AirTran nonstop flights to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale from LVIA

AirTran is a discount carrier based in Orlando, Fla. It will begin nonstop flights between Lehigh Valley International Airport and both Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. starting June 25, 2009. AirTran is the eighth airline to operate at LVIA and will give the airport nonstop service to 13 cities.

The airline will offer four flights per week to Orlando with an introductory rate of $79 each way and three to Fort Lauderdale with opening rates of $84 each way. AirTran joins Allegiant Air and DirectAir in flying to Florida from Lehigh Valley International Airport.

In 2008, passenger traffic from LVIA dropped 8 percent, leading to the lowest number of fliers in at least a decade.
Traffic at LVIA peaked in 2004 with more than 1 million passengers. A recent study of local passenger traffic showed that as many as 400 passengers per day are using Newark and Philadelphia Airports to travel to Florida.