SouthWest buying AirTran for $1.4B
 

Southwest Airlines has agreed to buy AirTran in a $1.42 billion deal that will combine two of the nation's biggest discount carriers.

The two airlines primarily overlap in the Baltimore and Orlando markets. Passengers traveling to and from those cities could face higher ticket prices because less competition traditionally means higher airfares.

The acquisition moves Southwest into 37 new cities. The largest of those is Atlanta, where Delta Air Lines is based. Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International airport is the nation's busiest, and a primary hub for business travelers, a group that Southwest has increasingly been targeting because they tend to pay higher fares.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100927/...rtran_buyout_5

This is a good move, I need trustworthy Southwest in more cities, as I fly models from all over

I like this too. Southwest is my air carrier of choice for my own personal travel and for models to come to me. Every eight round trips, no matter how short, for example Tampa to Fort Lauderdale, one earns a free round trip domestic flight. I have one earned flight credit right now that I am saving for my next Vegas trip in January.

The question is does Air Tran become more like Southwest or does Southwest become more like AirTran? I like Southwest myself.

AirTran will be just like southwest - no more bag fees.