Air Tran vs Southwest

[npmommie]

I was just curious on where you get coupons for Air Tran?

If you go to the air tran site you can sign up for email deals, I get them in email. and if you set up a few different email accounts, you will get multiple coupons so everyone has some to use

 

[npmommie]

I am going back and forth this time on AT vs SWA as well. For Easter week on paper Air Tran looks much cheaper but when you add in the seat selection fee and the bag fee x3 people it gets much closer.

I like the cancellation/change policy with SWA and don't mind open seating - (I actually like it).

Would love to hear more comments on the seat changes, time changes and cancellations that I have been reading about from the AT folks, myth or truth?

I like SW cancellation policy better too,
for air tran don't know if you saw it posted but if you go to Kayak.com and search flights, and choose air tran it redirects you to the Air Tran site to book directly through them, but they waive the seat selection fee.

 

[happymommy]

This is a great question, OP!

Pricing out our spring break, SW is about $350 plus rt from BWI. Airtran has for less than $150 rt from Regan National - about 30 minutes more of a drive for us. It would save well over $1000, plus they have nonstop available.

My concern is, I love SW, as you can make changes easily. With Airtran, if we made any changes, we'd just eat the ticket (change fee of $75, our ticket costs less than that).

I'm waiting another week or so, as we really need to be firm on our dates before buying the tickets.

I couldn't believe the price difference between the two! If we go, we'll book Airtran, but I really want nonstop. I hope they don't make changes two months out...

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

I couldn't believe the price difference between the two! If we go, we'll book Airtran, but I really want nonstop. I hope they don't make changes two months out...

Here's hoping that they don't make changes; however, if they do make a change, you can have Air Tran move you to a non-stop flight % BWI for no additional charge.

That is the silver lining, they do try to accomodate you if they make changes.

 

[3kidz4dis]

If you go to the air tran site you can sign up for email deals, I get them in email. and if you set up a few different email accounts, you will get multiple coupons so everyone has some to use

I just signed up! Thanks for the tip...how often do they send coupons? I am ready to book but wanted to wait and see if a coupons show up!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

How do the cancellation policies at SW v AT stack up? My mom flies SW all the time and swears they have the most generous cancellation policy of any airline.

Does Air Tran charge for checked bags?

I love how easy SW's change/cancellation policies are. No fees at all and the funds are available to use until 1 yr from the original purchase date.
Also Airtran charges for $15 for 1st bag, not sure about 2nd.

We were die hard SW fans until we discovered Onboard Check In with DCL. If using a participating airline, our boarding passes are delivered to our stateroom the day prior. We put our luggage outside our door the last night of the cruise and don't see it until we arrive in Philly. So convenient.

TG08 cruise, we flew AT home just for this perk and all was good. Another one way to FL in Jan 09 was good. For our Halloween 09 cruise, they changed our noon non stop (perfect time for post cruise) to a connecting flight thru ATL. My parents really dislike flying and my dad has claustrophobia and really wanted a non stop. The only other non stop was 4 pm but that was full. Next choice was 6:30pm so we took that.

They never notified us of this change. The man on the phone was very nice but all of you kayak shoppers beware, he did check to see that we indeed paid for seats before reassigning seats on the new flight.

That flight was later changed to 7:20 pm.

The whole thing just wreaked havoc with our plans. The whole point of flying AT was to use DCL bus transfers from PC and they handle our luggage. Unlike ME, it's not free: $140 one way for family of 4. That left me still needing to rent a car, another $60, and find something to do for the day to occupy my kids.

We ended up cancelling the DCL bus, renting a car from PC, spending the day at US/IOA (AP holders) and paying $60 in luggage fees for nothing. If I felt like lugging my own bags I would have done it for free on SWA and would have been home by 2 pm.

Also now that they have Early Bird Ck In, I don't have to worry about what we're doing at T-24 at WDW or Castaway Cay.

I also love that they rarely change their schedule. The only changes they've ever made in the 20 or so times we've used them were due to weather.

I don't mind their line up in numerical order. Waiting in the line with AT was no different, we just didn't have numbers.

 

[3kidz4dis]

I love how easy SW's change/cancellation policies are. No fees at all and the funds are available to use until 1 yr from the original purchase date.
Also Airtran charges for $15 for 1st bag, not sure about 2nd.

We were die hard SW fans until we discovered Onboard Check In with DCL. If using a participating airline, our boarding passes are delivered to our stateroom the day prior. We put our luggage outside our door the last night of the cruise and don't see it until we arrive in Philly. So convenient.

TG08 cruise, we flew AT home just for this perk and all was good. Another one way to FL in Jan 09 was good. For our Halloween 09 cruise, they changed our noon non stop (perfect time for post cruise) to a connecting flight thru ATL. My parents really dislike flying and my dad has claustrophobia and really wanted a non stop. The only other non stop was 4 pm but that was full. Next choice was 6:30pm so we took that.

They never notified us of this change. The man on the phone was very nice but all of you kayak shoppers beware, he did check to see that we indeed paid for seats before reassigning seats on the new flight.

That flight was later changed to 7:20 pm.

The whole thing just wreaked havoc with our plans. The whole point of flying AT was to use DCL bus transfers from PC and they handle our luggage. Unlike ME, it's not free: $140 one way for family of 4. That left me still needing to rent a car, another $60, and find something to do for the day to occupy my kids.

We ended up cancelling the DCL bus, renting a car from PC, spending the day at US/IOA (AP holders) and paying $60 in luggage fees for nothing. If I felt like lugging my own bags I would have done it for free on SWA and would have been home by 2 pm.

Also now that they have Early Bird Ck In, I don't have to worry about what we're doing at T-24 at WDW or Castaway Cay.

I also love that they rarely change their schedule. The only changes they've ever made in the 20 or so times we've used them were due to weather.

I don't mind their line up in numerical order. Waiting in the line with AT was no different, we just didn't have numbers.

Oh boy! I was just getting ready to book.....think I will hold off!!!!