ORLANDO, Fla., March 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. , today announced that Chicago resident Ross Guthrie has found Sunny, the airline's prized teal flamingo lawn ornament. As a reward for his bird-watching efforts, Guthrie was given roundtrip tickets for him and eight friends or family members to any of AirTran Airways' Florida destinations from Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW).
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070302/NYF097 )
The search for Sunny was part of a Chicago-based campaign by AirTran Airways, the second-largest carrier out of MDW, to celebrate its expanded service from the Windy City to the Sunshine State. As part of the campaign, AirTran Airways planted 10,000 plastic lawn flamingos in downtown Chicago -- one of which was Sunny. The low-fare carrier offered a prize for Sunny's return and Chicagoans were able to get hints to the location of this unlikely snowbird at http://www.airtran.com/.
Guthrie, a hotel manager in downtown Chicago and an AirTran Airways A+ Rewards member, logged on to the site regularly over the past two days to track Sunny. After seeing this morning's clue, Guthrie found Sunny in the vicinity of Grant Park.
"AirTran Airways thanks everyone for their enthusiasm and excitement as they worked to find our flighty Florida mascot. She will be returned to her home in Florida, and we encourage everyone to fly AirTran Airways to visit her there," said Tad Hutcheson, vice president of sales and marketing for AirTran Airways. "We hope Chicagoans had as much fun with this promotion as we did."
AirTran Airways has nonstop flights from MDW to Miami, Sarasota/Bradenton, Orlando, Ft. Myers and West Palm Beach, Fla. In total, the low-fare carrier has 17 daily flights that can get travelers to 10 Florida destinations from Chicago.
AirTran Airways, a Fortune 1000 company and one of America's largest low- fare airlines with more than 8,000 friendly, professional Crew Members, operates more than 700 daily flights to 56 destinations. The airline's hub is at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where it is the second largest carrier. AirTran Airways' aircraft features the fuel-efficient Boeing 737-700 and 717-200 to create America's youngest all-Boeing fleet. The airline is also the first carrier to install XM Satellite Radio on a commercial aircraft and the only airline with Business Class and XM Satellite Radio on every flight. For reservations or more information, visit http://www.airtran.com/ (America Online Keyword: AirTran).
Media Contacts: Tad Hutcheson
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