Southwest Announces Intention to Close on AirTran Acquisition on May 2nd, 2011

Richmond Times Dispatch, April 21, 2011—Another call to action from the RTD editorial page editors about the importance of flying on AirTran and JetBlue whenever possible.

More Important Now Than Ever to Support RIC’s Low Cost Carriers

April 21, 2011. Southwest announced its intention to close on its transaction to acquire AirTran on May 2, 2011.

"With the overwhelming approval of AirTran stockholders in March, we are ready to move forward with closing the transaction, now planned for May 2nd," said Gary Kelly, Southwest's Chairman, President, and CEO. "We anticipate that all necessary regulatory approvals will be obtained by that date. We look forward to that milestone day, first and foremost, so that we can begin the exciting work to integrate AirTran into Southwest, and welcome the AirTran Crew Members fully into the Southwest Family."

The possibility for lower airfares on more flights to more destinations is getting closer in Richmond’s future.  It is important now that business and leisure travelers help to encourage the largest Southwest presence possible- as Southwest will be looking at AirTran’s numbers when evaluating the market- by flying on AirTran and JetBlue whenever possible.