Air Tran Out of Philly

[johnnyr]

I'm looking for airfare for our next trip. Air Tran has the best fares from PHL right now - $99 each way. I usually fly US Airways and sometimes Spirit out of ACY, but never Air Tran. Has anyone flown Air Tran from Philly lately? I would like to hear your experience. Thanks!

 

[DeadHead]

Flew AirTran in Nov from PHL to MCO (2nd time using the airline for a Disney vacation). Being a long time USAIRWAYS flyer I was very impressed. Check-In at PHL is a lot easier than US, security for Terminal D is less crowded than B or C at PHL. The concousre in PHL is much nicer than USAIR. Now the important things, the fares were MUCH cheaper than USAIR, AirTran closes the doors 10 mins before flight departure, and in PHL they abide by that standard. From MCO the flight left early because all ticketed customers were accounted for. The $99 each way is good but sometimes you can get the fare for $69 or $79 each way. Bottom line for me, I was so impressed with AirTran out Philly to Orlando, I'll never fly USAIR again to or from Orlando.

 

[CleveRocks]

I only flew AirTran once, 2 months ago PHL-MCO and back. I usually take Spirit out of ACY.

My AirTran experience was absolutely perfect. On our way home, it was a full flight, they boarded us early, we pushed back early, and we arrived at PHL 20 minutes early.

 

[CleveRocks]

Sounds like DeadHead and I were on the same flight. November 10???

If not, then that speaks really well for AirTran, that boarding efficiently and leaving early wasn't a fluke.

 

[DeadHead]

CleveRock! No it wasn't Nov 10 but it does as you say speak well for AirTran.

 

[DonnaL]

Can't speak for AirTran, but, we do fly SWA from PHL on every MCO trip. They also have a very good ontime/early record out of and into PHL. I personally like SWA because they have such a liberal change/cancel policy and I ALWAYS end up with credit for future trips as the prices of our fares drop. I agree with above poster about TSA lines and terminal conditions being better in Terminals D & E also. SW has gates in both so we've used both on occasion. The only drawback some people find with SW is the fact they only release fares a few months in advance. Right now they're only booking up to 5/10. It's not a problem for us since I check on a daily basis when we're planning a trip.......and the closer it gets and if our dates haven't been released yet I check the website several times a day. We haven't paid more than $110 rd trp our last three trips.

 

[johnnyr]

Thanks for the replies. Does Air Tran or SWA have kiosks at the airport where you can check-in? I usualy use the online check-in the night before with US Airways, then go to a kiosk to check luggage. No lines. Does it work the same with Air Tran or SWA?

 

[Disneyhappy]

We love Airtran and fly them often. Only one word of caution. Check your flights frequently because they do change. They will accomodate you if there is a change but the other flights may not always work for you. There are usually enough flights out of Phila that it should not cause a problem. Good Luck!

 

[DeadHead]

Johnnyr, I can't speak for SW but AirTran does have kiosks just inside the door at PHL just before the ticket counter, they are on the right hand side of the AirTran area. Good luck!

 

[DonnaL]

We always checkin 24 hours before with SW and then use curbside checkin at the airport....sometimes there may be a small line, but, I've never waited more than 5 minutes. One thing to keep in mind, however, SW does not have assigned seating at all. They use a Line A, B, C concept so if it's important to you that everyone in your party sit together (if you are traveling with a larger group....usually two or four people sitting together is not a problem) it's important that you do check in 24 hours prior to your flight as that's how you are assigned a line .....Line A's board first and so on. A lot of people don't like this system, but, I actually prefer it because YOU can choose where you want to sit as you board...for instance, I'm sure we've all at some time thought to ourselves while waiting for a flight "Gee, I hope that person or family isn't sitting near me" for whatever reason.....talking loudly, unruly children, already spent too much time in the airport bar, etc. With assigned seating you don't have that option.....

 

[Tina G]

We flew with AirTran out of PHL for our last Disney trip in 2004. We were very pleased and had nothing bad to say at all. Both flights were on time and everything went smoothly.

My only problem this time is they aren't running any departing flights from Orlando later than 10:30am on the Saturday I am leaving. So I booked with US Air and got a departing flight of 7:25pm. For me, it's worth spending the extra money to get the later flight and not have to rush out of the resort at the crack of dawn that morning.