AirTran (and Southwest?) to Fly to Bermuda

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

See recent posts by Carl Unger

Want to receive stories like this every day? Subscribe to our free Deal Alert newsletter.

AirTran will launch daily, seasonal service to Bermuda starting this spring. The low-cost carrier will fly from Baltimore beginning April 7, and Atlanta beginning May 26. Service will stop for the season on September 6 from Atlanta, and October 24 from Baltimore.

For AirTran, this makes six international destinations: Aruba, Cancun, Montego Bay, Nassau, Punta Cana, and now Bermuda.

For now, AirTran will be the only airline operating a daily nonstop flight from the Charm City to Bermuda. Charter carrier USA3000 usually provides seasonal summer service, but hasn’t announced plans for next year. Other major airlines offer connecting service.

Delta operates daily seasonal service from Atlanta.

Of course, any move by AirTran has to be seen as a move for Southwest, even though the airlines are still separate, independent carriers. And for Southwest, this move looks pretty good. The new routes take off from a major Southwest hub—Baltimore—meaning the carrier can easily connect flights from other cities to its Bermuda service, notably the New York area and Boston. This allows Southwest to compete with JetBlue, American, and Continental, all of which serve the tiny island from those cities.

Similarly, Atlanta will become a major hub, if not Southwest’s busiest destination, once the AirTran acquisition completes.

Many people may be wondering if Southwest will keep AirTran’s international service, including this new route, but I think it’s pretty clear it will. After all, AirTran’s international network was a major reason Southwest bought AirTran in the first place. AirTran’s Caribbean and Mexico service provided a quick and easy way for Southwest to add popular destinations to its dominant domestic network, and Bermuda likely fits in nicely.

Readers, where else would you like to see AirTran and/or Southwest fly?

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.