GlobalAtlanta | Companies in the News

AirTran to Launch First International Route from Atlanta to Mexico

AirTran Airways announced Oct. 2 it is launching its first international route from Atlanta.

The airline is to begin daily service from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Cancun, Mexico, Feb. 25, 2009, pending approval from the two countries’ governments.

AirTran’s other routes are all domestic, including a flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth.

Atlanta is a major hub for the airline, which is a subsidiary of Orlando, Fla.-based AirTran Holdings Inc. AirTran occupies 19 percent of Hartsfield-Jackson's gates, making it the second-largest carrier at the airport behind Delta Air Lines Inc., at 70 percent.

AirTran also announced a weekly flight to Cancun from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, to start March 7.

Kevin Healy, AirTran’s senior vice president of marketing and planning, said the route to Cancun gives the airline a presence in a popular vacation destination.

AirTran spokesman David Hirschman told GlobalAtlanta in a previous interview that the airline had planned to fly to Cancun in 2005, but damage done by Hurricane Wilma prompted company officials to reconsider.

For GlobalAtlanta's previous coverage of AirTran's international interests click here.

UPS in Discount Deal with Georgia Hispanic Chamber

United Parcel Service Inc. has announced a partnership with the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to provide discounts for its members and generate revenue for the chamber.

With the affinity partnership, the chamber’s approximately 1,500 members can get as much as a 30 percent discount on air and international shipping, as well as discounts on business services and supplies.

Also, the chamber will receive royalties on net revenue when its members use UPS’s air and international shipping products.

Tisha Tallman, the chamber’s president and CEO, said the deal is a win for the chamber, its members and UPS.

The partnership was announced during the chamber’s quarterly board meeting Oct. 7 at the Westminster Schools in Buckhead.

German Mobile Fuel Cell Manufacturer Establishes Atlanta Office

A German company that manufacturers mobile power generators that run on methanol fuel cells is opening its first U.S. office in Atlanta Oct. 6.

SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG of Brunnthal, Germany, has sold more than 10,000 of its portable alternative energy products over the past four years, including deals with the U.S. Air Force and Army. Military applications include powering individual soldiers' global positioning systems and communications devices.

The fuel cells are marketed as mobile power sources for use when camping or boating, and for devices including laptop computers and security systems.

Peter Podesser, SFC’s CEO, said the new office will enable the company to provide better service to its customers here.

“The United States is a key and fast-growing market for SFC and our new office is intended to be our first step towards establishing full U.S. operations,” he said. “Establishing a team of SFC experts on the East Coast will enable us to work even more closely with our defense and commercial partners.”

The company currently has all of its manufacturing, sales and distribution facilities at its headquarters near Munich, Germany.

Christian Boehm has been named president of SFC Smart Fuel Cell Inc., the company’s new U.S. subsidiary.

For more information, visit www.efoy.de.