AirTran Airways to stop flying out of Sarasota Bradenton beginning this fall

AirTran Airways recently announced that it will stop its flight operations out of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport this fall.

AirTran Airways is the second largest airline operating out of Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. The airline said that it will permanently ground all its flights to and from Sarasota beginning August 12, 2012.

Rick Piccolo, President of Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, said that the airline carried 32 percent of the airport’s passengers in 2011, thus bringing in revenues of more than $1,000,000. He also said that the decision of the airline to stop flying out of the airport is indeed saddening. He, however, said that had the airline continued to fly out of the airport it would have been very successful.

According to Piccolo, the airline had decided to stop flights out of Sarasota as there aren’t enough passengers flying during the summer. Besides, the airline has already started flying out of Tampa and Fort Myers.

Piccolo also said that efforts will be made to bring United Airlines or American Airlines to operate flights out of Sarasota.

With AirTran Airways deciding to stop flights out of Sarasota, now US Airways, JetBlue Airways, Air Canada and Delta Air Lines will remain the only carriers to operate flights out of Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.