325 Daily Seats to Atlanta Remain
MOLINE, IL (August 10, 2010) -- Late this morning, the Metropolitan Airport Authority was officially notified by AirTran Airways that service would be discontinued from Moline to Atlanta, effective November 30, 2010. Service to Orlando, the world's most popular tourist destination, will continue with four non-stop flights per week.
AirTran will begin new non-stop service from the Quad Cities to Fort Myers, FL beginning in the first quarter of 2011. The flight schedule for the Fort Myers service has not yet been announced. Preliminary discussions indicate Fort Myers service would be on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, complimenting the Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday service to Orlando.
AirTran's difficult decision comes after years of strong competition in the Moline/Atlanta marketplace. Delta continues to offer five daily non-stop flights to and from Atlanta on 65-seat aircraft with first class options, convenient flights times, low matching fares and strong global connection opportunities with over 1,000 departures to 226 non-stop destinations from Atlanta.
"Although we are disappointed with AirTran's decision regarding Atlanta," says Bruce Carter, Director of Aviation, "we are pleased that they will be maintaining service to Orlando and adding a new non-stop destination for our Fort Myers passengers."
The Airport Authority continues to explore new non-stop opportunities with AirTran, American, United and Delta, as well as advocating bringing additional new low-cost carriers into the marketplace. The Quad City International Airport remains a strong regional competitive choice for nearly one million travelers annually, with non-stop service to eight major hubs.
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