AirTran Airways to fly between Tunica and Atlanta; starts flights from Lexington to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando

AirTran Airways has announced that it will launch flights between Tunica (Mississippi, the United States) and Atlanta (Georgia, the United States) from May 6, 2010.

This will be the will be the first scheduled flight by a major airline from the town of Tunica, located near the Mississippi River and a fast-growing destination for entertainment and gaming, with its resorts and several casinos.

In a statement, AirTran Airways, the low-cost airline headquartered in Orlando, Florida, the United States, said it will offer non-stop roundtrip, flights between Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Tunica Airport, using the next-generation Boeing 717 planes.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, in Atlanta, Georgia, is the biggest operation base of AirTran Airways, offering coast-to-coast connections to 47 destinations.

On the Atlanta-Tunica route, AirTran Airways will operate non-stop services on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays from May 6, 2010. Flight 1578 will leave Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 10.15 a.m. and reach Tunica Airport at 10.53 a.m. In the return direction, Flight 1579 will take off from Tunica Airport at 11.28 a.m. and land in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 1.45 p.m.

AirTran Airways has announced introductory fares of $49 on the Atlanta-Tunica route – one way – available for travel to Tunica on Sunday and Monday, and for travel from Tunica on Thursday and Friday. The introductory fares have to be booked by March 31, 2010, for travel through June 14, 2010.

AirTran Airways has already started non-stop flights from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, the United States, to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) and to Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida.

The service to Fort Lauderdale operates 3 times a week (on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) and to Orlando 4 times a week (on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday). Introductory fares to both Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, starting at $59 one-way, are available for booking till February 25, 2010, for travel through March 9, 2010.

Kevin Healy, senior vice-president (marketing and planning) of AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, said in the statement that Tunica is one of the fastest-developing resort regions in the United States and that the demand for air service to Tunica is getting stronger. The convenience of the Atlanta hub of AirTran Airways will make it easy for the passengers from all over the United States to experience “all that Tunica has to offer,” Kevin Healy added.