AirTran Airways CEO Testifies Before House Aviation Subcommittee; Carrier Chief Urges Congress to Take Active Role On Several Issues.

Business & Travel Editors

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2002

AirTran Airways' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Joe Leonard testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Aviation today and implored Congress to take an active role on key issues facing the airline industry. In testimony before the House Subcommittee on Aviation assessing the health of the airline industry, Leonard, representing both AirTran Airways and the Air Carrier Association of America, said:

-- Taxes and Fees - The airline passenger is taxed at the highest federal tax rates for any service or product - including liquor and cigarettes. This forces fares up to levels that discourage travel for many.

-- Alliances - The current financial crisis will be used by the larger carriers as an excuse for alliances that will institutionalize market domination and paralyze real competition. The alliances ultimately mean that competition is stifled, prices go up, capacity goes down, and the likelihood is increased that mid- and small-sized communities will see the end of low fares.

-- Military Conflict - We must prepare the commercial aviation system to deal with the consequences of a conflict in Iraq. In the event of conflict, we expect that fewer customers will fly, and fuel and other costs will certainly rise.

-- Hassle Factor - Effective security can be user-friendly. We need to think smart in security and not merely act for the sake of action.

In testifying before the House Subcommittee, Leonard urged all parties involved - the air carriers, the regulators and the policy-makers - to act smart and respond decisively to key situations that exist today. "This is not the time to turn a blind eye to the long-term impact on the consumer of any quick-fix actions such as alliances or relaxation of the handful of pro-competitive practices that exist today. It is not the time to increase fees on consumers, make their travel less convenient, or to ignore the prospect of conflict in Iraq," stated Leonard.

A copy of the entire testimony may be found on the airline's Web site, http://www.airtran.com.

AirTran Airways provides affordable air travel with 388 flights a day to 40(a) cities throughout the eastern United States. The airline's hub is at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest airport (by passenger volume), where it is the second largest carrier operating 151 flights a day. AirTran Airways is a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AAI).

Unlike other airlines, AirTran Airways never requires a roundtrip purchase or Saturday night stay. The airline offers a Business Class any business can afford, all-assigned seating, a generous frequent flier program, and a corporate program called A2B. For more information and reservations, visit airtran.com (America Online Keyword: AirTran), call your travel agent or AirTran Airways at 1-800-AIRTRAN (800-247-8726) or 770-994-8258 in Atlanta. In Spanish, 1-877-581-9842. (a) Kansas City service begins Oct. 8, 2002. West Palm Beach service begins Dec.10, 2002.

Editor's note: Statements regarding taxes and fees, alliances, military conflict, and hassle factor are forward-looking statements and are not historical facts. Instead, they are estimates or projections involving numerous risks or uncertainties, including but not limited to, consumer demand and acceptance of services offered by the Company, the Company's ability to maintain current cost levels, fare levels and actions by competitors, regulatory matters and general economic conditions. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements is contained from time to time in the Company's SEC filings, including but not limited to the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001. The Company disclaims any obligation or duty to update or correct any of its forward-looking statements.