsburg

By WYDaily Staff Tuesday, August 02, 2011

AirTran announced Monday that it would cease operations at four airports: Newport News/Williamsburg, Asheville, N.C. Regional, Atlantic City International and Quad City in Moline, Ill. The low-cost carrier was bought by Southwest in a deal that closed May 2 for $1 billion.

AirTran's service here will cease on March 9, 2012.

"AirTran Airways can no longer support service to these particular markets in light of the realities of the challenging economic environment and sustained high fuel prices," the company said in a press release.

Jessica Wharton, spokesman for the Newport News/Williamsburg Airport, said the news was disappointing but not entirely unexpected.

"AirTran was 43 percent of our market last year. That's a lot of passengers," said Wharton, adding that Southwest's strategy clearly didn't include the Peninsula's airport.

The airport's administration spent the months since Southwest's pitch to buy AirTran considering possible outcomes.

"Every possible scenario, we have looked at," said Wharton. "We are absolutely prepared to move on now. We'll bring new carriers in, hopefully some new markets and hopefully fill in some markets we are going to lose" when AirTran departs.

The news, however, comes after a record-setting year for the local airport, which saw an all-time high of 1,062,007 passengers in 2010. That was 4.2 percent higher than the year before, and beat the previous record that had been set in 2005 by about 3,500 passengers.

Southwest crews were on hand at Newport News-Williamsburg to celebrate that news May 2, with Southwest employees greeting passengers as well as AirTran pilots and flight attendants just after the announcement the deal had been closed.

Off-the-cuff assessments as to what the merger might mean to the Peninsula's airport, sandwiched between two airports that offer Southwest service, covered both extremes: AirTran would leave, or AirTran would keep the status quo.

According to the press release, ticketed passengers, passengers holding reservations, or passengers desiring to make reservations for flights to or from the affected airports have no need to alter their travel plans prior to these closing dates. The airline will begin directly contacting the limited number of passengers who are currently holding reservations beyond the closing dates, in order to assist them in reaccommodating their air travel needs.

AirTran began service at Newport News/Williamsbug in 1995, when operating as low-cost carrier ValuJet.

With AirTran's impending depature, the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport will be served by three airlines: Delta Air Lines, US Airways and newcomer Frontier Airlines, which began offering nonstop service to Denver in May 2010.

Comments  

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0 #17 Guest 2011-08-14 20:36

so sad Air Tran is pulling out of Newport News, My son lives in Hampton, and we frequently travel there from Boston. We love that airport , so easy to get into and out of, I always tell people of the no hassel and cheap flights we are able to get. Flights are always full and staff are very pleasant. To bad to lose such a great deal. Do not want to have to deal with traveling to Norfolk. Guess I will have to change airlines.

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0 #16 Guest 2011-08-03 14:07

you know....them pulling out is clearly because of WHMA

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-2 #15 Guest 2011-08-03 13:54

A sign of the times. It's a shame Air Tran is leaving. I thought for sure they would hang around being that the economy is in the toilet. But maybe Southwest will fill in the gap. One can only hope.

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+2 #14 Guest 2011-08-03 11:02

I hate to think of the consequences for the Newport News Airport -- I'd rather drive than fly out of Norfolk but Newport News us usually too expensive to trump Richmond flights. I hope this doesn't mean the Newport News airport is in jeopardy of closing...

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+1 #13 Guest 2011-08-03 10:10

AirTran/Southwe st's decision to pull out of Newport News/Williamsbu rg Airport means I will not be flying on their airlines at Norfolk. Traffic and tunnel issues make Norfolk completely unfavorable and user unfriendly.

Richmond may, indeed, gain due to this decision. My issue is that when researching flight plans recently it cost double to fly out of Richmond.

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0 #12 Guest 2011-08-02 11:56

Richmond's struggling to hold on to its discount airlines, too. The chamber had a big media campaign urging people to use AirTran and Jet Blue or lose them.

Unfortunately for Williamsburg, AirTran's decision will probably boost its traffic out of Richmond.

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+8 #11 Guest 2011-08-02 11:12

What a great loss to our area. We have flown frequently round trip to Boston on Air Tran, and many times the flights were full or over booked. Always without exception the staff and crews have been the very best in service. Fighting traffic to Norfolk from the Peninsula is a nightmare. Newport News/ Williamsburg Airport is just the finest. I guess with Southwest it's all about the money with absolutely no regard for the traveling public.

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-6 #10 Guest 2011-08-02 09:39

Ah, the joys of deregulation! Thanks, Mr. Reagan. We continue to live out your legacy. And after the rape of America in the budget agreement, who knows what's next?

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+2 #9 Guest 2011-08-02 09:21

Hasn't Frontier also announced the intention to withdraw - at least during the Fall/Winter months? Yikes.

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+6 #8 Guest 2011-08-02 09:09

I too have to chime in and say with respect to Airtran quality. Many trips to Boston and others and everytime the folks that work were better than at other airports. Perhaps there remains a solution.....bi g loss not having a Boston direct, which is affordable..... but hey, we never thought we would get a direct to denver...so comeon someone, take what was obviously a nearly full flight schedule and make it work.

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