Things in the Sky

Lately, AirTran seems to just be adding a small number of flights to new, smaller cities, and today the trend continued. This morning the airline announced service from Charleston, West Virginia to Orlando on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. The flight will operate with a 717, and AirTran will be the only carrier with an Orlando route.

These new, smaller routes can make sense for any airline looking for a “capacity cut” of sorts on some routes. Instead of just cutting service on a route and letting an aircraft sit idle, why not reduce service and use that extra time to serve a new route? If it’s profitable, it’s a no-brainer.