ORLANDO , Fla., May 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AirTran Airways, asubsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAI), today announced the airline is adding additional nonstop service to Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in response to the recovery and growth the area has seen since Hurricane Katrina battered the Gulf Coast last summer.

In an effort to encourage rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, the airline will restart nonstop service between Gulfport/Biloxi and Tampa on July 6, 2006. Additionally, the airline will restart nonstop service between Gulfport/Biloxiand Fort Lauderdale on August 29, 2006 , the one-year anniversary of when Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. When the new schedule takes effect, AirTran Airways will fly to three cities with nonstop service from Gulfport/Biloxi: Tampa , Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta .

"The residents of all the Gulf States affected by Hurricane Katrina have shown the rest of the country their mettle and dedication to rebuilding their communities and rising above the devastation of the storm," said Kevin Healy, AirTran Airways' vice president of planning. "AirTran Airways recognizes the growing demand for affordable air travel in the Gulf region and is honored to serve Gulfport/Biloxi travelers by offering increased service to the area."

Additionally, AirTran Airways has continued its partnerships with local casinos, and the services will provide customers of the Beau Rivage, the new Grand Casino Biloxi and the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino additional options for leisure travel. The airline's partnerships encourage increased air service to the region and allow AirTran Airways and its partners to aid in the ongoing Gulf Coast revitalization.

"Jet service into the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport is key to rebuilding the destination," said George Corchis, president and COO of BeauRivage, a division of MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM). "We are pleased to resume our long-standing partnership with AirTran Airways to provide daily nonstop jetservice between these vital markets and the Mississippi Gulf Coast," he added.