Orlando Magic and AirTran Airways Debut ‘Magic 1′

Fernando Medina/Orlando Magic

Here’s the official release from the Orlando Magic.

ORLANDO MAGIC AND AIRTRAN AIRWAYS DEBUT ‘MAGIC 1’ AIRPLANE
Jet is first NBA-themed AirTran Airways plane to hit the skies

ORLANDO, FL – The Orlando Magic and AirTran Airways, with the help of the Magic’s Dwight Howard, unveiled the newest member of AirTran Airways’ fleet, ‘Magic 1,’ today at the Magic Carpet Aviation Hangar. The one-of-a-kind, custom-painted Boeing 717 will operate across the company’s network of more than 60 destinations, exposing millions of passengers to the combined brands.

In addition to announcing the debut of the first NBA-themed airplane in AirTran Airways’ fleet, AirTran Airways also donated $5,000 to both the Dwight D. Howard Foundation and the Orlando Magic Youth Fund, a fund of the McCormick Foundation, to celebrate the occasion.

The Orlando Magic and AirTran Airways announced earlier this year a new, multi-year relationship, making the airline a “Champions of the Community” partner for the new Amway Center. “Champions of the Community” partners are an elite tier of brands who are committed to Central Florida and the Parramore community. The fully integrated relationship includes community programming, unparalleled team and facility access, brand recognition visibility and category exclusivity.

With the “Champions of the Community Partnership,” AirTran Airways becomes the Official Airline of the Orlando Magic and the new Amway Center, which will compete to host major national events, concerts and family shows and serve as the new home of the Orlando Magic. Opening in the fall of 2010, the facility will be operated by the City of Orlando and owned by the Central Florida Community.

Orlando-based AirTran Airways serves more destinations from Orlando than any other airline, recently adding flights to Nassau, Bahamas, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Aruba, and Key West. The airline is also the winner of the prestigious Airline Quality Rating and the only major airline with Wi-Fi on every flight.

(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger and a contributor at NFL Mocks Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily.)