AirTran to abandon SRQ in 2012

SARASOTA -- AirTran Airways will discontinue flights to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in August.

A statement from AirTran parent Southwest Airlines says its Orlando-based subsidiary will discontinue service at six airports later this year, including Allentown, Pa. (ABE); Lexington, Ky. (LEX); Harrisburg, Pa. (MDT); Huntsville, Ala. (HSV); and White Plains, N.Y. (HPN).

AirTran first began serving Sarasota passengers at the end of 2004, with direct flights to Atlanta and Baltimore, and has since added routes to Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis and Milwaukee. AirTran flights carried roughly 365,000 of the passengers that traveled through Sarasota Bradenton International in 2011, roughly 30% of all traffic. Officials say AirTran passengers are worth about $1 million to the airport in food and parking revenues; the airport's annual budget hovers around $22 million.