Air Tran Airways opinions

[Nancy for Disney]

I haven't flown anything but Southwest in many years. I am booking a trip through another agency and Air Tran was the only airline with a direct flight to Orlando at a time where I would be able to get a regular nights rest. Any opinions out there? Are they typically on time. I have only been more then 15 minutes late with Southwest one time. Will I need to pick my seat in advance?

Thanks

 

[jerseygirl81]

We flew on Airtran last year they only changed our time by about 10 minutes. I have heard about time changes for Air tran but we took a chance since we got a great rate for our upcoming trip and booked with them again. There is another thread on the transportation board about a $25 coupon if you're flying before it expires. I booked through Kayak and did'nt have to pay for seat assignments but there is a $15 first case charge. Linda

 

[MIannie]

We have flown twice on Airtran this year, Flint Michigan non-stop to Orlando. And we are taking the same trip in eight days The flights have been on time. The flight attendants have been mature, if you know what I mean, and very concerned about the passengers. No bells and whistles, but the price is right. I usually wait until 24 hours before the flight to pick seating because this is when they open up the preferred seating that hasn't been sold. Some that looks like occupied seating now, will be available The day before. HTH

 

[MariDisney]

We always fly Air Tran. On our trip 2 weeks ago, we got into MCO 20 minutes ealry. On the trip home we got in 10 min early. We have found the people working for them to be very friendly. We do pick our seats in advance. The price is worth knowing we'll be together.

 

[jerseygirl81]

We have flown twice on Airtran this year, Flint Michigan non-stop to Orlando. And we are taking the same trip in eight days The flights have been on time. The flight attendants have been mature, if you know what I mean, and very concerned about the passengers. No bells and whistles, but the price is right. I usually wait until 24 hours before the flight to pick seating because this is when they open up the preferred seating that hasn't been sold. Some that looks like occupied seating now, will be available The day before. HTH

Do you know if you can change your seat then if you have already chosen a seat? Our seats are pretty far back because the flight looked pretty booked except for the the seat by the wings which I guess is where the door is or the seats up in business class. Linda

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

Yes, you can change your seats after you've picked them. The seats by the wings are most likely the emergency exits.

I've flown Air Tran several times and never had a problem. As previously mentioned, always use book through Kayak and seat assignments are FREE!

 

[MariDisney]

Do you know if you can change your seat then if you have already chosen a seat? Our seats are pretty far back because the flight looked pretty booked except for the the seat by the wings which I guess is where the door is or the seats up in business class. Linda

Yes, when you check in you can change your seats if there is something available that you would prefer. I think you still have to pay the higher seat selection fee if it is a more expensive row are moving to.

 

[ScubaCat]

You do not have to pay a seat fee when changing it within 24 hours of check-in.

If you paid for seat assignments ahead of time, you can change them by bringing up your itinerary on airtran.com. There will be a button at the top to select or change your seats. You can do that as often as you wish before checking in.

 

[Goofygirl17]

I was wondering what people think of AirTran too. We're waiting for SW to release April fars on Oct 13th. Keeping my fingers crossed for something reasonable. In the meantime I've been researching other options.

I've read that AirTran (and probably other airlines) have changed people's non-stop flights to one-stop flights. Does this happen frequently? We need a non-stop due to my DD's anxiety.

Thanks!

 

[tam626]

I've flown with Airtran the past two years from BWI to MCO nonstop. Our flight times have only been changed by minutes & they are always on time. Everyone is friendly. & you get free drinks. I flew US Airways in April & did'nt get anything.

 

[crashbb]

I was wondering what people think of AirTran too. We're waiting for SW to release April fars on Oct 13th. Keeping my fingers crossed for something reasonable. In the meantime I've been researching other options.

I've read that AirTran (and probably other airlines) have changed people's non-stop flights to one-stop flights. Does this happen frequently? We need a non-stop due to my DD's anxiety.

Thanks!

Which airport will you be flying from?

 

[Goofygirl17]

We're hoping to fly on SW from Bradley (Hartford), Providence or Long Island. If SW is too high we're considering flying out of White Plains NY.

 

[jerseygirl81]

We're hoping to fly on SW from Bradley (Hartford), Providence or Long Island. If SW is too high we're considering flying out of White Plains NY.

We're flying out of White Plains for the first time on our next trip. It's a small airport with minimal parking but we are planning on parking at nearby hotel that offers a shuttle to the airport. Linda

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I was wondering what people think of AirTran too. We're waiting for SW to release April fars on Oct 13th. Keeping my fingers crossed for something reasonable. In the meantime I've been researching other options.

I've read that AirTran (and probably other airlines) have changed people's non-stop flights to one-stop flights. Does this happen frequently? We need a non-stop due to my DD's anxiety.

Thanks!

We have flown AT 3x and all times were good. We're usually SW fans. For our upcoming cruise we chose to return on AT cuz they're a participating airline for onboard check in and it's so convenient to not worry about the 24 hr. mark while on a cruise. Also they had an 11:45 am nonstop which was perfect timing.
Well, we booked it last Feb and since then they cancelled the non stop and put us on a connecting flight. My mom can't stand to connect so I called and requested the next non stop, 3 something. It was full. The next non stop was 6 something so we took it. They kindly reassigned our seats too. That flight was changed again to 7:21 pm.

So now we have all day to kill in Orlando which isn't normally a bad thing but we paid $140 for one way DCL transfers from the port which handles our luggage too but now we have to rent a car anyway so we'll probably just rent a car near the port and have to handle our own bags which negates all the benefits of using a participating airline so we should have just used SWA to begin with. They rarely change their schedule once published unless it's for weather or mechanical issues.

 

[Goofygirl17]

Linda- We're considering flying out of White Plains if we can't get our other choices. I've read about staying at the hotel or parking there. The only non-stop flight AirTran has is at 1 something in the afternoon so we couldn't leave on Friday the way we'd like to and if we go on Saturday it pretty much wastes the whole day. When are you going?

ruadisneyfan- Sorry you've had such a frustrating experience with AT. We've really enjoyed our trips on SW. We've flown them our last 3 trips with no problems. We're really hoping it works out this time too. Have a great cruise!

 

[a1tinkfans]

I haven't flown anything but Southwest in many years. I am booking a trip through another agency and Air Tran was the only airline with a direct flight to Orlando at a time where I would be able to get a regular nights rest. Any opinions out there? Are they typically on time. I have only been more then 15 minutes late with Southwest one time. Will I need to pick my seat in advance?

Thanks

You can "pay" for your seat!

They are notorious (see the threads right here on the Dis) for switching flight times, even switching DAYS without even notifying their passengers.
I am a SW fan, so I say No, IMHO

 

[Nancy for Disney]

You can "pay" for your seat!

They are notorious (see the threads right here on the Dis) for switching flight times, even switching DAYS without even notifying their passengers.
I am a SW fan, so I say No, IMHO

Thanks for all the responses. Unfortunately Southwest isn't one of our choices. We purchased airline tickets that were donated for a fundraiser through a local business so we are limited in our choices.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

They are okay...it isn't my favorite, but when it comes to saving money so you can spend more in the parks, I am all for it!