ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc., , today announced that it has added an additional flight from New Orleans on Sunday, August 31, 2008, to help meet passenger demand as the evacuation from New Orleans, La., occurs in the advance of Hurricane Gustav. The added flight information is as follows:
Date Flight Departs Departure Time Arrives Arrival Time 8/31 8711 New Orleans 4:17 p.m. Atlanta 6:42 p.m.
Passengers may make reservations on this flight or check status of other flights by visiting http://www.airtran.com/ or by calling 1-800-AIRTRAN (247-8726).
In addition, the airline has upgauged all equipment operating into and out of New Orleans from Boeing 717 to Boeing 737 aircraft today and tomorrow in order to accommodate as many passengers as possible. The airline has also flown several Atlanta-based employees to New Orleans to assist with the flights so that our New Orleans-based employees may make plans to evacuate with their families.
Furthermore, the airline has moved the flight time of its last departure from New Orleans on Sunday, August 31, 2008, earlier -- flight 66 will now depart at 5:55 p.m. instead of 6:15 p.m. in preparation of the New Orleans airport closure at 6:00 p.m. At this time, it is too early to determine the anticipated date of resumption of flights into and out of New Orleans.
The airline has waived change fees and fare adjustments for passengers with flights booked to/from Gulfport/Biloxi, Miss., New Orleans, La., and Pensacola, Fla., through September 2, 2008. Passengers may adjust their travel plans to an alternate date starting today through seven days from the original travel date.
Passengers holding reservations for travel to/from these destinations scheduled through September 2, 2008, should check http://www.airtran.com/ under "Flight Status" for updates or call 1-800-AIRTRAN (247-8726).
Additional updates on flights affected by Hurricane Gustav will be issued as needed.
Media Contacts: AirTran Airways Tad Hutcheson Judy Graham-Weaver 678.254.7442
