Vox populi

Everyone wants to be wanted, but AirTran is making absolutely, positively sure it will go only where the people really want it. The discounter, which is slowing down its rapid growth, has asked people into tell it which city to put on its map next. It has put up a page on its website with 49 possible choices for its next city. "The input we receive certainly will factor into decisions on where we add" future service, AirTran planning vice president Kevin Healy said. In other words, it will listen to the voice of the people, but only up to a point. Cities on the list include Fort Wayne, Indiana; Albany, N.Y.; San Juan, Puerto Rico, and even Chicago O'Hare. People get to check a box and then fill in their email address to be notified if and when AirTran comes to their city. The page does not give any address to which a community or its local airport could send cash, er 'incentive' payments. Vote at airtran.com/nextcity, but please bear in mind that Manchester, New Hampshire, is in range but Manchester is not. Within days of the AirTran launch of the site, cities began to urge their discount-hungry flyers to vote. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's capital city that has been begging for low-cost carrier service for years, told people on its airport mailing list to vote, reminding them 'Your family and friends can vote, too'. This could get interesting: the old saying in Chicago was 'vote early, vote often, alive or not'.