AirTran begins Huntsville, Ala., service with flights to Baltimore and Orlando, Fla.

AirTran begins Huntsville, Ala., service

ORLANDO, Fla. — AirTran Airways on Thursday launched daily nonstop service from Huntsville International Airport to Baltimore-Washington International and Orlando International airports.

Huntsville officials said the AirTran flights will help hold down costs. In the fourth quarter of 2009, Huntsville had the highest average fare in the country, at $492, according to the federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The U.S. average was $319.

Bill Johnston Jr., chairman of the board at the Huntsville airport, said Orlando, Fla., and Baltimore/Washington are the airport’s third and fourth largest markets, so there was high demand for nonstop service. Delta, United and U.S. Airways also offer nonstop flights from Huntsville to the Washington area, according to the airport’s website.

There will be two flights per day to and from Baltimore/Washington and one to and from Orlando. The introductory one-way fare is $79 for tickets bought by June 4.

Also Thursday, the company launched a daily nonstop service from San Antonio International Airport to Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport and Orlando International Airport.

The flights to Baltimore/Washington will start at $119 one-way and the flights to Orlando will start at $99 one-way.

Shares of Orlando-based AirTran rose 20 cents, or 3.6 percent, to close at $5.70.