AirTran Airways Donates Ship 917, a DC-9, To Georgia Aviation & Technical College as Training Tool; Georgia Governor Roy Barnes to Attend Donation Ceremony.Business Editors ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 24, 2002 AirTran Airways AirTran Airways is a low-cost airline that is a Delaware corporation with headquarters in Orlando, Florida, USA and is a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings. AirTran operates over 750 daily flights throughout the eastern USA and the Midwest, including over 270 daily departures from , a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings AirTran Holdings (NYSE: AAI) is a Nevada corporation that operates as an airline holding company. Its primary asset is AirTran Airways. History After the large amount of negative publicity surrounding the Flight 592 incident, ValuJet Airlines suffered serious , Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :AAI AAI American Association of Immunologists. ), today announced it will donate AirTran Airways' retiring Ship 917, a McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It merged with Boeing in 1997 to form The Boeing Company. DC-9-32, to be used in the education of future certified aviation mechanics at Georgia Aviation & Technical College (GAVTC). AirTran Airways' Chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Joe Leonard For the baseball player, see . Joe Leonard (born August 4, 1932, San Diego, California), is a retired American motorcycle racer and racecar driver. Leonard won the first AMA Grand National Championship Series in 1954 and won it again in 1956 and 1957. will officially announce the aircraft donation to Georgia Governor Roy Barnes Roy Eugene Barnes (born March 11 1948) was the governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from January 1999 until January 2003. He is a member of the United States Democratic Party. Barnes was born in Mableton, now a suburb just west of Atlanta. and GAVTC President Andy Lundell at a ceremony today on the college's campus in Eastman, Ga. "On behalf of AirTran Airways, I am honored to donate our retiring Ship 917 to Georgia Aviation & Technical College as a tangible learning tool for its future aviation professionals," said AirTran Airways' Chairman and CEO Joe Leonard. "This donation builds on our established work-study program to provide additional hands-on training to the students. We are proud of our relationship with GAVTC and of the graduates who have gone on to distinguish themselves as part of the AirTran Airways family." Ship 917 has been a part of AirTran Airways' jet fleet for the past eight years and has flown more than 7.3 million miles with AirTran Airways. It has traveled nearly 39 million miles since its maiden flight in 1969. The DC-9 model was designed specifically to operate short to medium-range routes so that the hundreds of communities previously served by propeller-driven aircraft could experience the speed, comfort and reliability of jet transportation. AirTran Airways continues to retire the DC-9 aircraft in its fleet as it takes delivery of additional Boeing 717-200s, of which it currently flies 46 aircraft. By December of 2003, AirTran Airways will retire the last DC-9 and accept delivery of its 73rd Boeing 717, making its fleet one of the youngest in the world. "We at the Georgia Aviation & Technical College are thrilled to accept this donation on behalf of our students and their pursuit of a technical education," said GAVTC President Andy Lundell. "This aircraft will provide concrete and practical knowledge for the next generation of GAVTC-trained aviation professionals." Georgia Aviation and Technical College (GAVTC) is a one-of-a-kind educational facility in Georgia -- a technical college with a specialized mission focusing primarily on aviation training. Completed in December 1995, the college opened in January 1996, as the 50,000 square foot Eastman Center campus of Heart of Georgia Technical Institute, on 14 acres of land adjacent to the Eastman-Dodge County Airport. Aircraft Structural Technology classes began immediately. The college offers three aviation training programs: Aircraft Structural Technology, Aviation Maintenance Technology, and the only Flight Technology program in Georgia that is sponsored by the State. 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 World's busiest airport is a claim that is fiercely fought over by the owners of the world's largest airports. The definition of "busiest" is debated as well, with claims being staked on the basis of aircraft operations, cargo traffic or total passengers. (by passenger volume), where it is the second largest carrier operating 152 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 A2B Anti-Two-Block A2B Administration-to-Broker A2B Administration to Business . 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. For Spanish, call 1-877-581-9842. (a) West Palm Beach service begins Dec. 10, 2002. |
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