AirTran 4th Quarter profit doubles

[Ty Webb]

Waiting to hear the details in the 10:00 a.m. conference call, but hereis a link:

http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/040122/airlines_airtran_earns_2.html

 

[Astra Guy]

Congrats to you guys/gals. Keep the CSR business strong and it will get even better.

 

[lowecur]

Ty

Great Job!

Once the 737NG comes on line, profits will go even higher.

 

[Vladimir Lenin]

go get 'em

 

[Russ]

General
How do you plan to skew these numbers?

 

[Ty Webb]

Sounds like 14 more planes for 2004, or 150 pilots plus 15 retirements, so around 160-180 pilots for a total of 1000.

6 717 (2 in first half, four in second)
8 737-700 starting in June

8.1 CASM
average stage length 800 miles
Not adding new cities this year, just more point-to-point (currently around 500 flights a day to 44 cities)

 

[Ualexpress]

Congrats on the good earnings report. Each quarter I am surprised by the strong performance of this airline. I have changed my point of view of Airtran over the past year or so since a good friend was hired with them last year. I think anyone that was in this industry back in 96 after the crash thought Valujet/Airtran was finished and wouldn't make it, and that mindset has stuck with alot of people even today.

I think it is safe to say that Airtran is not the airline it was in 96 or even 1999 or 2000. My friend says the current management team at AirTran is the biggest reason they are where they are today. I guess they came on board in 1999. At that time AirTran only had a few million dollars in the bank and were close to declaring chapter 11. Today they have close to 400 million in the bank with strong earnings and good growth. I bought some shares in AirTran last year at around $6. I sold some when the stock hit $20 over the summer and still hold some shares. Keep up the good work.

 

[Eagleflip]

Congrats guys...your folks run a top-notch operation (despite the perpetual thunderstorms down in Georgia!). I'm impressed every time I'm on one of your jets--no kidding. The crews are very professional and have a nice sense of customer satisfaction.

Thus I'm not surprised at your financial postings.

And, by the way, thanks for making my commute "liveable."

 

[General Lee]

Russ,

Thanks for remembering me. I will not skew the numbers at Airtran. They are growing, so their capacity goes up and their chances for more profits. They fly to select cities that give them the best chances for extra revenue. I can see that. Let's hope they can keep their costs down, and if they can--they should continue to be profitable. The next question will be where they put their next hub. They have found a good niche by going up against Majors at their hubs, and offering a Low Cost alternative. It will be interesting to watch how AA responds in DFW to Airtran's new services. Let's see if that continues to work, maybe it will.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Russ]

Thanks for remembering you, you dominate the boards. How can one forget you to begin with. Thankfully most of your posts are above board so your not overly obnoxious. You do have your moments tho.

 

[SWA GUY]

Well done Airtran, keep up the good work!

 

[herc17]

Are there any ex Coast Guard at Airtran. If so PM me. Thanks and nice quarter profit. My wife enjoyed a recent flight form Savannah to Tampa.