AirTran Holdings May Bid for TWA

Long-struggling Trans World Airlines Inc. may finally have a suitor. AirTran Holdings Inc. of Orlando, Fla., the small airline formerly known as ValuJet, is in the early stages of talks about buying St. Louis-based TWA, according to published reports. “We’re only confirming preliminary talks right now,” Leslie Head, general counsel at AirTran, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. But his company, which operates AirTran Airways, issued a written statement saying it does not comment on conversations with other airlines. TWA officials also were tight-lipped about the Journal-Constitution report and another by the Wall Street Journal saying the talks began about a month ago. “All airlines enter into these types of discussions with other airlines from time to time,” spokeswoman Julia Bishop-Cross said. But reports of the talks sent TWA shares up 31 cents to close at $2.88 on the NYSE. AirTran shares rose 25 cents to close at $4.56 on Nasdaq.