Airtran experience since change??

[jobie61]

Because there are REALLY only two seats there.... They just use a generic seat map which shows the three seats... They don't have the third seat.

I thought that at first too.

The confusing part about this is, there is one row with this middle seat available. I thought that too, but the emergency exit row has the middle seat available.



Thoughts !!

 

[madge]

I've not flown AirTran before - so this paying for the seat thing is new to me. I apologize for asking a couple of questions that may have already been answered. I just want to make sure I understand this correctly:

I can pay for an assigned seat when I buy my tickets, but not a month from now? Or can I buy them at any time up until 24 hours before the flight, when the seats are regularly assigned?

If more seats open up at a later time, can I change the seats I've already paid for?

We have 3 kids, and I'd like to at least have at least 3 seats together so one of us can sit with the younger two (my DS is 17, he won't mind sitting alone with his video game and Ipod. LOL)

thanks!

 

[JanB]

I've not flown AirTran before - so this paying for the seat thing is new to me. I apologize for asking a couple of questions that may have already been answered. I just want to make sure I understand this correctly:

I can pay for an assigned seat when I buy my tickets, but not a month from now? Or can I buy them at any time up until 24 hours before the flight, when the seats are regularly assigned?

If more seats open up at a later time, can I change the seats I've already paid for?

We have 3 kids, and I'd like to at least have at least 3 seats together so one of us can sit with the younger two (my DS is 17, he won't mind sitting alone with his video game and Ipod. LOL)

thanks!

Once you have purchased your tickets online, I do not know whether you can decide to pay for the seats later. Neither do I have personal experience with changing the seats that you've already been assigned. BUT it does appear as though you can change the seats that you've already selected. If you go to the Airtran website, and go to RESERVATIONS and then FIND ITINERARY, you will see this (bolding is mine):

To view an itinerary or change seats (for applicable fares), enter the required information below and click the find itinerary button. To make changes to your booking, enter the required information and the last four digits of the booking credit card, then click the find itinerary button.

When I went online 24 hours before departure to print my boarding pass from home, I was given the opportunity to select different seats from the ones that I had paid for.

 

[keishashadow]

has anyone else been able to call AT this week & speak to a "real" person?

i've been trying to redeem vouchers for over a month, this week wait times when I call have extended 15 minutes before I hang up in disgust.

wonder if they have caller id & have blocked me.

 

[marciemi]

I called on Monday and spoke to a real person! I did wait about 15 minutes, but it warned me at the beginning that wait times were long (I assumed because it was Monday morning!).

Also, I made my reservations online back in March and just did the seat assignment this week so you can obviously add it in at any time. I don't believe (from what the agent told me) that you could change the seats you paid for yourself (ie you could possibly do it by calling but not online), at least until the 24 hour window.

 

[madge]

thanks for the answers - I'm getting out of my SWA comfort zone here with assigned seating, LOLOL! I actually don't mind the way they do it, I can get on the plane and decide where to sit. Charts and graphs don't help me much at all

 

[pggalligar293]

Yes, please do report back. My DH is nervous about using them just because of the whole seating thing. We normally fly American. We will gladly pay the $5.00 per leg of the trip if we are guarnteed the seats we picked.

We flew Airtran for our trip to WDW 7/1/07-7/7/07 and I didn't pay to prebook seats for my family of 4. I checked in 24 hours prior to the flight and had no problem getting seats together. I had the conceirge do the same for the return flight as well. Airtran was great, very friendly and smooth sailing all the way. I would definitely fly again. Have a great trip!

 

[ParrotBill]

Seats on popular nonstops may be hard to come by as word gets out you can pay for your seat ahead of time.

I just looked at the flights we have booked in a little over a month from now... the one nonstop flight each day. The flight back is a fairly open but the one heading down had few open complete rows at this point... so I paid my $30 for the 3 of us. It used to be if you checked in more than 10 hours ahead you were fine getting seats together... now I don't think it will be.

Airtran has always assigned seats at checkin in the 10 years I've been flying them... not like the Southwest "find a seat" deal. I don't get the postings about attendents saying they don't assign seats!

 

[keishashadow]

seatguru has ratings on the seats for most airlines, helpful imo

did get thru to AT (thanks for encourangement marci ); still no luck on using the vouchers lol

also, was able to change the seats I booked for the exta $5 w/o any extra payment due...needed 3 seats & before I booked the 3rd one it was gone...had to start all over; worked out fine.

 

[disneybride96]

I have to say I wish everyone would not be so quick to pay the extra bucks for the pre-assigned seating. .... Leave it to the airlines to convince people they're doing us a favor by charging us more.

Well said! I think it is a racket!

 

[ribbot]

After I had booked our August ressies online (back in May) and went in to check a month ago what the prices were now, I saw that assigned seating symbol and immediately called AT. I was told I could pay $5 per person to get 3 seats (my DH, myself and DS 7) OR I could just wait until 24 hours before and get them assigned AND she told me that they would definitely not split us up. When I checked the seating about a month ago, there was 40 seats left-----still today there is 40 seats left.

I kind of hinted around to her about them automatically blocking seats on that picture whenever someone booked and she said that since I had bought the cheap tickets (YES! $59!) that I was unable to hold my seats unless I paid the $5. I think that seating chart is a crock---you mean NOBODY has booked a return flight to Pittsburgh from Orlando on August 13th since I booked back in May? I think it's a tactic to get their fuel money for the plane since they aren't charging anymore than I paid 2 years ago.

She basically just told me to wait since they would not split us up. Hmmmm, well, I guess we'll see about this. My butt will be parked at the desk exactly 24 hours (and a few minutes) before my return flight home waiting to get my seats assigned.

 

[crazy_for_the_dis]

I personally have seen families split up on just about every flight I go on these days, so I would not put too much faith in that. That's why it was worth it to me to pay the 5 (I've wasted much more money on lots of things....$20 bucks for the 4 of us for peace of mind is a no brainer). When I picked out my seats, the seats available only started towards the back of the plane (about maybe 1/3 to 1/2 through and then all the way to the back). In that block, you could see seats that were already chosen, and not many were there for groups of more than 2 people to be together. It appeared to me that the first 13 or so rows were never available to pick from. So maybe, and this is a big maybe, I'm just surmising, that they hold certain areas for the people who have higher points, pay higher fares, etc in the front, and then fill in the gaps with the rest that don't pre-pick their seats. Really, how many people even know about this? If I didn't read these boards, I would have never known.

 

[ribbot]

I personally have seen families split up on just about every flight I go on these days, so I would not put too much faith in that. That's why it was worth it to me to pay the 5 (I've wasted much more money on lots of things....$20 bucks for the 4 of us for peace of mind is a no brainer). When I picked out my seats, the seats available only started towards the back of the plane (about maybe 1/3 to 1/2 through and then all the way to the back). In that block, you could see seats that were already chosen, and not many were there for groups of more than 2 people to be together. It appeared to me that the first 13 or so rows were never available to pick from. So maybe, and this is a big maybe, I'm just surmising, that they hold certain areas for the people who have higher points, pay higher fares, etc in the front, and then fill in the gaps with the rest that don't pre-pick their seats. Really, how many people even know about this? If I didn't read these boards, I would have never known.

Exactly my point---not many people know about the $5 seat assignment---people are going to do things like they've always done, just get your seats assigned 24 hours in advance. I actually spoke to 2 AT reps and they both told me the same thing about the 3 of us not being split up. I have been watching the seating assignment chart and it has not changed in over a month, so unless it does in the next 3 weeks, then I'm not going to worry about it. How many people do the check in at exactly 24 hours?? In todays world, probably not many. I know I'll be there EXACTLY 24 hours before, so I'm already way ahead of them. They're the people that have to worry about being split up, imho.

 

[dis-happy]

When I picked out my seats, the seats available only started towards the back of the plane (about maybe 1/3 to 1/2 through and then all the way to the back). In that block, you could see seats that were already chosen, and not many were there for groups of more than 2 people to be together. It appeared to me that the first 13 or so rows were never available to pick from. So maybe, and this is a big maybe, I'm just surmising, that they hold certain areas for the people who have higher points, pay higher fares, etc in the front, and then fill in the gaps with the rest that don't pre-pick their seats. Really, how many people even know about this? If I didn't read these boards, I would have never known.

AT flies 2 types of planes, Boeing 717 and 737. Mostly the smaller 717 is used. On that plane, rows 1-3 are business class, rows 4-9 don't exist, and row 10 is the bulkhead at the beginning of coach. So it sounds like only rows 10-12 are really blocked off (and held for the FF).

 

[crazy_for_the_dis]

When it comes to checking in 24 hrs ahead, I think more and more people are becoming more savy to that. Even my DH knows to check-iin 24 hrs ahead, and he is ignorant when is comes to the ins and outs of travel. In fact, last SW flight, I checked in 22 hours ahead of time (got busy at work), and got a B! I don't know how the new system will work out, that's why I started this thread. But again, we can blow $20 at an arcade, lottery, movies, drinks at a restaurant, etc. etc. like it is nothing. For the price, it just seems worth it. Now, if everyone reports back it was unnecessary, maybe next trip I'll reconsider.

 

[marciemi]

I agree - I did the math the other day and figured out that we're spending, well, WAY too much on this vacation. $50 for peace of mind (for 5 of us both ways) is fairly insignificant, and still cheaper for me than booking on any other airline (SW doesn't fly here) that includes the seats. I understand the "don't pay it and they'll discontinue it" but think it's actually kind of nice that they have both options. Folks can get the cheaper fares (if it was just DH and I, I wouldn't pay it) if they want, or can pay to sit together. Seems fair to me ! At least I shouldn't have to deal with Midwest's "Seats are never guaranteed" garbage!

 

[ribbot]

You know what's weird----I just checked my same flight and the other non-stop flight the day before our trip and pretty much all of the exact same seats are blocked out--leaving approximately 40 seats open (same as our flight). I also checked a 1 stop flight to Atlanta and they had all the middle seats blocked off the whole way back to the back of the plane. But the other seats on each side were open. Isn't that a little strange? Who requests middle seats?

I have a feeling that when someone books with AT they just automatically color in those seats as filled---otherwise what chart are the reps looking at when they book a flight for a customer? They probably pull up the same chart we see and say "there are seats available on that flight".

I'm anxious to see just what happens with this and whether we should have paid or not. It's kind of the same ordeal I'm going through with choosing the dining plan----we did, but should we have?

 

[CarolA]

If ALL the middle seats on one side of the plane are blocked it's because there is NO middle seat.

Also, the seating chart is NOT representative of "unsold" seats......

Even with this new method SOME seats are "held" for business travelers, AirTran high milage frequent flyers etc. When a person paying full fare buys a ticket I wouldn't be surprised if those first few rows you can't take are avaialble to them.

(And the "you won't be broken up" speech is good. I can't believe they are telling you that.....Let's get real. If I PAID for my window/aisle seat, I am not going to be happy to move because a rep on the phone said "you won't be broken up" The truth is the reps on the phone KNOW they don't have to deal with you at the airport so....)

 

[ribbot]

If ALL the middle seats on one side of the plane are blocked it's because there is NO middle seat.

Also, the seating chart is NOT representative of "unsold" seats......

Even with this new method SOME seats are "held" for business travelers, AirTran high milage frequent flyers etc. When a person paying full fare buys a ticket I wouldn't be surprised if those first few rows you can't take are avaialble to them.

(And the "you won't be broken up" speech is good. I can't believe they are telling you that.....Let's get real. If I PAID for my window/aisle seat, I am not going to be happy to move because a rep on the phone said "you won't be broken up" The truth is the reps on the phone KNOW they don't have to deal with you at the airport so....)

I was told by those same reps that the seats that are showing as "full" are being held for higher paying customers or ff customers. I thought the speech was rather good too---especially since they could be selling me an "insurance plan" for $5 per ticket. It's funny that neither one of the reps I talked to pushed for it. You would think their managers would make them "sell" this new option. Apparently, they're not pushing it since there haven't been any new seats taken in almost 2 months.

 

[StampMom]

(And the "you won't be broken up" speech is good. I can't believe they are telling you that.....Let's get real. If I PAID for my window/aisle seat, I am not going to be happy to move because a rep on the phone said "you won't be broken up" The truth is the reps on the phone KNOW they don't have to deal with you at the airport so....)

I agree that it doesn't make much sense for them to promise that families won't be broken up -- but do you think it's a safe assumption that they won't make kids sit alone? I'd like to save the $100 it would cost to reserve 5 seats each way, and the 3 adults in our party don't mind being split up. I can't imagine that they'd let my 5 year old or my 9 year old sit alone -- would they? (LOL, maybe this is my way of getting to read my book on the plane for once -- I'll let some stranger entertain my kids! )