AirTran chooses Branson

Branson Airport officials announced Dec. 11 that AirTran Airways will offer daily service to the private airport when it opens in May.

The Atlanta-based airline will offer one flight daily between Branson and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The route will be served by a Boeing 717-200 aircraft, which seats 117 passengers. AirTran connects to 54 destinations through Atlanta.

Initially, the flights will cost $99 one-way, plus fees and taxes; flights must be booked by Jan. 14 for travel through June 24.

"AirTran Airways will bring low fares to Branson and give local residents the opportunity to travel across the country, while simultaneously encouraging tourists to visit the Ozarks and experience the city of Branson," said Tad Hutcheson, AirTran vice president of sales and marketing, in a news release.

The $155 million Branson Airport is billed as the nation's first privately owned and financed commercial airport. Airport executives have said they plan to move a million passengers through the airport each year.

Officials with the nearby Springfield-Branson National Airport, meanwhile, are downplaying the impact of the announcement.

"How does this impact our airport? Not much. We already provide service to Atlanta: four flights a day on Delta," SGF spokesman Kent Boyd said this morning on his blog at www.flyspringfield.com. "In the long run, the new Branson service may have a positive impact for southwest Missouri customers because competition between AirTran and Delta may drive down fares at both airports."

AirTran Airways is a subsidiary of publicly traded AirTran Holdings Inc. (NYSE: AAI).

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