ValuJet Airlines

ValuJet Airlines was an ultra low-cost airline in the United States that operated from 1992 until 1997, when it was rebranded as AirTran Airlines after joining forces with AirTran Airways. It was headquartered in unincorporated Clayton County, Georgia and operated regularly scheduled domestic and international flights in the Eastern United States and Canada during the 1990s. The company was founded in 1992 and was notorious for its sometimes dangerous cost-cutting measures. All of the airline's planes were purchased used from other airlines; very little training was provided to workers; and contractors were used for maintenance and other services. In 1995, the military refused the company's bid to fly military personnel due to safety concerns. By 1996, ValuJet's safety record was so poor that officials at the FAA wanted the airline grounded. After the crash of Flight 592 in 1996, which was caused by illegally and improperly stored hazardous materials on board, the airline was grounded the next month and not allowed to fly again until September of that same year, with a greatly reduced fleet. The airline's major customers never returned, and the company suffered major losses. In 1997, ValuJet purchased the much smaller AirTran Airways. Although ValuJet was the nominal survivor, executives believed that a new name was important to regain passenger traffic, so the new company adopted the AirTran name in a reverse takeover. After the sale, AirTran made little mention of its past as ValuJet. AirTran was bought by Southwest Airlines in 2011 and ended flights in 2014.